Christians include the Old Testament because they regard Israel’s scriptures as part of their own sacred canon and as essential to understanding Jesus, the New Testament and Christian worship. These writings supply the narratives, prayers, promises and theological language that New Testament authors repeatedly use.
The relationship is more substantial than a collection of predictions. Christians read law, prophecy, poetry, wisdom and historical narratives, while differing over interpretation and the extent of the canon. Jewish communities also continue to read these scriptures within their own living traditions; their meaning should not be reduced to Christian uses.
Were these scriptures already part of Jesus’s world?
The New Testament presents Jesus and his earliest followers engaging with Israel’s scriptures. In Luke 24:27 and 24:44–47, the risen Jesus interprets Moses, the prophets and the psalms in relation to his suffering, Resurrection and the proclamation of repentance.
This gives a direct example of why the earlier writings matter within Christian faith. The Gospel’s explanation of Jesus does not begin with an unrelated religious world. It draws on an existing scriptural inheritance and gives it a Christ-centered interpretation.
The passage is evidence for the Gospel’s religious account and way of reading scripture. It should not be used to imply that all Jewish readers share its conclusions. Identifying whose interpretation is being explained makes the relationship clearer.
What does fulfillment mean?
Matthew 5:17–20 presents Jesus as fulfilling rather than abolishing the law and prophets. Christian interpretations of fulfillment connect earlier texts with Christ, but they differ over how particular commandments and promises apply.
A useful distinction is between a text’s historical and literary setting and a later theological reading. Christians may understand an event, person or institution as a pattern illuminated by Christ. That does not make every verse a direct prediction or remove the need to ask what a passage says in its own context.
The Catholic Catechism, paragraphs 121–129, affirms the permanent value of the Old Testament and explains Christian typological reading. It explicitly cautions that reading in the light of Christ must not make readers forget the earlier writings’ intrinsic value.
How does the New Testament use a particular prophetic passage?
Acts 8:26–39 supplies a concrete example. An Ethiopian official is reading Isaiah and asks Philip whom the passage concerns. Philip begins with that text and proclaims Jesus to him.
The scene shows interpretation taking place: a reader asks a question, a passage is discussed and a Christian explanation is offered. It is more informative than simply asserting that Isaiah’s meaning is obvious to every religious community.
Such examples explain why Christians retain the texts they interpret. Removing Isaiah would remove part of the scriptural conversation through which Acts communicates its message. At the same time, explaining Philip’s reading is different from claiming it is the only reading anyone has ever held.
Why do earlier narratives remain important?
Hebrews 11 recounts figures including Abraham, Sarah, Moses and others as examples of faith. Their stories provide a vocabulary for trust, promise, endurance and hope. The chapter depends on readers recognizing narratives that precede the New Testament.
These figures are not included merely to decorate an argument. The author draws lessons from their actions and experiences, relating them to the concerns of the audience. Christian teaching therefore uses the earlier writings both to understand Christ and to reflect on how people live.
This also explains why a useful reading of the Old Testament attends to its different kinds of writing. A narrative, a prayer and a legal instruction do different things. Treating all three as interchangeable commands can obscure what a passage is communicating.
If it is scripture, why do Christians not follow every law in the same way?
Including a text in the canon does not by itself settle how every instruction applies to a later community. Acts 15 narrates a dispute over circumcision and the obligations of Gentile converts. The resulting decision does not require them to undertake the whole Mosaic law.
The account illustrates a debate already present in the New Testament. It is therefore misleading to explain Christian practice as if no interpretation were involved or as though retaining scripture necessarily meant reproducing every ancient institution.
A later Anglican example is Article VII of the Thirty-nine Articles, which distinguishes ceremonial and civil provisions from moral commandments. That is a specific Christian framework, not a description of how Jewish law understands itself or a rule every Christian tradition formulates identically.
How does the Old Testament shape prayer?
The Psalms give a clear practical answer. They include praise, lament, thanksgiving and appeals for help, providing language for different circumstances. Psalm 23, for example, uses the images of a shepherd and a generous host to express trust in God’s care.
The Church of England’s Book of Common Prayer Psalter assigns psalms to morning and evening prayer across the month. This is a concrete example of an earlier biblical collection functioning in recurring Christian worship.
Its use shows that the Old Testament is not consulted only when someone is debating prophecy. It helps structure a community’s ordinary prayer life. Specific schedules differ, but the example demonstrates a living practice rather than simply a claim about historical influence.
Do all Christians have the same Old Testament?
No. Christian traditions differ over which books belong to the canon and how additional books are used. The Catholic Catechism lists forty-six Old Testament books, including Tobit, Judith, Wisdom and Sirach. Article VI of the Anglican Articles distinguishes its canonical list from other books read for instruction without using them to establish doctrine.
The Orthodox Church in America’s explanation of the canon describes a longer Old Testament canon associated with the Septuagint tradition. This is a named Orthodox explanation; an introduction should not assume that every Christian edition has exactly the same contents, ordering or book count.
The shared commitment to earlier scripture therefore coexists with differences about its boundaries. When comparing Bibles, identifying the tradition and edition is more helpful than assuming that an unfamiliar book was simply added or removed without a history.
How should the relationship with Jewish scripture be described?
“Old Testament” is a Christian designation. Jewish readers commonly refer to the Tanakh, organized as Torah, Prophets and Writings, as illustrated by Sefaria’s library. There is substantial shared textual material, but different organization, interpretive traditions and, in some Christian canons, additional books.
It is inaccurate to say Judaism regards these texts as prophecies fulfilled in Jesus. That is a Christian claim, not a shared Jewish interpretation. Jewish scripture and practice continue to have their own religious significance.
Within Catholic teaching, Nostra aetate, section 4, acknowledges Christianity’s Jewish roots and calls for mutual understanding. That provides an important corrective to descriptions that treat Jewish tradition as merely an abandoned preliminary stage.
Conclusion
Christians retain the Old Testament because its scriptures are integral to their account of God, Jesus, faith and worship. New Testament interpretation, examples of endurance and recurring use of the Psalms show several dimensions of that relationship. Questions about law and canon explain why inclusion does not produce identical practice across churches. Understanding the Christian reasons also requires respecting the texts’ Jewish setting and continuing Jewish interpretation, rather than presenting one community’s theological reading as everyone’s belief.
Reviewed and substantially revised on 2 November 2026. Biblical examples and Catholic, Anglican, Orthodox and Jewish sources are identified separately. See our editorial approach and AI transparency.
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