Topic 6 of 33 - Your Place in the Learning Journey
The Old and New Testaments: How They Relate
The Old and New Testaments were not written as a single unified work. The writings collected in what Christians call the Old Testament were composed over many centuries and were already ancient when Jesus of Nazareth lived. What became the New Testament was written in the decades following his death and consisted largely of letters, narratives, and apocalyptic visions produced by his earliest followers.
New Testament authors frequently drew on Hebrew scripture to interpret Jesus - quoting, paraphrasing, and recontextualizing texts from the Torah, the Psalms, and the Prophets. Scholars call this practice intertextuality. How deliberately and how accurately those texts are applied is a subject of ongoing scholarly discussion, as is the question of whether those Hebrew texts were intended to point forward to the events the New Testament describes.
Jewish and Christian communities read what is substantially the same body of ancient writing and arrive at very different conclusions - not because one group is careless, but because interpretation is shaped by the community, tradition, and questions a reader brings to the text.
Two Testaments at a Glance
| Feature | Old Testament | New Testament |
|---|---|---|
| Also known as | Hebrew Bible, Tanakh (in Jewish tradition) | Greek scriptures, Christian scriptures |
| Primary languages | Hebrew (with portions in Aramaic) | Koine Greek |
| Timespan composed | Roughly 10th–2nd century BCE | Roughly 50–120 CE |
| Protestant book count | 39 | 27 |
| Central figure | The God of Israel; the people of Israel | Jesus of Nazareth; the early church |
| Major themes | Creation, covenant, law, exile, prophecy | Kingdom of God, crucifixion, resurrection, mission |
| Scholarly name for relationship | Intertextuality, typology, promise–fulfillment (Christian reading); distinct covenantal documents (Jewish reading) | |
Explore Further
Continuity and Discontinuity
In what ways do the two Testaments continue the same story - and in what ways does the New Testament represent a significant departure from what came before?
Read more →What Is Typology?
Typology is the practice of reading Old Testament persons or events as foreshadowing New Testament ones. How does it work, where did it come from, and what are its limits?
Read more →The Hebrew Bible and the Old Testament
Are they the same thing? The books largely overlap, but the order, grouping, and interpretive framework differ significantly between Jewish and Christian traditions.
Read more →How New Testament Authors Used the Old Testament
New Testament writers quoted Hebrew scripture frequently - but not always in ways that match modern expectations. A look at their methods and what scholars make of them.
Read more →Jewish Readings of Shared Texts
Jewish scholarship has its own rich tradition of biblical interpretation - including the Talmud, Midrash, and medieval commentators. Understanding these deepens any reading of the Hebrew texts.
Read more →The Concept of Covenant
Covenant is the central organizing concept of both Testaments. What does the word mean, what covenants does the Bible describe, and how do they relate to each other?
Read more →