Who wrote the “5th Gospel”? Wait a minute! Aren’t there only four Gospels in the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John?
Technically, yes. However, many biblical scholars have called the Old Testament book of Isaiah the “5th Gospel.” No other OT book focuses as sharply on the person and work of Jesus Christ. There are at least 85 quotes or allusions to the book of Isaiah in the NT, including 66 direct quotes. Twenty out of the 27 NT books refer to Isaiah, with 12 books quoting from Isaiah.
The most famous quote from Isaiah may be from Jesus Himself, on the occasion of His “inauguration” to public ministry, in the synagogue in Nazareth, as He stood to read from the scroll of Isaiah (ch. 61):
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Then He sat down and calmly proclaimed: “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:18-21).
~ tr
OC Bereans 
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