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     That the Bible is a most unique book is evident to any thoughtful reader.  The Bible claims there is only one God, who has one way of salvation extended to mankind.  Yet the Bible is divided into two major sections – the Old Testament and the New Testament.  Why?
     In answering that, we need to first understand the meaning of “testament.”  According to the dictionary, it is the last will of a person.  The second meaning is a covenant or agreement between at least two parties.  Both are correct in the Biblical sense.  It is thought that the English word “testament” was originally used to designate the two divisions of the Bible because of the Greek word (diatheke) used in the original New Testament text (Hebrews 9:15-17).  “Diatheke” had two different meanings – (1) one’s last will and (2) a covenant.  The Greek word was translated into Latin as “testamentum” which later was transliterated as “testament” in English.  Thus we have the designations Old Testament and New Testament.
     Covenants are usually formed by two or more parties who provide input regarding the stipulations, benefits and penalties of the covenant.  Both Old and New Testaments are covenants or agreements, however they both differ from the modern understanding of covenant.  The biblical covenants are very similar to the ancient suzerainty treaty, where a conquering king (suzerain) offered the conquered nation a treaty, which was drafted by the dictates of the king without any input from the conquered party (vassal).  Rather than negotiating with the suzerain, such as is common in modern day agreements, the vassal could only accept or reject the covenant.  If the covenant was accepted, usually the suzerain offered protection in exchange for taxes exacted from the vassal (an Old Testament example is in 2 Kings 23:34-35).  If the covenant was rejected, there was a severe punishment to convince the subordinate vassal to submit to the conquering suzerain.
     Since God is the creator and we the created, He understands what is best for us.  It is reasonable that He would extend a covenant that would be most beneficial to us, whether we accept or reject His reason for initially making the covenant.  As in suzerainty treaties, accepting God’s Old Covenant resulted in blessings.  When the subordinate vassal disobeyed the covenant, the punishment was tragic.  Understanding these characteristics of covenants will help us to understand the covenants God extended to mankind.  But why two covenants – the Old and New Testaments?

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