Old Testament Elijah (as promised by the prophet Malachi, whose book now ends the Old Testament and precedes Mark's account of John the Baptist). None predicted a Messiah who suffers and dies for the sins of all the people. The story of Jesus' death therefore involved a profound shift in meaning from the tradition of the Old Testament. The name "Old Testament" reflects Christianity's understanding of itself as the fulfillment of Jeremiah's prophecy of a New Covenant (which is similar to "testament" and often conflated) to replace the existing covenant between God and Israel (Jeremiah 31:31). The emphasis, however, has shifted from
Development of the Old Testament canon Old Testament part as stated: The 'two books of Esdras' referred to in the canon lists of both North African councils are now commonly recognised as corresponding to the books entitled Esdras A and Esdras B in manuscripts of the Septuagint and Vetus Latina; which in modern schlarship are known as 'Greek Esdras' and 'Ezra-Nehemiah' respectively. Augustine of Hippo is referring to both these texts when says: "...and the two of Ezra, which last look more like a sequel to the continuous regular history which terminates with the books of Kings and Chronicles." The five books of Solomon refer to