Although the idea of a forty-day preparation for Pascha comes from the forty days Jesus spent alone fasting after his baptism in the Jordan River, Great Lent was originally an instructional period used by the Church to prepare those who desired to be baptized and received into Christianity at Pascha. And because this period was catechetical in nature, it leaned quite heavily on Old Testament studies, for several reasons:
In the first place, the converts were, by that time, almost entirely Gentiles rather than Jews. Therefore, many of the concepts and all of the events that helped prepare Israel for the coming of the Messiah (Christ) were unknown to them. Hence, the study of the Old Testament was essential knowledge needed in order to bring them “up to speed” with Jewish/Christian thought.
Secondly, the Old Testament was, for many people, a convincing experience in and of itself, for it showed God’s interaction with His people through the Holy Fathers and the Prophets. The stories of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Daniel, King David and all the rest, proved God’s covenant between Himself and mankind; and this in turn proved His love for us!
Thirdly, and most importantly, Pascha itself is forever connected with, and understood best by those who are familiar with, the Passover scenario at the time of the Exodus of Israel from Egypt.
This is why during Great Lent we dispense with daily gospel and epistle lessons on weekdays and replace them with Old Testament readings. The Old Testament books most often read during the Great Lenten Season are Genesis, Exodus, Psalms, Proverbs and Isaiah. Isaiah and Psalms contain the prophecies; Proverbs contains the moral teachings; and Genesis and Exodus the history of God’s mighty works. It is virtually impossible to understand Christianity without knowing the Old Testament. Jesus Himself made this clear when He said: “Search the scriptures…they speak of me” (St. John 5:39).
