Lecture 1: Two Covenants, One Bible

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/mdq998o25jm2iouupqkpl/Video-Lecture-1-Two-Covenants-One-Bible.mp4?rlkey=fv5axrxg30f766jm0mi3uqf47&dl=1 

What is the Hebrew Bible?

• Collection of writings written and edited by members of Hebrew/Jewish community between 1250 BC (time of Moses) and the Christian era
• Contains prose, poetry and prophetic (elevated prose) genres
• Mostly written in Hebrew, some parts in Aramaic
• "The Old Testament" is a Christian term designating the first scriptural collection as opposed to the New Testament

One Bible, Two Covenants

• "The Church units in one volume the Law and the Prophets with the writings of the evangelists and apostles, from which she drinks in her faith" - Tertullian
• The Hebrew Bible is unique because it belongs to two distinct religious systems: Judaism and Christianity
• The Old and New Testament Scriptures are held in unity by the unique Jesus-event
• Unity in diversity due to the continuities and discontinuities between the two testaments

Early Usage of Hebrew Scripture

• Jesus-Event (His incarnation, upbringing, ministry, death and resurrection)
• Kerygma: Proclamation of the Gospel of Salvation
• Inscripturation (Mark, Matthew, Luke, John)
• Use of Hebrew Scriptures in Greek Translation (Septuagint) as "proof" of Jesus' Messiahship (Disciples of Emmaus, St Justin the Martyr)
• Use of the Old Testament in defining dogmas (Christology, Trinitarian Theology, Mariology, etc.)
• Use of the Old Testament Liturgically (e.g. Psalms)

Unity in Diversity: Continuities and Discontinuities

Continuities

• Monotheism (One God)
• Creatio ex nihilo ("creation out of nothing")
  • From beginning to the end of OT (e.g. Genesis 1, 2 Maccabees 7)
• Centrality of humanity within God's creation
• Bodily resurrection
  • Unique to ANE
  • Daniel 12
  • Christ raises

Discontinuities

These should be taken in a relative way

• Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Logos Incarnate
• Trinity
• Disregard of the Law
  • Starting with the Apostolic Council

Early Attitudes toward the Old Testament

• Rejection and Underestimation: Marcionites, Gnostics, Manichaeans
  • God of the Old Testament is the "lesser" God of the Jews and the creation of the world
  • Old Testament proclaims violence and should be rejected
• Overestimation: Judaizers (Jewish Christians), Ebionites, Pelagians
  • Imposing Circumcision (and the whole Jewish Law) to Gentiles embracing Christianity
• Supersessionism
  • The middle way of holding the two Testaments in "one volume" as the early Christian Church in her wisdom considered appropriate
  • Marcionite tendencies that underestimate the relevance of the OT for Christians
    • "OT is a piece of history with no substance, served the purpose to pre-announce the events of the NT and to offer the background for where Christ would be born, live and die" - disguised Marcionism
    • "If the OT has value, it lies exclusively with the messianic prophecies"
      • This reduces the complex relationship between OT and NT as a hermeneutical scheme: "Prophecy-Fulfillment"

The Old Testament's Relevance to Christians Today

Theology

• Creatio ex nihilo (Genesis 1:1, 2 Macc 7:28)
• Humanity is created in the image of God (Gen 1:26-27)
  • Unlike the other ANE stories of creation of mankind to be subject to the gods, here humanity is created as a "god" itself (e.g. having dominion) and being a representative of the Highest
• Revelation of God's Personal Name (YHWH) (Exodus 3)
  • Revealing your name in ancient times meant vulnerability; other ANE gods would never reveal their real name to their believers
• Prophetic Monotheism (Isaiah 45:5, Exodus 20:3)
  • "I am the Lord, and there is no other god." (Isaiah 45:5)

Liturgy and Spirituality

• Psalter
  • Reciting the psalter is central to our Liturgical mechanism
• Old Testament Lectionary
• Old Testament themes in hymnography and iconography

Ethics

• The Decalogue (Exod 20:1-17)
• The Shema (Deut 6:4-9)
• "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Lev 19:18)
• Steadfast love and knowledge of God are better than all sacrifices (Hosea 6:6)

Messianism

• "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:14 NRS)
  • The etymology of the Hebrew word for "young woman" is derived from a verb meaning "to be strong" or another verb "to hide, conceal"
  • The New Testament supports this etymology in calling Mary "betrothed" (hence, concealed, veiled) at the time of Jesus' conception
  • If this etymology is correct, then the Septuagint "virgin" does not contradict, but complements it with more information... the "betrothed" one was a "virgin"
  • The Hebrew and Septuagint are complementary readings