One cheeky thing I do with my students is take them through some New Testament passages to see how the Old Testament is being interpreted by the apostles. I get them to read the infancy narratives of Matthew 1–2, the Johannine passion narrative in John 19, Paul’s lengthy discourse about Israel in Romans 9–11, Paul’s polemical argumentation in Galatians 3–4, and John’s vision of the woman and the dragon in Revelation 11–12. I then ask them, “Should we interpret the Old Testament like the early church did?” These chapters contain some genuinely perplexing examples of how the apostles, evangelists, and early church, in general, interpreted the Old Testament. I mean, Paul mentions taking things “allegorically” (Galatians 4:24 NRSV); John the Seer says his vision should be understood “spiritually” (Revelation 11:8 CEB); many of Matthew’s Old Testament citations do not strike you as obvious messianic texts when read on their own terms; and Paul’s argumentation about Israel is densely packed with an avalanche of citations and allusions to the Old Testament to the point of being overwhelmed by them. It is no wonder that many of my students feel conflicted, confused, and apprehensive, and that many are reluctant to follow the apostles in their biblical interpretation.
Mike, on this one do you draw a line on what students do in papers? Richard Hays often said Paul would have failed our exegesis classes, and yet Hays is one of the best at asserting what your post affirms. But what about how we teach students to write papers?
Clearly, Jesus is the beginning and end and center of all Scripture. It is only in him that all of God's promises find their yes. This does not mean however that those promises are emptied of their meaning, rather that "Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God's truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs so that the Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy." (Romans 15:8-9) The history of salvation is not yet complete, "at present we do not see everything subject to him. But we see Jesus." (Hebrews 2:8-9) That is why Peter can say "He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets." (Acts 3:21) God's promises to the patriarchs and those he made through the prophets will indeed come to pass, because of Jesus. For just one of his promises to the patriarchs, see Psalm 105:8-11; "He remembers his covenant forever, the word he commanded, for a thousand generations, 9 the covenant he made with Abraham, the oath he swore to Isaac. 10 He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant: 11 "To you I will give the land of Canaan as the portion you will inherit." God's promises to the patriarchs also included the gentiles, "And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, 'Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.'" (Acts 3:25) The promises to bless both Jews and Gentiles are inseparable, and find their unity in Jesus, who broke down the dividing wall. In both Acts 15:16-17, and Romans 15:8-9, the restoration of Israel is "that", or "so that", the Gentiles might be blessed.
As for his promises through the prophets, "This is what the LORD says: "Only if the heavens above can be measured and the foundations of the earth below be searched out will I reject all the descendants of Israel because of all they have done," declares the LORD. (Jeremiah 31:35-37) and "say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land." (Ezekiel 37:21) And again, the Gentiles are included; "Then the nations will know that I the LORD make Israel holy, when my sanctuary is among them forever.' " (Ezekiel 37:28)
Jesus came to confirm these promises, and he will restore everything he promised.
On Paul's use of ἀλληγορούμενα in Gal 4:24. is a present, passive participle that has been mistranslated in most versions. It should be translated, "which things are being allegorized." Paul was referring to the fact that the false teachers in Galatia had been allegorizing the Sarah/Hagar passage, and that Paul was, in essence, saying something like, "O.k., if you want to make an allegory out of this passage, I'll show you how it ought to be allegorized." It was more of an accommodation to the faulty hermeneutics of the false teachers than the approval of their hermeneutics.
Mike, on this one do you draw a line on what students do in papers? Richard Hays often said Paul would have failed our exegesis classes, and yet Hays is one of the best at asserting what your post affirms. But what about how we teach students to write papers?
Great stuff
Clearly, Jesus is the beginning and end and center of all Scripture. It is only in him that all of God's promises find their yes. This does not mean however that those promises are emptied of their meaning, rather that "Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God's truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs so that the Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy." (Romans 15:8-9) The history of salvation is not yet complete, "at present we do not see everything subject to him. But we see Jesus." (Hebrews 2:8-9) That is why Peter can say "He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets." (Acts 3:21) God's promises to the patriarchs and those he made through the prophets will indeed come to pass, because of Jesus. For just one of his promises to the patriarchs, see Psalm 105:8-11; "He remembers his covenant forever, the word he commanded, for a thousand generations, 9 the covenant he made with Abraham, the oath he swore to Isaac. 10 He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant: 11 "To you I will give the land of Canaan as the portion you will inherit." God's promises to the patriarchs also included the gentiles, "And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, 'Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.'" (Acts 3:25) The promises to bless both Jews and Gentiles are inseparable, and find their unity in Jesus, who broke down the dividing wall. In both Acts 15:16-17, and Romans 15:8-9, the restoration of Israel is "that", or "so that", the Gentiles might be blessed.
As for his promises through the prophets, "This is what the LORD says: "Only if the heavens above can be measured and the foundations of the earth below be searched out will I reject all the descendants of Israel because of all they have done," declares the LORD. (Jeremiah 31:35-37) and "say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land." (Ezekiel 37:21) And again, the Gentiles are included; "Then the nations will know that I the LORD make Israel holy, when my sanctuary is among them forever.' " (Ezekiel 37:28)
Jesus came to confirm these promises, and he will restore everything he promised.
Mike,
On Paul's use of ἀλληγορούμενα in Gal 4:24. is a present, passive participle that has been mistranslated in most versions. It should be translated, "which things are being allegorized." Paul was referring to the fact that the false teachers in Galatia had been allegorizing the Sarah/Hagar passage, and that Paul was, in essence, saying something like, "O.k., if you want to make an allegory out of this passage, I'll show you how it ought to be allegorized." It was more of an accommodation to the faulty hermeneutics of the false teachers than the approval of their hermeneutics.
This is good, Mike!