Journal: Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
Volume: JETS 56:3 (Sep 2013)
Article: Two Testaments In Parallel: The Influence Of The Old Testament On The Structuring Of The New Testament Canon
Author: Gregory Goswell

JETS 56:3 (September 2013) p. 459

Two Testaments In Parallel: The Influence Of The Old Testament On The Structuring Of The New Testament Canon

Gregory Goswell*

* Gregory Goswell is lecturer in biblical studies (OT and Hebrew) at Presbyterian Theological Centre Sydney, 77 Shaftesbury Rd, Burwood NSW 2134, Australia.

The relation between the two Testaments continues to be an important field of scholarly exploration, and the present article is intended as a contribution to a greater elucidation of their multifaceted interdependence. The discussion is often focussed on uncovering OT motifs and themes that find further use and development in the NT,1 or the analysis of OT allusions and quotations to be found in the NT.2 These areas of scholarly effort, however, by no means exhaust the interconnections between the Testaments. My aim is to explore whether there are structural connections between the two canonical corpora, namely the question of a correlation and dependence between the macrostructural arrangement of the OT and that of the NT. Put more simply, is the order of the NT books influenced by the ordering of the books of the OT? If so, what are the implications for reading the Bible as one book? This is not an entirely new issue, but it is one that has not received the recognition and consideration it deserves.3

Before proceeding any further, it is necessary to consider what status is to be given to the phenomenon of book order. The sequential ordering of the biblical books is part of the paratext of Scripture. The term “paratext” refers to elements that are adjoined to the text but are not part of the text per se.4 The scriptural paratext also includes features such as book titles and the internal partitioning of books (e.g. paragraphing and chapter breaks). The (differing) order of the biblical books is a paratextual phenomenon that cannot be put on the same level as the text itself. It is a post-authorial imposition on the text of Scripture, albeit an unavoidable one when texts of different origin are collected together in a canonical corpus. Where a biblical book is placed relative to other books inevitably influences a reader’s view of the book, on the supposition that juxtaposed books are related in some way and therefore illuminate each other. A prescribed order of books is a de facto

JETS 56:3 (September 2013) p. 460

interpretation of the text.5 It is, therefore, as part of the history of the interpretation of the Bi...