The Hidden Unity of the Bible

The Hidden Unity of the Bible: The Use of the Old Testament in the New Testament
Pieter J. Lalleman
The authors of the New Testament were well versed in the Old Testament, frequently quoting and alluding to it in their writing. That is why, although Jesus Christ is not explicitly mentioned in the Old Testament, in order to understand what the New Testament says about him, we must understand the prophecy, imagery and theology of the Old Testament.
Pieter J. Lalleman has taught New Testament at Spurgeon’s College since 2000. He has authored and edited numerous books, and is editor of the European Journal of Theology.

ENDORSEMENTS:
“This book is perfect for all those perplexed by the New Testament writers’ use of the Hebrew scriptures. Why do they alter the text? Why do they combine different texts as if they were one? Why do they use old testament stories and themes allegorically? Wearing his profound scholarship in a way the lay reader can readily grasp, Dr Lalleman tackles these an many other questions with a refreshing candour that doesnt ignore the very real problems but also with a strong confidence that the whole bible has a coherent message so that he builds up the faith of his readers too. ” – Dr Trevor G Stammers BSc, MA, FRCGP, DRCOG, FHEA, Dip Psych. Associate Professor, Institute of Theology St Mary’s University

“In an age when we are frequently encouraged to dip into parts of the Bible on their own, this books shows us how much we are missing when we do not see how the whole fits together. Pieter Lalleman has done us the great service of showing how much the writers of the Bible were saturated in other parts of it, drawing on it throughout their work. Anyone working through this careful but clear book will come away with their whole of the Bible enriched.” – David G. Firth, Old Testament Tutor and Academic Dean, Trinity College Bristol

“Many Christians are only half the people they could be because they only have half a Bible: the Old Testament is almost totally neglected in favour of the New. We impoverish ourselves by such an approach. Pieter Lalleman demonstrates the unity of the whole Bible and shows how the Old Testament is vital for Christian discipleship. Highly commended.” – Peter Morden, Senior Pastor of South Parade Baptist Church, Leeds, and Distinguished Visiting Scholar, Spurgeon’s College, London

“Through his explanation of the ‘countless connexions’ between the Old and New Testaments, Lalleman argues that the two inspired Testaments make sense of each other. His book guides us through numerous, sometimes puzzling, texts, and will be a useful and accessible resource to many. ” – David Wenham, Tutor in New Testament, Trinity College, Bristol

“In the second century a bishop called Marcion proposed that the Old Testament Scriptures be rejected by Christians since they spoke of a different God from the Father of Jesus. He was soon declared a heretic, and 2000 years later Pieter Lalleman’s book shows why: The New Testament is saturated with Old Testament texts containing, by one account, some 350 quotations and perhaps 2,500 allusions. Even a glance at Lalleman’s ‘Index of Biblical Texts’ illustrates this. This is a beautifully clear and well-argued analysis that more than proves the case it advances. “- Dr Nigel G. Wright, Principal Emeritus, Spurgeon’s College London.

“Dr Lalleman does an amazing job of uncovering some hidden threads that tie key First and Second Testament texts together. The Hidden Unity of the Bible is an easy read, interesting and engaging, written in simple language but heavy on content. I highly recommend it.” – Bishop Claion Grandison, Senior pastor Chrisma NTCG