The sacred Jewish scripture, contained in the Bible, is composed of three fundamental sections: the Law (Torah), the Prophets (Nevi’im), and the Writings (Ketuvim):
1. Torah (the Law): The Torah or Pentateuch (five writings) is formed by Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The Torah is formed from four texts from different periods called J, E, D, and P. The J or Yahwist text uses the name YHWH to refer to God (dating back to the 10th century BCE); The E or Elohist text refers to God with the (plural) name Elohim (dating back to the 8th century BCE); The D text forms the basis for the composition of a part of Deuteronomy (622 BCE); and the P text, written by a group of priests, forms the basis of Leviticus and certain parts of other writings.
2. Nevi’im (the Prophets): They are divided into “Former Prophets” and “Later Prophets.” The “Former Prophets” are represented by the historical books: Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Tobit, Judith, Esther, 1 Maccabees, and 2 Maccabees. The “Later Prophets” are represented by the prophetic books that gather the oracles and visions of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Baruch, Ezekiel, Daniel, and the “Twelve” (Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi).
3. Ketuvim (the Writings): They are a varied collection of books from different periods, known as the poetic and wisdom books: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Wisdom, and Sirach (with Lamentations grouped within the prophetic books).
The first complete collection of the Bible is the Greek version called the Septuagint (LXX), finished during the 2nd century BCE. The Septuagint version contains materials (called “Apocrypha”) that will not be included in the biblical canon of the Hebrew Bible. The constitution of the latter was the work of the Masoretes.
Books on Visible Teaching: Orthodox
External Links: Judaism / Tanakh / Torah / Nevi’im / Ketuvim