Old Testament and New Testament
Awaiting theological review
What you will understand today
How the two halves of the Bible fit together into one story.
In simple words
The Old Testament tells the story of God and the people of Israel before Jesus: creation, Abraham, Moses and the escape from Egypt, the kings, the prophets, exile and return. It is full of promises.
The New Testament tells the story of Jesus and of the first Christians. Christians read it as the fulfilment of those promises.
Testament means covenant: a bond of love and faithfulness between God and his people. The Old Testament was Jesus' own Bible — he prayed its psalms and quoted its prophets.
Key Bible passage
After the Resurrection, walking with two disciples, Jesus explains how the whole Old Testament speaks of him.
27And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded to them in all the scriptures, the things that were concerning him.
Luke 24:27 · Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition
- Creation
- AbrahamThe promise
- MosesFreedom and the Law
- DavidThe king
- ProphetsHope
- JesusFulfilment
- The Church
Did you know?
An old Christian saying, often attributed to St Augustine and quoted by the Catechism: the New Testament lies hidden in the Old, and the Old is unveiled in the New.
CCC 129A common misconception
The God of the Old Testament is angry; the God of the New is loving.
In fact
It is the same God. The Old Testament is full of mercy — God reveals himself as merciful and gracious — and the Church has always rejected the idea of discarding it.
A question to take with you
Which Old Testament story do you already know — Noah, Moses, David and Goliath? Did you ever think it might point to Jesus?
One small thing for today
Open From the Promise to Christ and read the first three steps of the story.
Explore next
SourcesView sources ▾
- Scripture
- Catechism