|
There are 24 books in the traditional Jewish canon of scripture. They are arranged in
three groupings: Torah, Nevi'im, and Kethuvim.
The acronym for the three is Tanak (Tanakh). |
Torah (Law, Instruction) | |
|
Genesis (Bre'shith) Exodus (Shemoth) Leviticus (Vayikra) Numbers (Bemidbar) Deuteronomy (Devarim) |
Nevi'im (Prophets) |
||
|
Joshua Judges 1, 2 Samuel 1, 2 Kings |
Former Prophets | |
|
Isaiah Jeremiah Ezekiel The Twelve ("Minor" Prophets) |
Latter Prophets | |
Kethuvim (Writings) | |
|
Psalms Proverbs Job |
|
|
Song of Songs Ruth Lamentations Qoheleth (Ecclesiastes) Esther |
5 Megilloth ("Scrolls") |
|
Daniel Ezra-Nehemiah 1, 2 Chronicles | |
Note: Some traditional Jewish lists have a slightly different order among the Kethubim. Note: Christians call these books the "Old Testament," and they arrange the books in a different order according to the groupings of Law, History, Poetry, and Prophecy. Also, Protestants count 39 books, because they separate 1-2 Samuel, 1-2 Kings, and 1-2 Chronicles, Ezra-Nehemiah, and the Twelve Prophets when they count. Other Christians have additional books in their Old Testament. The consensus among critical scholars is that the canon of the Torah closed by about 400 BCE, the canon of the Prophets closed by about 200 BCE, and the canon of the Writings closed about 100 CE. Of course, the individual books in each part of the Tanakh may be much older. The canon of Jewish literature continued to grow after the canon of scripture closed. Rabbinic literature is the chief part of the continuing canon of Judaism. (The expanding canon is an example of the First Law of Religious Dynamics.) |