The NT often brings the OT to bear on a conceptual level (e.g., God as creator, divine warrior, covenant, exile). Quotations and allusions depend on a concrete, textual relationship between two passages through unique wording. Conceptual parallels, however, function more broadly. A conceptual parallel is tied to a large swath of texts or a synthesis of those texts. These parallels occur far more often than one thinks.

Why study the New Testament’s use of the Old Testament? What difference does it make? The NT was not written in a vacuum. The Bible presents a single plan of redemption, and the God of the OT is the God of the NT. 

By tracing the use of the OT in the NT, we learn that God’s covenant people begin in the garden of Eden and will continue into the new heavens and earth, namely, centering around and through the restorative work of Jesus, the last Adam, true Israel, and Messiah. By citing, alluding to, and conceptually recalling the OT, the apostles demonstrate the depth and richness of the larger biblical storyline and the precious realities it contains.

Some Basic Definitions

What do we mean by the “use” of the OT? NT writers often reference or use the OT to make their point—to demonstrate fulfillment, to enjoin their readers to change their behavior, to convince them of a new reality, to draw a comparison between two groups, and so on. Accordingly, NT authors recall the OT in three primary ways: quotation, allusion, and parallel:

1. Quotation: A quotation is an intentional, high degree of verbal correspondence. It is a direct citation of an OT passage that is recognizable by its clear and unique verbal parallelism and often prefaced with an introductory formula (e.g., “it is written”). 

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