Mit Genuss habe ich die neu erworbene Theologie des Alten Testaments von Bruce K. Waltke aufgeschlagen (An Old Testament Theology – An Exegetical, Canonical, and Thematic Approach, Zondervan: Grand Rapids 2007). Schon das Vorwort war ein Genuss zu lesen – was ich bei weitem nicht von jedem Buch sagen kann.
To many Christians the Old Testament is an unfamiliar and untamed terrain. Although occasional panoramic peaks of grandeur jut out, its landscape appears to them to be mostly barren rocks and flat desert plains. Moreover, dangers lurk for those who seek to tame the land through strict doctrinal systems; the ground rebels against their hands. Many ill-prepared Chrsitians beat a hasty retreat after a brief sojourn and return to the familiar surroundings of the New Testament…
The average Christian’s ignorance of the Old Testament is an unfortunate state of affairs because it is difficult to overstate the importance that the role of the Old Testament plays in the New Testament. … the Father of Jesus Christ is the God of Israel, and to Jesus Christ the Old Testament is a valid testimony to his identity, his nature, and his being. We cannot identify the God of the Old Testament as an angry God and that of the New Testament as a loving God. They are one and the same. This identification is essential for the Christian faith. …
The apostel reflected upon Jesus in Old Testament categories. He is the Anointed One, the Suffering Servant, the new Adam, the new Israel, the Son of Man, the Son of God, the Word, the High Priest, the Paschal Lamb, and the pioneer in inaugurating the hoped-for kingdom of God. …
The consequence of a general ignorance about the Old Testament among the people of God is a pervasive reduction of the full message of the New Testament to a basic gospel of atonement and individual ethics. I suspect many christinas feel spiritually undernourished because they live out their lives on the basis of ten biblical texts. (15-16)
