Exploring the Old Testament in the New

Rodgers

• Publisher: Resource Publications
• Year: 2012
• eBook ISBN: 9781621897897
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Religion

There are many books on the use of the Old Testament in the New. This one takes a practical approach to the subject, inviting the reader to explore the relationship between the two testaments in the Bible through a series of different lenses.•The text form of the Old and New Testaments•The presence or absence of introductory formulae•The selection of texts by New Testament writers•The application of Old Testament texts to the Gospel facts•The combination of several Old Testament texts•The history of interpretation of these texts in ancient Judaism•The story or narrative that is indicated by the use of these texts•The function of the Old Testament citations in the New Testament writingsEach section includes practical exercises that will help the reader become a participant in the discussion. Through these eight lenses the reader is invited to explore this fascinating subject, and through it to discover what C. H. Dodd called the substructure of New Testament theology.

1

Form

The study of the Old Testament in the New Testament should begin with a careful observation of the passages as they appear in the two testaments. This is best done by comparing the New Testament text with that of the Hebrew (MT) and Greek (LXX) of the Old Testament. But even for those without a working knowledge of the original languages, the comparison of translations can provide a valuable introduction to the study. For example, if we set the NRSV version of Mark 1:3 alongside Isaiah 40:3 in the same translation we notice some interesting differences in text-form:

Isaiah 40:3 Mark 1:3

A voice cries out The voice of one crying out in the

“In the wilderness prepare the wilderness

way of the Lord “Prepare the way of the Lord

Make straight in the desert a Make his paths straight.”

Highway for our God.”

There are several differences in this quotation from Isaiah 40 in Mark 1, but the one that you should especially notice is in the last line. Instead of “A highway for our God” in Isaiah, Mark reads, “Make his paths straight.” We will return to the significance of this change in another chapter. Here we are simply alerted to this sort of change, and need to note that even seemingly small changes in wording can be important.

For another such change, look at the longest quotation from the Old Testament in Matthew, Matt 12:18: We compare the opening words of this verse with the text as it appears in the NIV:

Isaiah 42:1 (NIV) Matthew 12:18(NIV)

Here is my servant whom I uphold Here is my servant whom I have chosen

My chosen one in whom I delight the one I love in whom I delight

You can spot several differences between the Old Testament text of Isaiah 42:1 and Matthew’s version. But the one that jumps off the page is the change from “my chosen” to “the one whom I love.”

Now look at the Septuagint (LXX), the Greek Old Testament:

Isaiah 42:1 LXX (NETS)

Jacob is my servant; I will lay hold of him;

Israel is my chosen; my soul has accepted him.

Isaiah 61 and Luke 4

Take another example of a clear quotation that involves a textual variation in the New Testament, a variation that I believe has important implications for exegesis, theology and ethics. Turn to Luke 4:18–19. Jesus read from the prophet Isaiah, chapter 61 in the synagogue at Nazareth. A comparison of the LXX and the printed text of Luke is interesting:

Isaiah 61:1–2 Luke 4:18–19

The spirit of the Lord God is The Spirit of the Lord is

Upon me upon me,

Because the Lord has because the Lord has anointed me

Anointed me to bring good news to the

He has sent me to bring good poor.

News to the oppressed He has sent me to proclaim

To bind up the brokenhearted release to the captives

To proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the

And release to the prisoners blind.

To proclaim the year of the to let the oppressed go free.

Lord’s favor to proclaim the year of the Lord’s

And the day of vengeance of favor.

Our God;

A careful study of the differences between Isaiah 61 and Luke 4 is instructive. In particular, notice that in Luke a line has been added (“To let the oppressed go free,” which is taken from Isa 58:6) and a line has been omitted (“to heal the brokenhearted,”). The omitted line in the NRSV is found in the King James Version, and is the reading of the majority of New Testament manuscripts. However, most modern editors of the Greek New Testament do not think that Luke had the line. I disagree, and I think it belongs in the Gospel of Luke. It is difficult to imagine that Luke would have intentionally left out a reference to healing. 1

Psalm 40 and Hebrews 10

The quotation from Isaiah 61 in Luke 4 gives us an example of a variation in the New Testament textual tradition, where the Old Testament text is secure. We next explore a quotation where the New Testament text is secure, and there is a variation in the Old Testament text, especially as regards the Greek version (LXX).

Turn to Heb 10:5, which quotes Ps 40:6:

Psalm 40:6 (NRSV) Hebrews 10:5

Sacrifice and offering you did not Sacrifices and offerings you have

desire not desired,

but you have given me an open ear. but a body you have prepared for me.

Notice that the NRSV, translating the MT, reads, “you have given me an open ear,” whereas in Hebrews 10 the quotation takes the form “a body you have prepared for me.” The writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews seems to be following the Greek Old Testament (LXX) which reads “a body you have prepared for me.” At least this is the reading of manuscripts BSA of the Greek Old Testament (LXX). But manuscripts G a follow the Hebrew in reading “but ears you have fashioned for me.” (NETS)(ὠτία δὲ κατηρτίσω μοι).

So the manuscript tradition of the Greek Old Testament is divided, some following the Hebrew, but others having an alternative reading. Older commentators believed that Hebrews was following the LXX text, but more recent studies have suggested that the reading “a body” was the work of the author of Hebrews, and that the Christian manuscripts of the LXX, BSA, have been influenced by the text form found in the Epistle to the Hebrews. 2 In assessing the text form of Old Testament quotations it will be important not just to rely on our printed texts and translations, but also to keep an eye on any variant reading in both the the Old Testament and the New Testament textual traditions. This makes exploring the Old Testament in the New much more challenging, but also more interesting.

Joel 2 and Acts 2

One of the best ways to explore and appreciate the textual differences in quotations of the Old Testament in the New Testament is to copy out the two texts by hand, and then to check your work. You may discover in the process that you have made some of the same mistakes in copying that the ancient Jewish and Christian scribes made when copying the scriptures. You might leave out a word or line. You might write the same word twice. Or you might substitute a well-known word for an obscure one. Try this experiment: Write out the text of Joel 2:28–32 from the NRSV or the NIV. Then from the same version you used for Joel, copy out along side of it the text of Acts 2:17–21. Underline or circle all differences, omissions or additions. Why do you think Luke ha...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Preface
• Abbreviations
• Chapter 1: Form
• Chapter 2: Introduction
• Chapter 3: Selection
• Chapter 4: Application
• Chapter 5: Combination
• Chapter 6: History
• Chapter 7: Story
• Chapter 8: Function
• Bibliography