Consider the verses quoted at the opening for a moment. They
unquestionably accept the Old Testament as the absolute
foundation for Christ Himself and all that follows in what we
now call the New Testament. In Luke 24:44-45 Christ not only
identifies the entire Old Testament in His description of its
three basic categories (“Law of Moses”, “Prophets”, “Psalms”),
but proceeds to open the minds of His followers to understand
the entire body of Scripture in the Old Testament. In the early
church there is a significant span of years between Christ’s
ascension into Heaven and the distribution of the letters and
writings eventually to become known as the “New Testament.”
During those years without a New Testament – and even beyond –
one of the primary tools was the Old Testament. It was used by
the Apostles – evidenced in particular by their extensive
quotation of it throughout their letters – and by all those
teaching/preaching the Gospel. When the Gospel is brought to
Berea, for instance, it is examined and prove