For the New Testament writers, the Old Testament scriptures and the teachings of Jesus were key sources of authority and influence. When these influences are considered alongside each other, each can illuminate the other, deepening the New Testament writers' presentation of Jesus and our understanding of their interpretations. In Jesus and Scripture, Tom Parker examines the way in which Hebrews, James, and 1 and 2 Peter deal with these two different sources of authority, how they relate to each other, and what shifts have occurred historically and theologically within the writing of these texts.
Treating the four epistles methodologically, Parker examines the particular ways in which each writer draws on the Hebrew scriptures. Ultimately, he argues convincingly that the nascent Jesus tradition, particularly via oral routes, influenced the way the Old Testament was processed by these various New Testament writers.