In yet another passage, Matthew 23:35), Jesus also refers to the blood of all the righteous men that has been shed, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, and this A-to-Z range begins with Genesis (the murder of Abel is in Genesis 4:1-16), the first book in the Hebrew order of the Old Testament books. It ends with Chronicles (the murder of Zechariah is recorded in 2 Chronicles 24:20-22), the last book in that order. This passage, therefore, brackets the entire Hebrew Bible, all 22 books, which correspond to the 39 books of the Protestant Old Testament.

Finally, on another occasion, recorded in John 10:35, Jesus says, "Scripture cannot be broken." In this saying Jesus is confirming the ongoing truth and power of Scripture. The other verses have defined for us what Jesus means by the term "Scripture," and this verse applies to it all.

Paul's use of the Old Testament
Paul makes similar affirmations of the authority and inspiration of the Old Testament. He says, for example, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, reproving, and training in righteousness that God's person may be complete, not lacking in anything" (2 Tim. 3:16-17). He also writes, "For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope" (Romans 15:4). No clearer validations of the inspiration and authority of the Old Testament could be composed.

Furthermore, Paul again and again says, "It is written," with the same construction as those found in the sayings of Jesus (see, for example, Acts 13:33; 23:5; Romans 1:17; 2:24; 3:4, 10; 4:17; 8:36; etc.). Paul also uses another introductory formula to a verse he quotes from the Old Testament with a similar meaning: "The Holy Spirit spoke... through Isaiah the prophet" (Acts 28:25).