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.
Jewish apocalyptic literature:
From the 3rd century BCE onward, Jewish religion became enriched with numerous apocalyptic texts that describe both ascensions to heaven (such as the Enoch cycle) and the coming of a new eon (such as 4 Esdras and 2 Baruch), or a combination of celestial ascent (vertical) and eschatological prophecy (horizontal).
Jewish apocalyptic literature is generally extra-biblical, with the exception of the book of Daniel. “Apocalypse” means “revelation.” These are indeed accounts of revelations obtained in various ways, the most important of which are: the journey to the afterlife, the vision, the dialogue, and the “celestial book.”
Apocalypses have a historical dimension, “horizontal,” concerning the end of times, and a visionary dimension, “vertical,” concerning the structure of the universe and the dwelling place of God. Among the oldest Jewish apocalyptic writings are:
- 1 Enoch, whose only complete version is the Ethiopian one.
- Book of Jubilees (2nd century BCE), influenced by 1 Enoch.
- Book of Daniel, consisting of several narratives within a common narrative framework in the 2nd century BCE.
- Sibylline Oracles, which gather Jewish and Christian compositions from different periods.
- Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs (2nd century BCE).
- Life of Adam and Eve.
- Apocalypse of Abraham.
- 2 Enoch, or Slavonic Enoch.
- 4 Esdras.
- 2 Baruch, or Syriac Baruch.
- 3 Enoch, or Hebrew Enoch, a book written during the second half of the 3rd century CE.
Jewish mysticism:
Towards the end of the 1st century CE, two types of Jewish mysticism emerged: one characterized by speculations about the book of Genesis (ma’aseh bereshit), and the other (ma’aseh merkavah or “work of the chariot”) relies on the description of the heavenly chariot (merkavah) that carries the throne of God in the vision of the prophet Ezekiel.
The mysticism of the Throne or Chariot (merkavah) in the vision of the prophet Ezekiel represents a particular genre of visionary literature; its earliest constitutive elements already appear around the 2nd century BCE. Generally, the merkavah is contemplated at the end of a journey through seven palaces (hekhalot) inhabited by celestial beings. It is precisely here that we sometimes find the famous angel Metatron, who is none other than the biblical character Enoch (Gen 5:18-24) elevated to the rank of an angel.
The literature related to ma’aseh merkavah can be found in:
- Book of Ezekiel: Chapters 1, 2, 3, and 8.
- Book of Isaiah: Chapter 6.
- 2 Kings: Chapter 2, in relation to the ascension of Elijah.
- Apocalyptic literature, also called hekhalotic literature.
Mysticism of the Kabbalah:
The Kabbalah is a form of Jewish mysticism whose roots can be traced, on the one hand, to grammatical and numerological speculations that led to the Sefer Yetzirah or “Book of Creation or Formation” (4th century CE?), and on the other hand, to the so-called hekhalotic literature (referring to the celestial palaces: hekhalot). Two formulas can be distinguished in Kabbalah: a “theosophic-theurgic” formula and an “ecstatic” formula, whose goal is mystical union (devekut) with God.
The classical written sources of Kabbalah are:
- Sefer Yetzirah (Book of Creation or Formation).
- Zohar (Book of Splendor), which consists of: The Book of Hidden Mystery, The Great Holy Assembly, and The Lesser Holy Assembly.
- Beth Elohim (House of God).
- Sefer Sephirot (Book of Emanations).
- Aesch Mezareph (Purifying Fire).
Books on the Written Law or Tradition
External Links: Judaism / Tanakh / Torah / Nevi’im / Ketuvim / Jewish apocalyptic literature / Jewish mysticism / Mysticism of kabbalah