THE BOOKS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT PREPARED THE WAY FOR THE

NEW TESTAMENT

IT SPEAKS OF CHRIST THROUGH PROPHECY AND TYPES

Sacred Scripture the Inspired Word

Sacred Scripture

The Church determined which books were inspired by the Holy Spirit & which were not

The Bible is divided into Two sections: the Old Testament & the New Testament

The N.T. does not nullify (negate) the Old Testament Rather it fulfills & completes it

If the N.T. tells the story of Jesus, why do Christians need to know about the old Testament?

The first thing to know about Jesus Christ, Matthew tells us, is how Jesus is related to the O.T.

Genealogy

Genealogy is the study of ancestry, or a chronological list of

ancestors. The Gospels of Matthew & Luke show evidence that Jesus is in the ancestral line of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, & David.

“The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham”. Matthew 1:1

The books of the O.T. tell the story of the long journey toward salvation That is completed in the N.T. where the promises of

the O.T. are fulfilled in Jesus

The Old Law Prepared the Way for the Gospel

“ In many & various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets; but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son.” (Hebrews 1:1-2)

Stresses the unity of the Scriptures – author is God – And the difference in quality between God’s

messengers: 1st the Prophets, & finally His own Son.

The unity of the sacred books is reflected by their Latin name biblia, singular it is one book The Book of Books

Analogy of Faith

Because God is Truth, there is absolute unity & harmony of truths contained in the various books of the Bible

The various books shed light on one another These Truths can never be contradictory Each truth helps us to understand the other truths

& the total plan of Revelation. This principle is called “the analogy of faith”

This criterion, i.e., using truths contained in one part of the Bible to understand truths contained in other parts, must be applied in the interpretation of the Bible

Figure or Type

One essential aspect of the Bible’s inner unity is both the O.T. & N.T. refer to Christ

Figure or Type An event or person in Scripture that points toward a

later event or person. The type has similar virtues or other qualities as its

fulfillment Noah’s ark prefigures the Church, within Salvation is

to be found. Manna prefigures ( is a type of) the Eucharist

The N.T. is hidden in the Old & the O.T. is made manifest in the New

46 Books of the Old Testament

Old Testament 46 Books written over period of 1500 years Pentateuch 1-5 Torah or Law

From Creation until Israelites enter into the Promised land following their exodus from Egypt

The Last books, which relate the Maccabean revolt vs. Greeks

Four main types: law, history, wisdom, & prophecy Law –(5) Pentateuch History (14) of the people of Israel - conquest of Canaan thru

the end of the kingdoms of Israel & returning to Jerusalem Wisdom, (7) several different kinds of books in this section Prophecy, (20) prophets are sent by God to bring his words to

his people

O. T. Law & History & Wisdom

Joshua (History)JudgesRuth1 & 2 Samuel1 & 2 Kings1& 2 chroniclesEzraNehemiahTobitJudithEsther

Job (Wisdom)PsalmsProverbsEcclesiastesSong of SolomonWisdomSirach______________Genesis (Law)ExodusLeviticusNumbersDeuteronomy

O.T. Prophecy- major & minor Prophets

Isaiah (Major)JeremiahLamentationsBaruchEzekielDaniel______________Hosea (Minor -shorter)JoelAmosObadiahJonah

MicahNahumHabakkukZephaniahHaggai ZechariahMalachi1 & 2 Maccabees

*Deuterocanonical Books 7

Same authority as rest of the books of the Bible

New Testament Law & History

Law – Four GospelsMatthewMark LukeJohn

HistoryActs of the Apostles

New Testament Wisdom & Prophecy

WisdomRomans (Wisdom)1 & 2 CorinthiansGalatiansEphesiansPhilippiansColossians1 & 2 Thessalonians1 & 2 TimothyTitusPhilemon

Hebrews James 1 & 2 Peter1, 2, 3 JohnJude

ProphecyRevelation

Old Testament Law

Genesis (Greek for “origins or beginnings”) tells the story of creation of the world & beginning of the nation of Israel

Exodus (Greek for “going out”) Israelites’ escape from Egypt

Leviticus ( having to do with the Levitical priests of Israel) Book of Laws to do with religious observances

Numbers -40 years in the desert & constant rebellionDeuteronomy - (Greek for “second law”) Ten

commandments are repeated from Exodus, new laws concerning how Israelites would live in the Promised land

History

These books tell the history of the people of Israel From the conquest of Canaan through the end of the

kingdoms of the North (Israel) & south (Judah) To the restoration of Jerusalem

Joshua – the story how the Israelites led by Joshua began their conquest of Canaan

Judges- long history of the story of the conquest & Israel’s unfaithfulness leading to punishment

Prophecy

Prophets are sent by God to bring his words to his people

Many of the prophets predicted the coming of the Messiah (the Christ) Isaiah -some of the clearest prophecies of the coming

of Christ Jeremiah -foretold the destruction of Judah, called

them to repent – gives us many details about his life Ezekiel – strange visions given in symbolic pictures,

valley of dry bones coming back to life- bring dead Israel back to life

Hosea is a story about his marriage (his unfaithful wife) which is a metaphor for God’s relationship with Israel

Wisdom - Poetry

Most of the wisdom books are written in verse Job long poem that asks: why does God let bad things happen

to people who have done nothing wrong Many of the Psalms, are poems in praise of God Proverbs, tells us how to face our everyday problems. Ecclesiastes is a long meditation on the vanity of worldly

things – only good a person can do is trust in God. Song of Solomon is the worlds most famous love poem

Bride & groom speak their love for one another Poem is an allegory of Christ’s love for his Church

Sirach- how to live a good life in the real world without compromising your faith in God

Wisdom is a poem in praise of wisdom & how God is patient with human folly

The New Testament

The N.T. does not replace the Old Testament, but rather fulfills the O.T.

St. Augustine said that the New Testament is hidden in the Old, & the Old is revealed in the New

The O.T. is the story of the gradual unfolding of God’s plan of salvation

The Old Law is a preparation for the Gospel

New Testament 4 classes of Books

Law Old Testament 5 books of Moses & story of founding of Israel New Testament 4 Gospels give us the new Law & story of

founding of the Church = New IsraelHistory

Old Testament book: Joshua history of Israel from death of Moses New Testament book: Acts of the Apostle history of early Church

From the Ascension of Jesus Wisdom

N.T. the Epistles ( letters) written by the Apostles tell us how to live as Christians

Prophecy Book of Revelation, John speaks the Word of the Lord in

Symbols & images as the prophets did in the Old Testament

Gospels are the heart of all the Scriptures

The Gospels are the principal source for the life & teaching of the Incarnate Word (enfleshed Word)

3 Gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke tell the story of Jesus in a similar way thus called the “Synoptic Gospels” Synoptic means “seeing together”