Old & New Testament Philosophy & Morality

[Sucoyant]

Namaste!

From what I understand, the New Testament is the book of Christ's life and actions. Jesus, who was a God-incarnate, human, and Gods son all at once came to change things.

Because Christ came and delivered the awe-inspiring Sermon on the Mount (among other teachings) shouldn't a proper Christian follow Christ rather than the Old Testament? Didn't Jesus come to set things right and therefore the teachings of Christ in the NT take precedence over the teachings in the OT?

For example: In the OT, murder is seen as "okay." In the NT, Jesus states that one shouldn't murder - "An eye for an eye makes the world go blind." Therefore, shouldn't one disregard the OT, as God through Christ seemingly changed his mind on this issue?

 

[SolomonVII]

Namaste!

From what I understand, the New Testament is the book of Christ's life and actions. Jesus, who was a God-incarnate, human, and Gods son all at once came to change things.

Because Christ came and delivered the awe-inspiring Sermon on the Mount (among other teachings) shouldn't a proper Christian follow Christ rather than the Old Testament? Didn't Jesus come to set things right and therefore the teachings of Christ in the NT take precedence over the teachings in the OT?

For example: In the OT, murder is seen as "okay." In the NT, Jesus states that one shouldn't murder - "An eye for an eye makes the world go blind." Therefore, shouldn't one disregard the OT, as God through Christ seemingly changed his mind on this issue?

Jesus did not come to change God's law, but to fulfill it. The need for justice and laws to govern man's relationships with each other are still important, but what Jesus stresses even beyond the concept of justice is the concept of compassion.
The need for justice, retribution, and corrective punishment are still very necessary for any society to function. As the exampel fo decades in Afghanistan demonstrates even today, people tend to opt for even an opressive justice like the Taliban, when the only option is the anarchy of criminal warlords. However, what Jesus stresses is the fact that without a change of heart, and a willingness to at least forgive others for the transgressions against each other, justice will always be an elusive goal.

It would be a mistake to understand Jesus' message as contrary to the main themes of the Old Testament. Neither are the ethical messages of the Old Testament as harsh, nor the teachings of Christ as passive, as some tend to understand at present. And Christ's focus on the intent of the heart and setting one's goals upon the riches of the spiritual kingdom rather than the riches of this earth flow quite easily from the Old Testament, rightly understood. Even in the Ten commandments, which focus upon putting God first in one's life, and not lusting after one's neighbours possessions, it is rather easy to see antecedants to the messages being put forth by Jesus.

 

[fragmentsofdreams]

The teachings of Jesus are the pinnacle of God's revelation. I can see a progression starting with the Pentateuch, going through the Prophets, and culminating in Jesus.

At the beginning, God works to reveal that He is different from the gods of the Egyptians, Babylonians, and Canaanites. During this time, the moral lessons involved altering society to make things better for the weak. Consider the often despised obligation for a rapist to marry his vicitm. This ensured that she would be supported now that other men would refuse to marry her. Her alternative would be a life as a prostitute.

Later, the prophets showed the people that there was a need for justice and a higher standard.

Finally, Jesus revealed a way of life that would bring the fullfillment of humanity.