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I've seen the quote, "The New is in the Old Concealed, the Old is in the New Revealed" (such as a question here or the second answer here) or a variation, "The Old Testament is the New Testament concealed, and the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed" (such as in this answer) and I have typically seen this attributed to Augustine, though I haven't found its source. I have only found these two related but non-identical statements of St. Augustine from "On the Spirit and the Letter."

"This grace hid itself under a veil in the Old Testament, but it has been revealed in the New Testament" (from chapter 27)

and

This is the righteousness of God, which was veiled in the Old Testament, and is revealed in the New (from chapter 18)

I actually originally heard this from a Chuck Missler presentation without attribution. And at this Ligioner ministries article, and many others, it is attributed to Augustine.

Where does this quote come from?

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  • The Catholic Encyclopedia has similar quotations in chapters 18 and 27 of Augustine's "On the Spirit and the Letter" newadvent.org/fathers/1502.htm
    – Ray Butterworth
    Commented Mar 4, 2019 at 1:49
  • Thank you! My quote was from ch. 27. I'll add the ch. 18 quote
    – Alex Strasser
    Commented Mar 4, 2019 at 2:30

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“In the Old Testament the New is concealed, in the New the Old is revealed” (Novum Testamentum in Vetere latet, Vetus Testamentum in Novo patet) literal: New Testament in the Old lies, the Old Testament in the New is clear. St. Augustine, Quaest. in Hept. 2,73: PL 34, 623; cf. DV 16.

In case the reference needs decoding; Quaestiones in Heptateuchum VII (Seven Questions Concerning the Heptateuch) Dated AD 419-420.

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  • Thank you! And then what is the rest of that reference: "2,73: PL 34, 623; cf. DV 16"? Could you decode that for me too?
    – Alex Strasser
    Commented Jun 19, 2019 at 16:29
  • Away from my Library at the moment, but will get back to you as soon as I can. From memory it is in the Nicene and Post Nicene Library under works of Augustine.
    – Michael Foster
    Commented Jun 20, 2019 at 17:26
  • wonderful, let me know!
    – Alex Strasser
    Commented Jun 20, 2019 at 21:52
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    2.73 is the section in the Augustinian work. PL is an abbreviation for Migne, Jacques Paul, “Patrologia Latina”, 221 Vols, Imprimerie Catholique, Paris, 1844-1855. The companion volume is Migne, Jacques Paul, “Patrologia Graeca”, 85 Vols, Imprimerie Catholique, Paris, 1856-1857. This is a several volume collection of all the Greek Fathers.
    – Michael Foster
    Commented Jun 21, 2019 at 13:29

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