Old Testament

American  

[ohld tes-tuh-muhnt] / ˈoʊld ˈtɛs tə mənt /

noun

Chiefly Christianity.

1. 1. the first of the two main divisions of the Christian Bible, including the Mosaic Law, the history of the people of Israel, the wisdom writings, and the major and minor prophets: in the Vulgate translation all but two books of the Apocrypha are included in the Old Testament.

   2. this part of the Bible thought of as the complete Scripture of the Jews.

2. the covenant between God and Israel on Mount Sinai, seen as the basis of the Jewish religion.

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Old Testament British  

noun

1. the collection of books comprising the sacred Scriptures of the Hebrews and essentially recording the history of the Hebrew people as the chosen people of God; the first part of the Christian Bible

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Old Testament Cultural  

1. The first part of the Bible (see also Bible), so called by Christians (see also Christian), who believe that its laws and prophecies are fulfilled in the person of Jesus, whose mission is described in the New Testament.

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Etymology

Origin of Old Testament

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English; translation of Late Latin Vetus Testamentum, translation of Greek Palaià Diathḗkē; paleo- ( def. ), dia- ( def. ), tick ³ ( def. )

Example Sentences

In the Old Testament book of 1 Samuel, Saul, the first king of Israel, convinces himself that his son Jonathan is plotting a coup with David.

From The Wall Street Journal

“As a boy I attended services in the Church of Scotland every Sunday, and we were made to learn the Bible—especially, as you would expect in a Presbyterian country, the Old Testament.”

From The Wall Street Journal

"This is simultaneously one of publishing's greatest failures and triumphs," says Nathan MacDonald, Professor of the Interpretation of the Old Testament at the University of Cambridge.

From Science Daily

But the balancing act ended when she read from the Old Testament—Jewish Scripture—on a day of national celebration, and the 13-year-old daughter of a baroness loyal to the Nazis informed on her.

From The Wall Street Journal

It appears in the Old Testament and the Talmud, is honored as Matariki in New Zealand, and is depicted in the logo of Subaru in Japan.

From Science Daily