From Prophecy to Testament: The Function of the Old Testament in the New

by Craig A. Evans

Publisher:

Hendrickson

, 2004

Overview

The theology of the New Testament is indebted to—and a reflection of—major Old Testament themes, images, and language, because the New Testament authors wrote in the context of the Old Testament and the rich Jewish tradition of the study and interpretation of Scripture.

A group of ancient Jewish writers provided the Christian church with its Old Testament Greek text (the Septuagint) and provided Aramaic translations (the Targums) for some of the writers of the New Testament. This group also produced many works that, whether intentionally or not, offered interpretations, expansions, and explanations of difficult or obscure Old Testament passages that influenced the New Testament authors.

From Prophecy to Testament opens with a basic overview of past work on the development of New Testament theology, then offers a superb collection of essays exploring the numerous ways in which New Testament writers were informed by the biblical and extrabiblical literature of the Second-Temple period.

With Logos Bible Software, it’s easier than ever to use this valuable resource. From Prophecy to Testament integrates seamlessly with your digital library, so you can access the resource from your desktop, tablet, or smartphone. All Scripture references link directly to the text of the Bible, making your study scripturally sound and rewarding.

Key Features

• Illustrates various ways the Aramaic version of Scripture assists in NT interpretation
• Examines how paraphrasing and interpretive tendencies in the Aramaic clarify similar tendencies in the NT
• Discusses the Aramaic Psalter and its relevance for NT interpretation

Contents

• From Aramaic Paraphrase to Greek Testament
• The Aramaic Psalter and the New Testament: Praising the Lord in History and Prophecy
• Immanuel: Virgin Birth Proof Text or Programmatic Warning of Things to Come (Isa. 7:14 in Matt. 1:23)
• The Gospels and the text of the Hebrew Bible: Micah 5:1 (Matt. 2:6) in Tatian’s Diatessaron
• Torah, Life, and Salvation: Leviticus 18:5 in Early Judaism and the New Testament
• The Significance of Signs in Luke 7:22–23 in the Light of Isaiah 61 and the Messianic Apocalypse
• “No One Has Ever Seen God”: Revisionary Criticism in the Fourth Gospel
• The Festival of Weeks and the Story of Pentecost in Acts 2
• Stephen’s Speech (Acts 7) in Its Exegetical Context
• Hagar between Genesis and Galatians: The Stony Road to Freedom
• The Culpability of Eve: From Genesis to Timothy
• From Prophecy to Testament: An Epilogue

Contributors

• Bruce Chilton
• Craig A. Evans
• Rikk E. Watts
• Robert F. Shedinger
• Simon J. Gathercole
• Michael Labahn
• A. J. Droge
• James C. VanderKam
• James L. Kugel
• Brigitte Kahl
• Gary A. Anderson
• James A. Sanders

Praise for the Print Edition

The study of the influence and use of the Old Testament in the New Testament gains immeasurably in depth when we appreciate that the texts and traditions involved weren’t fixed or static but living, in dynamic interaction with the generations that pondered their words. This book and its various surveys, probes, and well-worked case studies will help bring home this insight with renewed force. I commend it warmly.

—James D. G. Dunn, Emeritus Lightfoot Professor of Divinity, University of Durham

Product Details

• Title: From Prophecy to Testament: The Function of the Old Testament in the New
• Editor: Craig A. Evans
• Publisher: Baker
• Publication Date: 2004
• Pages: 304

About Craig A. Evans

Dr. Craig A. Evans received his PhD in New Testament from Claremont Graduate University and his DHabil from the Karoli Gaspar Reformed University in Budapest. He is the John Bisagno Distinguished Professor of Christian Origins at Houston Baptist University in Texas.

Evans taught at Trinity Western University in British Columbia for 21 years, where he directed the graduate program in biblical studies and founded the Dead Sea Scrolls Institute. He has recently served on the advisory board for the Gospel of Judas for National Geographic Society and has appeared frequently as an expert commentator on network television programs.

Evans has written and edited extensively on the historical Jesus and the Jewish background of the New Testament era. His published works include From Prophecy to Testament, Jesus and the Ossuaries, Jesus: The Final Days, and Dictionary of New Testament Background.

Sample Pages from the Print Edition

Contents

Top Highlights

“The function of the ot in the nt often revolves around the theme of fulfillment, a theme driven by the conviction of early Christians that the prophecies of the First Testament have been fulfilled in the events described in the Second Testament.” (Page 2)

“Greek. Beginning in the third century b.c.e. and probably beginning with the books of Moses, the Hebrew and Aramaic Scriptures were translated into Greek.” (Page 7)

“The nt writers quoted the Greek version more often than any other version.” (Page 7)

“Matthew seems more interested in the Immanuel motif than Mary’s virginity” (Page 104)

“its classical sense of making known the word of God” (Page 3)

Product Details

• Title: From Prophecy to Testament: The Function of the Old Testament in the New
• Author: Craig A. Evans
• Publisher: Hendrickson
• Print Publication Date: 2004
• Logos Release Date: 2013
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subject: Bible. N.T. › Relation to the Old Testament
• ISBNs: 9781441249616, 9780801046186, 1441249613, 0801046181
• Resource ID: LLS:FRMPRPHCYTSTMNT
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-30T00:05:06Z

About Craig A. Evans

Craig A. Evans earned his PhD in biblical studies at Claremont Graduate University and received his decretum habilitationis from Budapest. He is Payzant Distinguished Professor of New Testament; Acadia Divinity College Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada; John Bisagno Distinguished Professor of Christian Origins (Houston Theological Seminary); a New Testament scholar; and a prolific author and popular teacher/speaker.

Evans is well-known for his work on the Gospels, the Historical Jesus, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the archaeology of the New Testament. His passion for archaeology has him frequently participating in Middle East digs and leading Holy Land tours. He has regularly appeared in television and radio interviews, such as the History Channel, BBC, and Dateline NBC, served as a consultant on the National Geographic Society's Gospel of Judas project and for The Bible television miniseries, and is featured in documentaries like Fragments of Truth and the Archaeology and Jesus series.

He's written hundreds of articles and reviews and published more than 70 books, including Jesus and His Contemporaries, Ancient Texts for New Testament Studies, Mark in the Word Biblical Commentary, Fabricating Jesus: How Modern Scholars Distort the Gospels, God Speaks, and Jesus and the Remains of His Days: Studies in Jesus and Archaeology. He coauthored Jesus, the Final Days with N. T. Wright.