Question 1

Is the Jewish Bible the same as the Christian Bible?

Accepted Answer

The Jewish Bible is almost exactly the same as what Christians call the Old Testament, except for a few texts that were not canonized by the Jews, such as Bel and the Dragon and Maccabees, for example.

The academic term for the Jewish Bible is “Hebrew Bible” and, for the Christian Bible, “Gospel”.

The Hebrew term for the Hebrew Bible is Tanakh (also spelled Tanach).

When I use the term “Bible” I am always referring to the Hebrew Bible, although I may occasionally use one or another reference from the Gospel to illustrate something.

Question 2

What is the Torah?

Accepted Answer

The Torah is the first collection of the Hebrew Bible and it is also called The Law of Moses or Pentateuch, being comprised of five books: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. Sometimes, though, we use this term to address the whole Hebrew Bible, whose Hebrew name is Tanakh, an acrostic formed with the first Hebrew letters of all three collections: T for Torah (Law), N for Neviyim (Prophets) and Kh for Ketuvim (Writings).

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Is the Jewish Bible the same as the Christian Bible?

What is the Torah?

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