Is the Old Testerment still relevant ? Or has it been superseded by the New Testerment?

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phil_at_dayboro

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Not really sure how to structure this Question .
Should we take more notice of the new Testerment than the Old in there teachings ?
 
Yes.

Jesus is the New Covenant/Testament

We need to know the history etc but for our conduct etc? Jesus always and only.

eg eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth v love your enemies
 
phil_at_dayboro said:
Not really sure how to structure this Question .
Should we take more notice of the new Testerment than the Old in there teachings ?
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In the gospels we see the things of of the Old Testament fulfilled. The rest of the New Testament is among many other things, largely a commentary of how the Old Testament was fulfilled in the life of Jesus or how it will be fulfilled at the end of time.

So as a Christian, if you were looking for a place to start, you’d definitely want to go with the New Testament. Or if you live a busy life and only have time to put your foot in the water, stick with the New Testament. You’ll be able to get a lot out of just that. However, you will get a much greater understanding of both testaments if you get a chance to delve into both. It’s really worth it to read the old testament. I would really stress that reading the bible on its own is only so useful; you really need a good guide in the form of a commentary or good books on the subject. There are parts of scripture that are easily understandable, but others that are quite difficult.

In terms of teachings specifically since you mentioned those, it would be much easier to read the New Testament and find straight forward moral guidance. For instance, in the Old Testament there are dietary laws and and laws concerning the sacrifice of animals that don’t pertain to us at all as Christians. But somebody who doesn’t know that might be thrown off when he reads it. There are other instances where the teachings of the old testament were really only applicable to the people at the time and not to us, which makes it more difficult for a Christian reader today.
 
Ive always wondered about this too, Ive been told the NT supersedes the OT laws, but we are still expected to obey the 10 commandments, which came from the OT, so not sure why they would be exempt from the new covenant and all the others were not.

It may be that in our modern times, its just too much to expect for christians that have to live and work in a secular world, to obey such strict laws and some would go against secular law too, so I dont think the church would ever instruct the lay people to go against any secular law, no matter what it was.

Plus, Id imagine being a parent and teaching your kids that its right to kill others in obedience to these laws, would be a tough thing for people in our time to accept, but then again, Im sure it was tough on the people living during the OT times, when they had to teach their kids that killing was sometimes required in service to God!!
 
Rosebud77 said:
Yes.

Jesus is the New Covenant/Testament

We need to know the history etc but for our conduct etc? Jesus always and only.

eg eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth v love your enemies
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Sine 50% of the Scripture readings we hear at Mass are from the Old Testament, I don’t think in any respect we can denigrate the OT or so quickly say it has been “superseded,” Fulfilled in Christ, yes, but of great value and containing much more than just “history.”
 
Mattapoisett64 said:
Sine 50% of the Scripture readings we hear at Mass are from the Old Testament, I don’t think in any respect we can denigrate the OT or so quickly say it has been “superseded,” Fulfilled in Christ, yes, but of great value and containing much more than just “history.”
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The OT is important…Jesus quoted it to show how He was announced and completed the Old Test.
 
It’s important to know the Old Testament, but especially the context of the OT, for not all parts are the same.

We have the creation story, through the history of the Jewish people.

We also have folk lore stories such as Job.

Then we have Psalms, Proverbs, and Sirach, which are songs of prayer, and books on wisdom.

So the OT can not be treated equally. To do so would be be like if an alien from outer space picking up a news paper and reading it back in his space ship, while seeking information about humans, he’d treat the cartoons as equal as the editorials.

The Old Testament gives us the path to the New Testament. It’s important to understand how the fulfillment of the Messiah was made in Jesus Christ.

Jim
 
phil_at_dayboro said:
Not really sure how to structure this Question .
Should we take more notice of the new Testerment than the Old in there teachings ?
Click to expand...
Do you remember hearing how two disciples were leaving Jerusalem to head toward Emmaus, and talking about how discouraged they were on Easter Sunday, and then that Jesus joined them on the road (not yet recognized by them), and he opened the Scriptures to them, explaining it to them?

The New Testament and Jesus are the opening of the Old Testament, the understanding (finally) of all that those writings contain.

You cannot hear an explanation of something unless you are also looking at what is being explained.
Jesus is the Messiah - that is meaningless unless you know the Old Testament and realize the coming of the Messiah was hoped and longed for, and where he would come from, etc.
 
CCC 121-123

The Old Testament

121 The Old Testament is an indispensable part of Sacred Scripture. Its books are divinely inspired and retain a permanent value,92 for the Old Covenant has never been revoked.

122 Indeed, "the economy of the Old Testament was deliberately so oriented that it should prepare for and declare in prophecy the coming of Christ, redeemer of all men."93 "Even though they contain matters imperfect and provisional,"94 the books of the Old Testament bear witness to the whole divine pedagogy of God’s saving love: these writings "are a storehouse of sublime teaching on God and of sound wisdom on human life, as well as a wonderful treasury of prayers; in them, too, the mystery of our salvation is present in a hidden way."95

123 Christians venerate the Old Testament as true Word of God. The Church has always vigorously opposed the idea of rejecting the Old Testament under the pretext that the New has rendered it void (Marcionism).
 
truetofaith said:
The OT is important…Jesus quoted it to show how He was announced and completed the Old Test.
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Well, since Jesus was a Jew and the Hebrew Bible WAS Scripture for him and all his people, I think he did more than just quote it to show he was fulfilling the prophecies. Jesus lived and died by the Law and Covenant.
 
DaddyGirl said:
Without the OT, there is no NT.

Unless you want to adopt Marcion’s sect of Christianity, which many did in the 2nd Century. But he was later called a heretic and excommunicated, I think.
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Yup.
 
ComplineSanFran said:
Well, since Jesus was a Jew and the Hebrew Bible WAS Scripture for him and all his people, I think he did more than just quote it to show he was fulfilling the prophecies. Jesus lived and died by the Law and Covenant.
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No argument from me…I just didn’t go into all the details.
 
I frequently read the Bible. This includes the Old Testament. Recently I have been reading the wisdom books, such as Proverbs (which I find full of wisdom on everyday life, and helps me understand some things.) I find the Old Testament still quite relevant. I find the Old Testament still fulfilled the purposes of the Bible, which as Saint Paul said,“is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and training in righteousness.” (2 Tim 3:16). However, in some fundamental things the New Testament fulfills the Old Testament, so it can have some primacy.
I am not sure what your question is, though, since your heading in your opening post asks two questions and your opening post asks other questions.
However, many Christians like myself still find the Old Testament important and relevant.
And as someone mentioned, passages in the Old Testament are read at mass, the Catholic Church still finding the Old Testament important.
 
A Big Thank you to everyone that has made a Contribution to this thread,
Some terrific comments , perhaps many people that have read the comments without contributing , have been helped in some way,As I have been,
 
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