The Uses of the Old Testament in the New

By Walter C. Kaiser Jr.

Book Overview

The debate over whether New Testament writers were entirely accurate in their quoting from the Old Testament has raged since before the turn of the century. This fundamental question has been one starting point in thought for both redaction and canon criticism. A majority of contemporary scholars have even agreed that New Testament writers (and readers) permissively interpreted the Old Testament text. Author Walter Kaiser, Jr., elucidates how this state of doctrinal affairs came about. He references the Old Testament text for accurate exegesis and content to answer the one question symbolizing the entire work: ""Have the New Testament writers fairly cited the Old Testament quotations according to their real truth-intention and original writer's meaning in their attempt to show that the Messiah and many of the events in the first century A.D. church had indeed been anticipated by the O.T. writers?"" The apostles preached and wrote while utterly convinced that Old Testament writing had anticipated the marvelous events they proclaimed. Did they give meaning to meaningless Old Testament texts? Did they squeeze fulfilled prophecy out of a dry passage? These are the central questions answered in this work.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1579108253
• ISBN13: 9781579108250
• Release Date: December 2001
• Publisher: Wipf & Stock Publishers
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Wonderful Research

A wonderful opportunity to take a look at the brilliant work of Dr. Kaiser up close. Very helpful material to validate the intent of the Old Testament writers to communicate Messianic material and to demonstrate the integrity of the New Testament writer in accessing these passages to make clear that Jesus of Nazareth was indeed the one long promised in the Older Testament.

tom h.

An excellent book on how the Old Testament uses the New. The author really makes you think.

reprint now available

This book is now in reprint by Wipf and Stock (originally by Moody Press). This book is an excellent book that engages hermeneutics, intertextuality, typology, ethics, dispensationalism, and covenant theology. He engages key ideas like "rest" in Hebrews and disputed passages such as Acts 15:15-16. The core thesis of this book is that all of the NT writers cited the OT with due regard to the original author's intention. Each passage has one sense and he rejects any attempts at supporting a hermeneutic of dual or deeper meaning. Kaiser expounds his own middle way between dispensationalism and covenant theology called "promise theology" or epangelical theology. Part 1: The Apologetic Use of the Old Testament in the New Part 2: The Prophetic Use of the Old Testament in the New Part 3: The Typological Use of the Old Testament in the New Part 4: The Theological Use of the Old Testament in the New Part 5: The Practical Use of the Old Testament in the New Book reviews can be found here: Bock, D. L. "Book Review: The Use of the Old Testament in the New." Bibliotheca Sacra 143 (1986): 279-280. Bock, D. L. "Book Review: The Use of the Old Testament in the New." Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 29 (1986): 488-490. Silva, M. "Book Review: The Use of the Old Testament in the New." Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 29 (1986): 490-493.

Invaluable insight into accurate exegesis.

This book was an azaming read. The information is presented in a relatively easy manner to understand, with much scriptural use in order to back up the arguments. Sections IV and V were particularly outstanding. If interested in Biblical exegesis and hermeneutics, this is a great book for both beginners and advanced scholars.