Christians therefore read the Old Testament in the light of Christ crucified and risen. Such typological reading discloses the inexhaustible content of the Old Testament; but it must not make us forget that the Old Testament retains its own intrinsic value as Revelation reaffirmed by our Lord himself. Besides, the New Testament has to be read in the light of the Old. Early Christian catechesis made constant use of the Old Testament. As an old saying put it, the New Testament lies hidden in the Old and the Old Testament is unveiled in the New.
Today we continue this project for it is the feast day of the Prophet Samuel; the prophet who, at Bethlehem, anointed David king.
Russian icon of the Prophet Samuel
From the Roman Martyrology for August 20th:
In Judaea, St. Samuel, Prophet, whose holy bones (as blessed Jerome relates) the Emperor Arcadius translated to Constantinople and buried near Septimum
August 20 is also the feast of the prophet Samuel in the Byzantine calendar.
