The OLD TESTAMENTaka Hebrew Scriptures

TORAH – HISTORICAL – WISDOM - PROPHETIC

• The Pentateuch includes the first five books in the bible

• “Pentateuch” means “five scrolls”

• These books are also called the Torah or the Books of the Law

• They tell about the beginnings of God’s people, the Israelites

• The books of the Pentateuch (Torah/Law) tell key stories about:- Creation- The Covenant, or promise between God and

His people- The journey of the Israelites to the Promised Land- The Law of Moses – aka the Ten Commandments

BOOKS OF THE PENTATEUCH:

- Genesis- Exodus- Leviticus- Numbers- Deuteronomy

• The Historical Books were written to show important events in the history of the Jewish people, and God’s role in these events

HISTORIC BOOKS:

- Joshua | - 2 Chronicals- Judges | - Ezra- Ruth | - Nehemiah- 1 Samuel | - Tobit- 2 Samuel | - Judith- 1 Kings | - Esther- 2 Kings | - 1 Maccabees- 1 Chronicals | - 2 Maccabees

• The Wisdom Literature showed the Israelites how to act as God’s people

• These books include proverbs, poetry and prayers that brought the people closer to God

• The WISDOM BOOKS:

- Job- Psalms- Proverbs- Ecclesiastes- Song of Songs- Wisdom- Sirach

• The Prophetic Books tell about the messages of the prophets

• When people had turned away from God and had fallen into sin, the prophets reminded them of God’s love and of their covenant with Him

• The prophets also spoke of the Savior that was to come

• The PROPHETIC BOOKS:

Major Prophets Minor Prophets- Isaiah - Hosea | - Nahum - Jeremiah - Joel | - Habakkuk- Lamentations - Amos | - Zephaniah- Baruch - Obediah | - Haggai- Ezekial - Jonah | - Zecheriah- Daniel - Micah | - Malachi

• The Dead Sea Scrolls - some of the only surviving Biblical

documents written before 100 AD

- they were discovered in a cave in Qumran in Israel in 1947

- the scrolls include almost every book in Hebrew Scriptures

Israel (Palestine) in the time of Jesus

NAZARETH

JERUSALEM

BETHLEHEM

QUMRAN,Where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found

Cave and opening where the scrolls were found

The scrolls were found in several of these jars

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VJYQYRZITc