Das Neue am Alten Testament

Inspired by Augustin's sentence novum testamentum in vetere latet, vetus in novo patet, the article investigates what is new about the Old Testament. It describes exemplarily how deeply the Old Testament is rooted in religious traditions of the ancient Near East. Against this backdrop, it gives an overview of how the term »new« is used within the Old Testament and highlights the new usage and understanding of »new« that emerges in the prophetic writings (esp. Isa 42 – 43; Jer 31; Ez 11). In a third part, the article summarizes five key features of the novelty of the Old Testament: a) the Old Testament interprets itself; b) the God of the Old Testament is on the side of the powerless; c) the Old Testament is a »portable fatherland« (Heinrich Heine); d) the salvation experienced by Israel is undeserved; e) the word of the Old Testament has reality-changing power.