Old Testament

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word Old Testament. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word Old Testament, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say Old Testament in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word Old Testament you have here. The definition of the word Old Testament will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofOld Testament, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.

English

English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Etymology

From Middle English , calqued from Latin Vetus Testāmentum. Old refers to ancientness, not to obsolescence. Equivalent to a retronym, by comparison with the New Testament.

Pronunciation

  • (file)

Proper noun

the Old Testament

  1. (religion, chiefly Christianity) The first major part of the Christian Bible, covering events before the coming of Christ, corresponding roughly to the Jewish Tanakh. Usually subdivided into the categories of law, history, poetry (or wisdom books), and prophecy.
    Coordinate term: New Testament
    The Old Testament says that eating shellfish is a sin.

Usage notes

  • Old Testament is the most common English term used by Christians to refer to the first major part of the Christian Bible. Old means “ancient”, “having great(er) age” here, not “superseded” or “obsolete”.
  • In Biblical scholarship the term Hebrew Bible is preferred nowadays.
  • The use of this term is considered offensive by some Jews, based on the misconception that Old suggests that the Tanach has been superseded by Christian scriptures.
  • The corresponding adjective is vetero-testamentary.

Derived terms

Translations

See also