OLD  TO  NEW TESTAMENTS: WHAT FOR?

“One can never understand the New Testament if he/she has not familiarized the Old Testament!” This is the very statement that I always remember whenever time there is an argument with regard to the connection between Old Testament and the New Testament. That statement was acclaimed by my professor in Bible Literature class. In our salvation history, we have learned that the New Testament passages are the fulfillment of the Old Testament. In Fact, we have heard from the gospels many citations from the Old Testament in order to justify the Messianic nature and mission of Christ—that he is the promised messiah according to what the prophets have been foretold in the past. Many ‘parallelism’ also that we can find in the bible that would somehow proves the link between the OT and NT like: By a woman (Eve) and by tree (Tree of Knowledge) we break our relationship with God and become outcast from paradise because of disobedience; thus, by a tree (the Cross) and by a woman (Mary stood at the foot of the cross) shall we be redeemed from our sins. Another is the concept of the covenant which later on refers to Christ as the new covenant. Moreover, we also have found out that Christ was interpreted too as the “Lamb of God” who takes away the sins of the world which coincides to the story of the Jewish Passover meal. We are able to understand the New Testament because we can establish a connection of it in the Old Testament. Therefore, denying the OT would never make sense at all. It would just distort the proper understanding of the Bible. It would just result to rampant misinterpretations that would pave way to subjectivism/ extreme relativism. And it is also inconceivable that writings would just “pop-up” from nowhere without history at all. Everything and everyone has its/his own history. One is understood and evaluated from his past, for it will always have a great impact of what he is now and what he will become. Thus, it is just right and proper to thank our ancestors for the great contribution they have bestowed in our faith. Perhaps, some would doubt the connection between the OT and the NT because of the ‘Time-gap’ and contradictions that can truly be found in them. But, as to what the readings suggest, we should understand them based on their historical and literary context. In the liberationist perspective, on the other hand, ‘revelation is not revealed at once’. Revelation depends on the signs of the time. We do not have a static belief but a progressive one. We are progressive but always referring to the original source. From here, we could somehow affirm the value of the Old Testament. If it were not because of the OT, we would never be aware on the evolution that is happening in the sacred scriptures. How interpretations evolve through time. We would never be challenged to brainstorm what God wants to reveal in this particular era which is very useful for evangelization and bringing the people of God closer and closer to his kingdom. We should be ‘opportunity-based’ individuals rather than ‘deficit thinkers.’ We must eliminate that ‘anti-Jewish’ or ‘anti-Christian’ mentality. Instead of hating them, why not try to look for means that would initiate peace to both parties—Christians and Jews. As St. JPII would exclaim in the readings; ‘We (Jews and Christians) must work together to build a future in which there will be no more anti-Jewish feeling among Christians, or any anti-Christian feeling among Jews. We have many things in common. We can do much for the sake of peace, for a more human and more fraternal world”. Besides, we are just adoring and serving same God. We might vary on how we express our faith, but we are just the same in our conception about Him—a finitely understanding of Him, treating Him as always Supreme over His creation.