Content
The Old Testament contains 39 (Protestant) or 46 (Catholic) or more (Orthodox and other) books, divided, very broadly, into the Pentateuch (meaning "five books"), the historical books, the "wisdom" books and the prophets. The difference of seven books between the Catholic and Protestant canons stems from the fact that the early Christians used a Greek translation of the Jewish scriptures, called the Septuagint. The Protestant churches later dropped those books which were not accepted by the Jews. The following table shows the arrangement of the holy books in the Jewish Bible and the Old Testament (Jewish bibles count 24 books, as shown here, but Christian bibles divide Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, Ezra-Nehemiah and the Minor Prophets, bringing the total to 39; books additional to the Hebrew Bible in italics):
| Hebrew Bible | Greek Bible | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Torah (Law) | Pentateuch | |
| Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy |
Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy |
|
| Prophets | History | |
| Joshua Judges Samuel Kings Isaiah Jeremiah Ezekiel Minor Prophets (single book) |
Joshua Judges Ruth 1 Samuel 2 Samuel 1 Kings 2 Kings 1 Chronicles 2 Chronicles 1 Esdras Ezra Nehemiah Esther (with additions) Judith Tobit 1-4 Maccabees |
The Prophets collection in the Hebrew Bible get its name because the books were attributed to prophets, not because they all contain prophecy. Ruth, Chronicles, Ezra and Nehemiah, have been moved from the Writings collection in the Hebrew Bible to the History collection in the Old Testament, as the organising principle is subject matter rather than authorship.
"Minor prophets" means short, not unimportant. |
| Writings | Wisdom | |
| Psalms Job Proverbs Ruth Song of Songs Ecclesiastes Lamentations Esther Daniel Ezra-Nehemiah Chronicles |
Psalms Proverbs Ecclesiastes Song of Songs Job Wisdom of Solomon Ecclesiasticus |
Chronicles is the last book in the Hebrew canon, showing Israel restored to Jerusalem and history at an end; in the Old Testament it is part of the ongoing history which will end in the New Testament.
Rabbi Tovia Singer said that it was done so to stipulate that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christian Messiah. |
| Prophets | ||
| Minor prophets (12 books) Isaiah Jeremiah Baruch Lamentations Letter of Jeremiah Ezekiel Susannah Daniel (with additions) |
The order of the prophets has been reversed in modern Old Testaments so the last words are those of the minor prophet Malachi, predicting the return of the prophet Elijah and "the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD" (Malachi 4:5). |
Read more about this topic: Old Testament
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