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Resonance Vs. Reliance In The New Testament : Luke And Matthew

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Resonance vs. Reliance In the New Testament: Luke and Matthew

The Gospels of Luke and Matthew were written within a short span of each other, and both of them present a different way of tying in the Old Testament with their new writings and beliefs. Luke relies mainly on resonance, using themes and motifs that are reminiscent of those present in the Old Testament, whereas Matthew relies heavily on Old Testament prophecies and interprets it’s mythos to prove it’s validity. Many of the stories chronicled in the Gospel of Luke correspond with similarly themed Old Testament counterparts. For example, the story of the miracle birth of Isaac to Abraham and Sarah as described in Genesis correlates with the birth of Jesus to Mary and Joseph and of John the Baptist to Zechariah and Elizabeth. In the story of Isaac, Abraham and Sarah were far too old to have children, but God foretold that they would have a miracle birth. The births of Jesus and John were similarly foretold by God to their parents, and the incredible birth story of Jesus is very similar to that of Isaac. While these stories are not entirely identical, the influence of the Old Testament can definitely be seen in Luke’s writing. Throughout the Gospel various subtle references to the Old Testament, such as Mary being descended from King David (1:27), mentioning the house and kingdom of Jacob in relation to Jesus (1:33), and the various references Mary makes to the Old Testament in her praise of God (1:46). Luke used

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