What is the difference between new testament and old testament

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Adam and Eve, Noah’s Ark, Moses and the Ten Commandments, the parting of the Red Sea. These are a few of the stories from the Old Testament. And then there’s the New Testament, with its account of the life of Jesus, the Good Samaritan, the raising of Lazarus and the feeding of the five thousand. Whatever our creed or background, these stories are embedded in our consciousness. They inform our everyday speech and much of our art, music and literature – from Cranach’s depiction of Adam and Eve to C.S. Lewis’s Narnia stories and Stormzy’s ‘Blinded By Your Grace’.

Together the Old Testament and the New Testament make up the Holy Bible. The Old Testament contains the sacred scriptures of the Jewish faith, while Christianity draws on both Old and New Testaments, interpreting the New Testament as the fulfilment of the prophecies of the Old.

But which of these books is the greater? Novelist Howard Jacobson, making the case for the Old Testament in this debate, is in no doubt. ‘The God of the Old Testament,’ he says, ‘is wrathful, jealous, touchy, quick to judge, slow to forgive and stylistically forthright – favouring plain speaking over parables. The God of the New Testament, as incarnated in Jesus Christ, is altogether a different kettle of fish. More our friend than our parent. Those whose parents have been their friends know where that leads….” And for writer Anne Atkins, who argued alongside him, there is no contest. Although she is a Christian, for her the Old Testament wins hands down, with its vast sweeps of history, tales of epic survival after exile and exodus, its poetry, prophesy and, as she puts it, ‘the most exquisitely erotic lyrics ever’.

The pathos and poetry of the Old Testament are all very well, theologian Robert Beckford argued on the other side of this debate. But, for him, it is the New Testament’s revolutionary inclusivity with regard to race, class, gender and sexuality that makes it a more useful text for achieving human fulfilment and creating a better world. And for the Rev. Richard Coles, the Radio 4 presenter who went from pop star to priest, the New Testament is a kind of miracle in itself. Not only does it fulfil the law of God in its depiction of the life of Christ, but thanks to its being written in Greek, the lingua franca of the ancient Near East, the early Christians were able to carry the message of Jesus out beyond the Jewish world to make an inexpressibly huge impact on our history and civilisation.

In simple words, Bible is a book that has religious texts and scriptures divided into several other books that also include laws, stories, prayers, and many wise words of Christians, Jews, and others.

As per the beliefs of both Christians and Jewish Dogma, Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible in 1300 B.C.

The main difference between the New Testament and The Old Testament is that the Old Testament is written before the New Testament, and both of them focus on different aspects and beliefs of salvation. Both of them have a different number of books in different languages.

What is the difference between new testament and old testament

The New Testament has 27 numbers of books in the Greek Language which mainly focuses on Jesus, life, teachings, and the Christian Church. During the End time, as per the New Testament, Jesus will save the Earth also to gain forgiveness, a person just has to feel repent, and he’ll be forgiven automatically.

The Old Testament, on the other side, is the first-ever division of the Bible which a several books categories accordingly such as, in Catholic, there are 51 books, in Protestant, there are 39 books, in Orthodox, there are 55 books, in Coptic Bible, there are 57 books, written in Hebrew and Aramaic Languages. It mainly focuses on the history and creation of the World.

Comparison Table Between New Testament and Old Testament

Parameters of Comparison New Testament Old Testament
Definition It is the second division of the Bible. It is the very first division of the Bible.
Main Focus Focuses more on Jesus’ life, teachings, and church. Focuses on the history and the creation of the world.
No. Of Books 27 books Catholic = 51 Protestant = 39 Orthodox = 55 Coptic Bible = 57
Language Greek Hebrew and Aramaic
Doomsday Earth will be saved by Jesus. Salvation will be brought by a messenger sent by God.

What is New Testament?

The major division of the Bible after the Old Testament is the New Testament, which is also known as New Covenant or the New Law. The arrangement of books in the New Testament is not in chronological order. 

Some Additional Books that New Testament have are:

  1. Tobit, 
  2. Judith
  3. Wisdom of Solomon
  4. Wisdom of Jesus Search and many others

All of these above and other books focus on and teach about the teachings and life of Jesus and are written in the Greek Language.

As per the New Testament, people who have done any sins and realizes his mistake and want to gain forgiveness have to feel repent only.

No sacrifice is required for gaining forgiveness. The Vocabulary words of the New Testament are less, i.e. 4800 words. In the end, time the New Testaments state that Jesus will come and save the Earth.

New Testament functions as a medium of guide for the people who want to gain salvation; it functions to make people follow the footsteps of Jesus.

The New Testament doesn’t have the beliefs for sacrificing animals and others. The New Testament simply conveys the message of how God saves his people by healing them.

What is Old Testament?

The Old Testament is similar to Hebrew Bible. Along with the history and creation of the world, it also includes the following:

  1. Ten Commandments God gave to Moses
  2. The exodus of Israelites 

The books in the Old Testaments are written in Hebrew and Aramaic languages. It has the following number of books:

  1. Protestant: 39 books
  2. Catholic: 51 books
  3. Orthodox Bibles: 55 books
  4. Coptic Bibles: 57 books

All of these above are the books of poetry, prophets, and wisdom proverbs. All the contents of the books and their order vary in various churches. 

Old Testament has more vocabulary words, i.e. 5800 words. As per the Old Testament, if a person wants forgiveness of his sins, he has to bring and sacrifice a lamb.

If the sacrifice is not made, that person can never be forgiven. The Lord is the God as explained in the Old Testament also that in the end time Salvation will be bought by the messenger of the God. 

The main motive of this is to give people knowledge through other’s experience. It also tells the end of the world and the arrival of the Messiah.

Main Differences Between New Testament and Old Testament

  1. The major division of the Bible after the Old Testament is the New Testament, whereas the Old Testament is the division before the New Testament of the Bible.
  2. The basis of the New Testament is Jesus Life, teachings, and Christian Church, whereas the main focus of the Old Testament is the history and creation of the world.
  3. The language used in the New Testament is the Greek language, whereas Old Testament is in Hebrew and Aramaic languages.
  4. As per the New Testament on Doomsday, Jesus will come and save the world, and as per the Old Testament, Salvation will be brought by the Messenger sent by God.
  5. There are 4800 vocabulary words in New Testament and 5800 vocabulary words in Old Testament.
  6. As per the New Testament, forgiveness is attained by feeling repent, whereas as per the Old Testament, the lamb has to be brought to as a sacrifice to attain forgiveness.
What is the difference between new testament and old testament

Conclusion

Therefore it is pretty much clear how New Testament is Different from the Old Testament.

Except for the above differences, The New Testament explains God as three-person; God as the Father, God as the Son, and God as the Holy Spirit, whereas as per the Old Testament, Lord is the only God.

But despite all these differences, the fact that they are a part of the Bible doesn’t change, and both of them have religious texts and scriptures written in different languages.

Both of them teach the lesson and ways how a person can earn forgiveness and attain salvation after committing any sins.

References

  1. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=yXqKAAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PT7&dq=old+and+new+testament&ots=yNHoMfbnvn&sig=X5dhNOGMwNvrsCtMXnoxEQh24S4
  2. https://philpapers.org/rec/HARITT-13

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Table of Contents

  • New Testament vs Old Testament
  • Comparison Table Between New Testament and Old Testament
  • What is New Testament?
  • What is Old Testament?
  • Main Differences Between New Testament and Old Testament
  • Conclusion
  • References

What is the difference between new testament and old testament

Why is it called Old Testament and New Testament?

But all scripture is divided into two Testaments. That which preceded the advent and passion of Christ—that is, the law and the prophets—is called the Old; but those things which were written after His resurrection are named the New Testament.

What is the purpose of the New Testament?

Christians see in the New Testament the fulfillment of the promise of the Old Testament. It relates and interprets the new covenant, represented in the life and death of Jesus, between God and the followers of Christ, the promised Messiah. Like the Old Testament, it contains a variety of kinds of writing.

What is the difference between Old and New Testament God?

In the Old Testament, God is all about law and judgment. Thankfully, in the New Testament He is all about love and grace.” Let's be honest, either you or someone you know has believed that at some point.

Do Christians believe in the Old Testament?

Christians think that the Old Testament tells a story, which goes on to find its completion in the New Testament. The Old Testament story is about a disaster and a planned rescue mission, Paradise lost and Paradise regained.