Knowra Hebrew Bible Hebrew Bible The collection of ancient Jewish scriptures known as the Tanakh, written mostly in Hebrew with portions in Aramaic. Its books overlap substantially with the Christian Old Testament, whose ordering and canon differ.
Torah : The first five books of the Hebrew Bible, traditionally associated with Moses and foundational to Jewish law and teaching. The Torah forms the first and foundational division of the Tanakh.
Documentary Hypothesis : A scholarly theory that the Pentateuch combines several originally distinct written sources. It proposes one influential account of how the Torah’s texts were composed.
Old Testament : The Christian collection of scriptures inherited from Jewish tradition, arranged and delimited differently across Christian communities. It overlaps substantially with the Tanakh but differs in order, canon, and theological framing.
Jewish liturgy : The structured prayers, readings, and rituals that constitute Jewish communal and private worship. Public readings draw especially on the Torah and prophetic books.
Nevi'im : The Prophets, the second major division of the Tanakh, comprising historical narratives and prophetic books. This division follows the Torah and includes both Former and Latter Prophets.
Deuteronomistic History : A scholarly model grouping Deuteronomy through Kings as a history shaped by shared language and theology. It explains editorial patterns across books in the Former Prophets.
Catholic biblical canon : The set of biblical books recognized by the Catholic Church, including works absent from the Jewish Tanakh. Its additional books show how Christian canons can exceed the Hebrew Bible’s contents.
Torah reading : The public reading of passages from the Torah in Jewish worship, commonly following an annual cycle. It gives the first division of the Tanakh a recurring role in communal life.
Ketuvim : The Writings, the third division of the Tanakh, including poetry, wisdom literature, and other books. Its varied books complete the Tanakh’s three-part arrangement.
Book of Isaiah : A prophetic book in the Hebrew Bible, containing material associated with Isaiah and later prophetic voices. Its layers illustrate how prophetic traditions could develop across generations.
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