Quotations from the Hebrew Bible in the New Testament
There are in all 283 direct quotations from the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) in the New Testament.[1] In about 90 instances, the Septuagint is quoted literally. In around 80 further instances, the quote is altered in some way. For example, at Matthew 21:42 Jesus says "Did ye never read in the scriptures that the stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner?", a reference to Psalm 118:22. Likewise, Mark 12:10. Other quotations are sometimes made directly from the Hebrew text (e.g. Matthew 4:15–16, John 19:37, 1 Corinthians 15:54).
New Testament authors also quote from other sources. The synoptic gospels have Jesus quoting from or alluding to deutero-canonical works several times, such as the Wisdom of the Son of Sirach. Paul makes three quotations from classical poets. The Epistle of Jude quotes the pseudepigraphal Book of Enoch (1 Enoch 1:9) and the Assumption of Moses.
Formatting[edit]
When the New Testament was written, the Old Testament was not divided into chapters and verses, and there is therefore no uniform standard for these quotes and the authors had to provide contextual references:
- When Luke 20:37 refers to Exodus 3:6, he quotes from "Moses at the bush", i.e. the section containing the record of Moses at the bush.
- Mark 2:26 refers to 1 Samuel 21:1–6, in the words "in the days of Abiathar".
- Romans 11:2 refers to 1 Kings ch. 17–19, in the words, "in Elias", i.e. in the portion of the history regarding Elias.
In popular culture[edit]
In November 2022, the game show Jeopardy! created a controversy after bible experts disagree about which of Paul's letters had the most Old Testament quotations.[2][3]
The controversy was not the amount of Old Testament scripture was in letters written by Paul, but rather did Paul write the book of Hebrews which Jeopardy said was the correct answer. There was a time when scholars believed Hebrews was written by Paul, but this was not the predominant opinion in the ancient world (Origen), or of Protestant scholars at the time of the Reformation (Luther, Calvin). Most scholars now agree that it was written not by Paul, but by an unknown author.
References[edit]
- ^ Easton's Bible Dictionary, "Quotations" (New and revised ed., T. Nelson and Sons, 1897) "There are in all two hundred and eighty-three direct quotations from the Old Testament in the New, but not one clear and certain case of quotation from the Apocrypha (q.v.)."
- ^ Willingham, AJ. "'Jeopardy!' fans are frustrated by this controversial Bible clue". CNN. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
- ^ MARK WINGFIELD. "Many people who watch Jeopardy know the Bible better than the show's writers". Baptist News Global.
Bibliography[edit]
- Gregory Beale and D. A. Carson. Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids, Mich [u.a.]: Baker Academic [u.a.], 2008. ISBN 0-8010-2693-8
- Archer, Gleason Leonard, Gregory Chirichigno, and Evangelical Theological Society. Old Testament Quotations in the New Testament. Chicago: Moody Press, 1983. ISBN 0-8024-0236-4
- Brooke Foss Westcott, Fenton John Anthony Hort. The New Testament in the Original Greek, 1925, pp. 601–618
External links[edit]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Easton, Matthew George (1897). Easton's Bible Dictionary (New and revised ed.). T. Nelson and Sons. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)