RELIGION (original) (raw)
Related papers
The Old Testament and Jesus Christ as its Fulfillment
The birth of the Lord Jesus Christ is the logical continuation and fulfillment of the Israelite master story because He fulfilled many messianic prophecies, established a New Covenant, and destroyed the power of death, thereby raising man to a state of holiness and godliness.
STUDY OF OLD TESTAMENT AS THE BASIS FOR UNDERSTANDING NEW TESTAMENT SUBMITTED
The relation between the two Testaments continues to be an important field of scholarly exploration, and the present paper is intended as a contribution to a greater elucidation of their multifaceted interdependence. The discussion is often focused on uncovering OT motifs and themes that find further use and development in the NT or the analysis of OT allusions and quotations to be found in the NT. These areas of scholarly effort, however, by no means exhaust the interconnections between the Testaments. My aim is to explore whether there is a necessity of suing Old Testament in understanding New Testament. Every reader of the New Testament must use Old Testament as a basis for understanding New Testament is aware of the frequency of Old Testament quotation in the New Testament writings. There are, in fact, somewhere between two and three hundred actual quotations of the Old Testament in the New Testament which depicts the importance of understanding the relationship between the two. The New Testament writers were thoroughly immersed in the Holy Scriptures which had been handed down to them by their forefathers. They lived and breathed the content of these writings, particularly the recital of God’s saving activity in behalf of Israel and the covenant promises concerning the future of God’s people. When they were confronted with the ministry of Jesus―its proclamation by word and deed of the presence of the Kingdom―they were, as we would say, “programmed” to understand it as the consummation of God’s saving activity and the fulfillment of the covenant promises. Thus, when they came to narrate the story of Christ in the gospels and the meaning of that story in the epistles, these writers continually made use of the Old Testament to show that what had so recently taken place in their midst was in fact the goal of Old Testament anticipation. In perceiving the unity of the Bible thus evidenced, the Christian Church rightly affirms, following St. Augustine, that the New Testament lies hidden in the Old, and the Old becomes manifest in the New.
How does the Old Testament bear witness to Jesus
This paper explores the ways in which the Old Testament bears witness to Jesus, moving beyond the traditional typological interpretations to embrace a more expansive, inclusive, and diverse engagement with Scripture. Beginning with my personal journey, influenced by Professor Cameron Howard's challenge to rethink my understanding of the Old Testament, I examine how typology has shaped Christian readings for centuries while also recognizing its limitations. Through the lenses of feminist, postcolonial, liberationist, and postmodern scholarship, I argue that the Old Testament's witness to Jesus is not confined to a single narrative arc but is a complex dialogue that invites multiple perspectives. Using texts like Exodus, Zechariah, Isaiah, Leviticus, and Daniel, I demonstrate how different interpretive methods — ranging from typology to liberation theology and deconstructive hermeneutics — enhance our understanding of Jesus as the fulfillment of the Law, the embodiment of justice, and the continuation of a story that began with Israel. In this exploration, I draw an analogy between the limitations of hearing and the richness of being deaf, suggesting that just as one can listen without hearing, the Old Testament can be read in ways that go beyond traditional typology. Each method of interpretation is not about finding one definitive answer but about opening Scripture to a multitude of voices, allowing the Old Testament to speak in ways that are fresh, surprising, and alive. The paper ultimately argues that the Old Testament’s witness to Jesus is not a static fulfillment but a living, breathing conversation that crosses time, culture, and context. It is a journey from certainty to wonder, from singularity to diversity, inviting us to engage with the biblical text in ways that are both faithful to tradition and open to new possibilities.
"A Documented Biography of Jesus Before Christianity", 2015
It is about Jesus and the Torah. Here, I shall make a prefatory observation which may guide your decision whether to read or not to read the entry. Christians regard the “Old Testament” as largely an antiquated story-book, filled with laws and ritual obligations which ceased to have spiritual merit after his crucifixion. Major exceptions were the Ten Commandments which Jesus himself taught, as well as his lineage from King David (Matthew 1:1; Luke 3:31) and various prophecies which seemed to envisage a suffering savior. But did Jesus himself actually teach that the Torah’s laws would become passe after his crucifixion?