It was in the teachings of Jeremiah, the most influential
prophet of the seventh century B.C., that the religious idealism of
the Hebrew people reached its greatest height. The influence
of his work can be seen not only in the later developments of Old
Testament literature but in the writings of Christianity as well.
The literature of the New Testament owes much to the thought
and writings of this prophet. In fact, the many striking simi-
larities which may be found between the teachings of Jesus as
they are recorded in the Gospels and the writings of Jeremiah
have led some scholars to speak of Jesus of Nazareth as the
Jeremiah of the New Testament, and they have also thought it
appropriate to speak of Jeremiah as the Jesus of the Old Testa-
ment. The close resemblance of the teachings of Jesus to the
ideas of Jeremiah can be seen in many of the accounts which have
been preserved. For example, there is a story in one of the
Gospels concerning the people of Galilee who had been deeply
impressed with the marvelous things Jesus had done in their
midst. ¹ When they inquired among their neighbors and friends
about His identity, they were told it was Jeremiah who had come
back to life again.

The New Testament records indicate that Jesus was familiar
with the writings of this prophet and on numerous occasions He
quoted them. ² Probably the most important of these occasions
was the night shortly before His crucifixion when He ate the
passover supper with His disciples. According to the record,
when He passed the wine to them, He said, "this cup is the new
covenant in my blood" ( Luke 22:20). ^* It was Jeremiah who

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