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Relations Between the Testaments

Relations Between the Testaments

It is not necessary for us to read very far in the New Testament before we discover that there is some kind of extensive relationship between that portion of the Bible and the Old Testament. In fact, the more we study, the more we are faced with different kinds of connections between the testaments. The extent and the variety of intertestamental links proves to be one of the most important and rewarding areas of Bible study. On the basis of the pervasiveness of his relationship, one writer has been led to describe the use of the Old Testament by writers of the New Testament as “the substructure of Christian theology.”1 The thrust of this perceptive assessment that the Old Testament is the foundation of the New Testament, should be adopted as a guideline by all Bible students. It would alert the reader to areas for ongoing study, and also serve to correct many lingering errors. One such fallacy is that of thinking that there is a basic dichotomy between the testaments, to the effect that the Old Testament is primarily an expression of law while the New Testament is primarily an expression of grace.

In some ways the area of the relations between the testaments has been neglected in the history of Bible study. In other respects it has been the scene of heated debate, as in the case of the controversy over the relation of the law to the life of the believer. But in any case it is a feature of the biblical revelation that cannot be ignored.

Although this area of study is in many ways open-ended, we will suggest four avenues of approach to relations between the testaments: (1) structural, (2) theological, (3) analogical, and (4) quotational. It should be emphasized that these are not mutually exclusive. For instance, many theological relations between the testaments are carried by quotations of the Old Testament in the New Testament, and many structural features are expressed in the development of theological themes between the testaments. The very fact that the New Testament quotes the Old Testament extensively is in itself a structural feature. That is, the Bible builds upon itself.


Karleen, Paul S. The Handbook to Bible Study: With a Guide to the Scofield Study System. New York: Oxford University Press, 1987. Print.

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