Introduction: A Theological Paradox

In his Second Letter to the Corinthians, Saint Paul presents a striking image: a veil that remains in place whenever the Old Testament is read, and which is only removed when one turns to Christ. At first glance, this metaphor seems to invert the original biblical narrative in Exodus, where the veil is placed not on the people, but on Moses himself. However, a deeper examination reveals that Paul is not misreading the text, but rather reconfiguring it to express a profound theological insight about the Scriptures and their fulfilment in Christ.

The Original Context: Moses and the Veil in Exodus

The passage to which Paul alludes comes from Exodus 34:29–35. After speaking with God on Mount Sinai, Moses descends with his face shining from divine radiance. The text explains: “When Moses came down from Mount Sinai… he did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God… When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face. Whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he would remove the veil, until he came out…” Notably, the veil is not worn in God’s presence but is placed on Moses’ face when he addresses the Israelites. It is not to protect Moses from God, but rather to shield the people from the dazzling radiance of his encounter. Moses unveils himself before the Lord and only veils himself when he speaks to the people.

Paul’s Reconfiguration: From Moses’ Face to the Reader’s Heart

Paul refers to this episode in 2 Corinthians 3:12–18, but shifts its symbolic focus. He writes: “To this day, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their hearts; but when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed… the veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away.” Here, the veil is no longer on Moses’ face but over the hearts or minds of those who read “Moses”—that is, the Torah—without recognising Christ. Paul introduces a dual movement: the veil lies both over the Scriptures themselves (as they are read) and over the heart of the reader. The implication is not merely psychological or subjective (spiritual blindness), but hermeneutical: the text remains veiled until interpreted in the light of Christ.

The Veil as Covering the Scriptures Themselves

This leads to a key insight: Paul may be suggesting that the veil rests not primarily on the Jewish person, but on the Scriptures themselves—as they are read without Christ. In this reading, the true meaning of the Old Testament remains hidden unless one turns to the Lord. The veil is therefore both external (covering the text) and internal (obscuring the heart). This idea finds strong support in modern biblical scholarship. Scott Hahn, for instance, comments: “For Paul, the veil does not merely represent ignorance in the reader, but a veiled meaning in the Old Testament itself. The veil covers the Scripture until one reads it in the light of Christ.” Similarly, Luke Timothy Johnson observes: “Paul sees the veil not only as blocking the perception of the reader, but also as a metaphor for the hiddenness of the Christological meaning of the Torah.” Such interpretations highlight Paul’s method of spiritual exegesis, where the fullness of the Old Testament is not discarded but unveiled through faith in Jesus Christ.

Christ the Key: Luke 24 and the Opening of the Scriptures

This unveiling is beautifully illustrated in Luke 24, where the risen Christ appears first to the disciples on the road to Emmaus and then to the gathered Apostles. To the two on the road, he says: “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” (Luke 24:25–26) Luke continues: “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” (Luke 24:27) Later, when he appears to the Apostles, Jesus performs the same unveiling: “Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead…'” (Luke 24:45–46) This is the lifting of the veil: the Scriptures, previously obscure, are now illuminated. The disciples begin to see that the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms all speak of the Messiah.

Living in the Light of the Unveiled Scriptures: The New Testament Witness

The entire New Testament can be seen as written from within this new light. The Apostles do not invent a new message; rather, they interpret their experience of Jesus Christ through the lens of the Scriptures now unveiled. They are, in effect, teaching us how to read the Old Testament with unveiled eyes. The examples are numerous. In Acts 8:30–35, the Ethiopian eunuch is reading Isaiah 53 and asks Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” Philip replies by “beginning with this Scripture” and “telling him the good news about Jesus.” Psalm 22, with its cry “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (v.1), is quoted by Jesus on the Cross and contains vivid descriptions of crucifixion-like suffering. The evangelists saw in it a prophetic anticipation of Christ’s Passion. In 1 Corinthians 10:1–11, Paul interprets the Exodus events as prefigurations of Christ: “Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.” The manna, the water from the rock, the crossing of the sea—all are types fulfilled in Christ. In the Letter to the Hebrews, the priesthood of Melchizedek (Genesis 14; Psalm 110) is revealed as a type of Christ’s eternal priesthood. The sacrifices of the Temple are shown to be shadows of the true sacrifice offered by Christ once for all (Hebrews 9–10).

From Shadows to Substance: Faith as Hermeneutical Vision

Faith in Christ not only redeems but also illumines. The veil is lifted when one turns to the Lord (2 Corinthians 3:16). This unveiling transforms the act of reading Scripture into a contemplative participation in the mystery of Christ. As Paul says: “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.” (2 Corinthians 3:18) What was once hidden is now manifest. The Scriptures, veiled and sealed under the Old Covenant, have become radiant with Christ. The Apostles invite every reader to share in their vision: to read Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms not as ancient texts alone, but as living witnesses to the One who fulfilled them.

References

  1. Exodus 34:29–35, New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Edition. See also AELF translation.
  2. 2 Corinthians 3:12–18, New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised. See also Bible Gateway – LSG version.
  3. Scott Hahn, Letter and Spirit: From Written Text to Living Word in the Liturgy, Doubleday, 2005, p. 118.
  4. Luke Timothy Johnson, The Writings of the New Testament: An Interpretation, Fortress Press, 1999.
  5. Origen, Homilies on Exodus, in Homilies on Genesis and Exodus, trans. Ronald E. Heine, The Fathers of the Church, Vol. 71, Catholic University of America Press, 1982.