Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible, often referred to as the Old Testament, is a foundational text for Judaism and encompasses the history, laws, and beliefs of the Jewish people in ancient times. It is divided into three main sections: the Torah (the first five books), the Nevi'im (the Prophets), and the Ketuvim (the Writings), collectively known as the Tanach. The Torah includes significant narratives such as the creation of the world, the Israelites' exodus from Egypt, and the establishment of laws. The Nevi'im contains the accounts of historical events and prophetic messages, while the Ketuvim features a diverse range of writings, including poetry, philosophy, and personal reflections.
The books of the Hebrew Bible date back as far as 1100 BCE, with a complex authorship and compilation history involving multiple contributors and sources. Though traditionally attributed to Moses, modern scholarship suggests that the Torah emerged from several different sources over centuries. The varying styles and themes reflect a rich cultural and spiritual heritage, presenting an intricate portrayal of faith, morality, and the human experience. Overall, the Hebrew Bible serves not only as a religious document but also as a crucial historical record of the Jewish people and their relationship with God.
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Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible, known to many as the Old Testament, tells the history of the Jewish people in the ancient world. Considered the basis of Judaism, the Old Testament begins with a description of the world's creation, describes the trials of the Jewish people in Egypt, and then narrates their struggles in Israel. The first five books of the Hebrew Bible are known as the Torah, and the entire Hebrew Bible is known as the Tanach.
History
The Hebrew Bible has a long and somewhat convoluted history. Its books date back as far as 1100 BCE. Determining who specifically wrote them is debated among scholars, although many scholars agree that several authors composed the works in the Bible. For hundreds of years, Moses was believed to have written the first five books, also called the Torah, Chumash, or Pentateuch (meaning the five books). As time passed, however, disagreement developed.
Since the nineteenth century, scholars have considered these first five books to have come from four different sources combined in the sixth century BCE. Another source of speculation for scholars is the timing of the books' composition. At the same time that the early books in the Bible were being combined, the books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings were also being written. The twelve books of the prophets, including Ezekiel and Jeremiah, were written between the eighth and fifth century BCE; scholars consider these books to have been merged into one unit as late as the fourth century BCE.
Books such as the Proverbs, the Psalms, and the Song of Songs were written at times ranging from the sixth century to the second century BCE. The organization and assembly of these books into a coherent whole was not a streamlined process. Historians consider the development of the Hebrew Bible to have come from much discussion and evaluation over many years.
Organization and Content
Twenty-four books make up the Hebrew Bible. Each book represents a scroll, the kind of material on which the book would have been written in ancient times. Scholars typically subdivide the books into three sections. The Torah contains the first five books: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Genesis describes both the creation of the world and the history of Israel. Exodus tells the story of the Israeli people's escape from slavery in Egypt and also describes the development of their laws. Leviticus lays out the ancient Israeli laws. In the book of Numbers, the Jews wander from place to place after having departed from Sinai in search of a homeland. Deuteronomy is essentially a speech delivered to the Israeli people by their leader, Moses, shortly before they arrived at their new homeland of Canaan.
The second section of the Hebrew Bible is referred to as the Nevi'im, or the Prophets. It contains eight books: four named after the former prophets of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings; three after the latter prophets of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel; and one after the twelve minor prophets. The first four books describe the events that transpired while Joshua, who succeeded Moses, led the Jewish people. The latter four books are more distinct from one another because they are considered to have been written or dictated directly to scribes by the prophets themselves. The book of Ezekiel, for instance, describes his seemingly hallucinatory visions, which have profound significance within Christian ideology. The book of Jeremiah contains words of caution from the prophet, along with a discussion of the coming covenant between the Jewish people and God. The book of Isaiah carries within it the story of the life of Jesus Christ from his birth to his crucifixion. It also contains a significant amount of censure for people who have, in the eyes of the prophet, not worshipped God as they should have. The writings of the twelve minor prophets are either autobiographical in nature or instructional on faith.
The third section of the Hebrew Bible, known as the Ketuvim, is a collection of eleven writings, which are considered more subjective than the rest of the books of the Bible. One of the best-known of these books, the book of Job, describes Job's sufferings at the hand of God, who wanted to test Job's love for him. The Song of Songs, believed by many to be written by the prophet Solomon, is a long poem about human love and the love of God.
The book of Psalms contains poems addressed directly to God. These have different purposes; some are poems of praise, some are poems of protest, and others are philosophical meditations. A series of brief statements about what it is to lead a virtuous life is found in the book of Proverbs.
The book of Lamentations describes the state of the city of Jerusalem after it had been ransacked by the Babylonians. In Solomon's book of Ecclesiastes, he gives a recollection of his life and attempts to offer wisdom about life from an older person's point of view. The book of Esther tells the story of a young woman who separates from her father to compete with other young women to be the bride of the king of her country.
The apocalypse is explained in the book of Daniel, while the book of Ezra continues the story of the Jewish people after they were exiled from their homeland. Thought to have been written by the prophet Samuel, the book of Ruth describes the bond between two women during times of great adversity, both within their families and within their country. The book of Chronicles, which is the last book of the Hebrew Bible, tells a similar story of the history of the Jewish people, putting an emphasis on the requirements for a good spiritual life.
Bibliography
Foster, Niki. "What is the Difference Between the Torah and the Tanakh?" wiseGEEK. Conjecture Corporation. 26 July 2015. Web. 27 Aug. 2015. http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-difference-between-the-torah-and-the-tanakh.htm#comments
Hamilton, Mark. "From Hebrew Bible to Christian Bible: Jews, Christians and the Word of God." Frontline. Public Broadcasting Service. Web. 27 Aug. 2015. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/first/scriptures.html
Just, Felix. "Jewish and Christian Bibles: A Comparative Chart." Catholic Resources. Catholic Resources. Web. 27 Aug. 2015. http://catholic-resources.org/Bible/Heb-Xn-Bibles.htm
"Tanach - The Jewish Bible." NSW Board of Jewish Education. NSW Board of Jewish Education. Web. 27 Aug. 2015. http://www.bje.org.au/learning/SOR/literature/tanach.html
"The 24 Books of the Hebrew Bible." Torah.org. Project Genesis. Web. 27 Aug. 2015. http://www.torah.org/info/about.php3