The Old Testament as Christian scripture: three Catholic perspectives

Abstract

In talking about the relation between the OT and the NT, Catholic interpreters have in this century seen the OT in three basic ways:

a) as preparation for the NT

b) as a mine of evidence to prove the veracity of theological claims about Jesus

c) as the historical record of Israel's relationship with Yahweh, but with no attempt to show any relation to the NT

For the past two centuries, OT theology has been a predominantly Christian attempt to synthesize the accumulated insights of the OT; it may therefore form a mirror through which attitudes toward the relation of the Testaments can be seen. This is especially true within Catholicism, in which historical-critical methodology has been officially authorized for little more than 50 years.

Three 20th century Catholic OT theologians have been selected for study: one (Paul Heinisch) from the "pre-critical" period; the second (Paul van Imschoot) who wrote a decade before Vatican II; and the third (John L. McKenzie) from the post-Vatican II era. As well as mirroring attitudes, this study attempts to trace any development in thinking within these authors upon this issue.

It will be argued that Heinisch combined approaches (a) and (b) in his book; that van Imschoot used approach (b); and McKenzie is an example of approach (c).