The Background of Christianity

The background of Christianity is the Old Testament, for without it the word pictures of the New Testament would be meaningless, neither Jew nor Gentile could comprehend them. The foundation and corner stone of Christianity is Jesus Christ, but without the preparation for it, to be found in the Old Testament, no such foundation could have been laid. Therefore, in order to really understand the fundamentals of the Christian religion, a careful study of the Old Testament is necessary. -David Irving Jaynes

For a long time, the manuscript of this book sat in an attic, in a chest of collected papers, some of which dated back as early as the eighteenth century. In 2018, the manuscript was discovered and, because of it’s unique approach : using the keys of the New Testament to unlock the mysteries of the Old, the decision was made to make it available to a wider audience. Through Jaynes’ careful exposition, many of the confusing passages from the Old Testament were made more clear in light of Jesus’ teaching in the New Testament.

David Irving Jaynes, was born in 1875 and was blind from birth. He was taught by his mother to make the best of his situation and encouraged him to learn Braille in order to open up to him, the vast wonders of the printed word. The book that inspired him the most was the Bible, so, he set about putting together a companion piece to it that might reveal it to be entirely cohesive and God’s progressive revelation to an evolving people.