Old Testament

Definition and Meaning

The term Old Testament (Korean guyak, 舊約) means "old covenant." It refers to the covenant God made with Israel and is paired with the "new covenant" established through Jesus Christ (Jeremiah 31:31; 2 Corinthians 3:6). Christians accept the Old Testament, together with the New Testament, as the Bible. Judaism calls the same books the "Tanakh" (an acronym formed from the initial letters of the Hebrew words for the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings) and does not use the name "Old Testament."

Korean Protestants commonly divide the thirty-nine books as follows:

• Law (5 books): the Pentateuch, Genesis through Deuteronomy
• History (12 books): Joshua through Esther
• Poetry (5 books): Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon
• Major Prophets (5 books): Isaiah through Daniel
• Minor Prophets (12 books): Hosea through Malachi

Biblical and Historical Background

The Old Testament was written mostly in Hebrew, with portions of Daniel and Ezra written in Aramaic. Judaism groups the same material differently and counts twenty-four books. Beginning around the third century BC, a Greek translation known as the Septuagint was produced, and the early church read it widely.

The extent of the canon (the books recognized as the standard for faith and life) differs among churches. The Catholic Church accepts forty-six books, adding seven, including Tobit, Judith, and 1 and 2 Maccabees, which it calls the deuterocanonical books. The Orthodox Church accepts several more. Since the Reformation, Protestants have recognized as canonical only the books found in the Hebrew Bible and refer to these additional books as the Apocrypha.

Practice in the Korean Church

The first complete Korean translation of the Old Testament is generally said to have been published in 1911, together with the New Testament, as the Syeonggyeong Jeonseo (Complete Bible). Today many denominations use the Revised Korean Version, New Edition, published by the Korean Bible Society, in worship. Some churches also read the New Korean Standard Version alongside it. The Common Translation, produced jointly by Catholics and Protestants in 1977, includes the deuterocanonical books. The Anglican Church of Korea is reported to have used this translation in worship.

Old Testament texts are frequently used in worship, as in responsive readings drawn mainly from the Psalms and the recitation of the Ten Commandments. Annual read-through-the-Bible programs also usually begin with Genesis.

Views of the relationship between the Old and New Testaments differ according to theological tradition. Covenant theology emphasizes the continuity between the two covenants, while dispensationalism reads Israel and the church as distinct. Opinions also differ on how the Old Testament Sabbath regulations should be applied; this question is addressed in the article Sabbath and the Lord's Day.