Imagine a family album that covers thousands of years. The Old Testament is something like that: the story of how God patiently prepared a people for the coming of His Son. The Church calls this story salvation history, and it is our family's story too.
The Old Testament has 46 books, written over many centuries by many human authors, all inspired by the Holy Spirit. Catholic Bibles group them like this:
- The Pentateuch (also called the Torah or the Law): the first five books, Genesis to Deuteronomy.
- The Historical Books: Israel's story in the Promised Land, from Joshua to the Maccabees.
- The Wisdom Books: prayers, poems and wise sayings, such as the Psalms and Proverbs.
- The Prophets: messengers such as Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel, who called the people back to God.
The key to the whole story is the word covenant. A covenant is more than a contract. A contract trades things: “I'll pay you, and you mow the lawn.” A covenant gives persons to each other: “I will be your God, and you will be my people.” It makes a family bond.
Again and again God made covenants, each one wider than the last: with Noah and his family, with Abraham and his tribe, with Moses and the whole nation of Israel, and with King David and his kingdom. Each time, people broke their promises, but God kept His.
All these covenants point to Jesus, who makes the New and Eternal Covenant in His own blood for the whole world. Saint Augustine said that the New Testament is hidden in the Old, and the Old is made clear in the New. So when we read the Old Testament, we are getting to know Jesus.