Bible: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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The Jewish Bible ([[Tanakh]]) consists of 24 books, and to a large extent overlaps with the contents of the Christian [[Old Testament]], but with the books differently ordered. The Tanakh consists of the five books of [[Moses]] (the [[Torah]] or [[Pentateuch]]), a section called "Prophets" ([[Nevi'im]]), and a third section called "Writings" ([[Ketuvim]] or Hagiographa). The term "Tanakh" is a Hebrew acronym formed from these three names. Although the Tanakh was mainly written in [[Biblical Hebrew]], it has some portions in [[Biblical Aramaic]].

Some time in the [[3rd century BC|3rd century BCE]], the [[Torah]] was translated into [[Koine Greek]], and over the next century other books were translated as well. This translation became known as the [[Septuagint]] and was widely used by Greek-speaking Jews and, later, by Christians. It differs somewhat from the Hebrew text as standardized later ([[Masoretic Text]]), and was generally abandoned, in favour of the latter, as the basis for translations into Western languages from [[Jerome|Saint Jerome 's]] [[Vulgate]] to the present day. In Eastern Christianity, translations based on the Septuagint still prevail. Some modern Western translations make use of the Septuagint to clarify passages in the Masoretic Text that seem to have suffered corruption in transcription. They also sometimes adopt variants that appear in texts discovered among the [[Dead Sea Scrolls]]. (For more information, see the entry on [[Bible translations]]).

The collection of books that the great majority of Christians (including members of the [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]], [[Eastern Orthodoxy|Eastern Orthodox]], and [[Oriental Orthodoxy|Oriental Orthodox]] Churches) call the [[Old Testament]] include not only the 24 books of the Jewish Tanakh, but also certain [[deuterocanonical books]] preserved in the Greek of the Septuagint. The [[Roman Catholic Church]] recognizes seven such books ([[Book of Tobit|Tobit]], [[Book of Judith|Judith]], [[1 Maccabees]], [[2 Maccabees]], [[Wisdom of Solomon]], [[Sirach|Sirach (Ecclesiasticus)]], and [[Book of Baruch|Baruch]]), as well as some passages in [[Book of Esther|Esther]] and [[Book of Daniel|Daniel]], that are not included in the Jewish Scriptures. Various Orthodox Churches include a few others, typically [[3 Maccabees]], [[Psalm 151]], [[1 Esdras]], [[Odes]], [[Psalms of Solomon]], and occasionally even [[4 Maccabees]]. Protestants in general do not recognize these books are truly part of the Bible, though they may print them along with the books they do recognize.

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==The canon of Scripture==

For Jews, it is commonly thought that the canonical status of some books was discussed between [[200 BC|200 BCE]] and around AD [[100 AD|100 CE]], though it is unclear at what point during this period the Jewish canon was decided.

To the books accepted by Jews as Scripture all Christians add those of the [[New Testament]], the 27-book [[canon]] of which was finally fixed in the [[4th century]]. As indicated above, most Christians also consider certain deuterocanonical books to be part of the [[Old Testament]]. Protestants, in general, accept as part of the Old Testament only the books in the Jewish canon and use the term [[Apocrypha]] for the deuterocanonical books. They have a 39-book Old Testament canon – the number varies from that of the books in the [[Tanakh]] because of a different way of dividing them – while the Roman Catholic Church recognizes 46 books as part of the Old Testament. For details, see [[Books of the Bible]]. For a history of the canon, see [[Biblical Canon]].