God of Love?

Whenever I hear (or more likely, read) the argument that the God of the "Old Testament" is a god of vengeance and the God of the "New Testament" is a god of love, I think of a passage from my favorite novel of 1968, Heaven Help Us, by Herbert Tarr.

Rabbi Abel and his junior-youth group attend a service at St. James Episcopal Church, where the pompous Dr. Larrabie expounds the theory of Swelling Revelation. Then, at the end of the service, the Rabbi is invited to say a few words.

I can't tell you how happy my class and I are to join you today...It was especially interesting to hear about the theory of Swelling Revelation. Because different sets of quotes might suggest another swell theory. For example...in the Old Testament: "Thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy." But in the New Testament: "He that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation."

In the Old Testament: "The Lord of Hosts is exalted through justice...Do justice to the afflicted and destitute, rescue the poor and needy." But in the New Testament: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved."

In the Old Testament: "Let the oppressed go free...break every yoke..deal thy bread to the hungry...bring the poor that are cast out to thy house...cover the naked...hide not thyself from thine own flesh." But in the New Testament: "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire."

Swelling Revelation?

Just to be abundantly clear, neither the fictional rabbi, the author (also a rabbi), nor I are saying that Judaism is all sweetness and light and Christianity is all hellfire. We just resent it when Christians oversimplify both their religion and Judaism at our expense.

"Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?" https://biblehub.com/matthew/7-3.htm