Asymmetrical Continuity of Love and Law between the Old and New Testaments: Explicating the Implicit Side of a Hermeneutical Bridge,Leviticus 19.11-18

Abstract

This study contends that there is a considerable, albeit asymmetrical, continuity between the Old and New Testaments with respect to love and law. The Old Testament’s emphasis and contribution to this continuity is that by placing the love of neighbor in a legal context it demonstrates that love should extend to the type of societal relations that are commonly regulated by law. Leviticus 19.11-18 contains an impressive array of social commandments prohibiting all manner of theft, oppression, injustice and hatred. Conversely it commands the love of neighbor, which is the positive counterpart to the pericope’s prohibitions, as well as their unifying principle. The New Testament’s contribution highlights the interpersonal nature of love.