Does the Jews only believe in the Torah or all the 39 books in the old testament?
Here’s a clear explanation about what Jews consider sacred scripture and how it relates to the Old Testament:
⭐ 1. Torah — The Core of Jewish Scripture
-
The Torah is the first 5 books of Moses:
- Genesis
- Exodus
- Leviticus
- Numbers
- Deuteronomy
-
These books are considered the most authoritative, the law of God, and the foundation of Jewish life, worship, and law.
-
In Judaism, the Torah is also called the Pentateuch.
⭐ 2. Nevi’im — The Prophets
After the Torah, Jewish tradition recognizes the Prophets (Nevi’im):
- Joshua
- Judges
- Samuel (1 & 2)
- Kings (1 & 2)
- Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the 12 minor prophets
These books are considered holy writings inspired by God, but they are not equal to the Torah in authority.
They are called Nevi’im (“prophets”) and contain historical narratives and moral/spiritual lessons.
⭐ 3. Ketuvim — The Writings
The third section is Ketuvim (“Writings”), which includes:
- Psalms
- Proverbs
- Job
- Song of Songs
- Ruth, Esther, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Daniel, Ezra-Nehemiah, Chronicles
These are considered holy and authoritative, but in some traditions their canonical status was debated longer than Torah and Nevi’im.
⭐ 4. Together, they make the Tanakh
-
Tanakh = Torah + Nevi’im + Ketuvim
-
The Tanakh is essentially the Jewish Old Testament, but divided differently:
- 24 books in Jewish counting (compared to 39 in the Protestant Old Testament)
-
Example of differences:
- 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles are counted as single books
- The minor prophets are combined as one book
So the content is largely the same, just the division and counting differ.
⭐ 5. Summary
- Jews do not only believe in the Torah, but the Torah is the most authoritative.
- Jews also respect the Prophets and Writings, collectively called the Tanakh.
- The Protestant Old Testament has the same material, but divided into 39 books instead of 24.
- The Catholic and Orthodox Old Testaments include additional books (Apocrypha/Deuterocanonical) which Judaism does not recognize.
✅ Quick Reference
| Section | Jewish Name | Books | Authority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Law | Torah | Genesis–Deuteronomy (5) | Highest |
| Prophets | Nevi’im | Joshua–Malachi (8+12) | Holy, secondary |
| Writings | Ketuvim | Psalms–Chronicles (11) | Holy, tertiary |
If you want, I can also explain:
- Why Jews rejected certain other writings that Christians included in the Old Testament
- How the Jewish canon was finalized
- How Jesus and the apostles used the Tanakh
Do you want me to explain that next?
Here’s a clear explanation of why Jews rejected some writings, how the Jewish canon was finalized, and how Jesus and the apostles used the Tanakh:
⭐ 1. Why some writings were rejected by Jews
After the Babylonian exile and into the Second Temple period, there were many religious writings circulating, such as:
- Books like Enoch, Jubilees, Tobit, Judith, Wisdom of Solomon
- Historical accounts, prayers, and apocalyptic visions
Why some were rejected:
-
Not universally recognized:
- Only writings that were widely accepted by the Jewish community were included in the canon.
- Some books were only popular in certain regions or sects (e.g., Essenes at Qumran).
-
Contradicted Torah or Prophets:
- Any book that contradicted the Torah, the Prophets, or the moral teachings of Judaism was rejected.
-
Authorship issues:
- Books claiming to be written by a prophet or patriarch but clearly not were not accepted.
- Example: The Book of Enoch claimed Enoch wrote it, but scholars (even Jewish) recognized it as pseudepigraphal.
-
Not inspired in the rabbinic sense:
- Jews defined canon as writings divinely inspired, authoritative, and guiding for all generations.
- Many extra writings were devotional, symbolic, or allegorical, but not law or prophecy.
⭐ 2. How the Jewish canon was finalized
- By around 200 B.C. – 100 A.D., Jewish scholars and rabbis largely agreed on the Tanakh (Torah, Prophets, Writings).
- Some key councils/decisions:
-
Ezra and the Great Assembly (5th century B.C.)
- Collected and edited Torah and early prophetic books.
-
Rabbinic tradition during 2nd Temple and after 70 A.D.
- Fixed the canon of 24 books (later called Tanakh).
- Ensured uniformity of scripture for Jewish teaching and synagogue reading.
-
Rabbinic rationale after Temple destruction (70 A.D.)
- Strong emphasis on Torah and Prophets as authoritative.
- Limited the canon to prevent confusion and false messianic claims.
So the Jewish canon was officially fixed before 100 A.D., long before most Christian Old Testament traditions were formalized.
⭐ 3. How Jesus and the apostles used the Tanakh
-
Jesus cited Torah, Prophets, and Writings
- Matthew 5:17–18 → Jesus emphasizes the law (Torah)
- Luke 24:27 → Jesus explained all Scriptures (Torah + Prophets + Writings) as pointing to Him
- Isaiah, Psalms, and the Prophets were regularly quoted
-
Apostles used the Tanakh as authoritative Scripture
- Romans 1:2 → Paul says the gospel was promised “through the prophets”
- Acts 17:2 → Paul reasons from Scriptures (Tanakh) in synagogues
- Peter, Stephen, and others used it to teach about Jesus as Messiah
-
They did not cite Apocrypha or extra-Jewish books
- No New Testament writer ever treats books like 1 Enoch or Wisdom of Solomon as authoritative
- Their authority was limited to the Tanakh recognized by Jews
⭐ 4. Key point
- Jewish canon = 24 books (Tanakh)
- Extra books (Apocrypha, pseudepigrapha) = not recognized
- Jesus and apostles treated Tanakh as fully authoritative, using it to teach fulfillment of prophecy.
- This is why Christian Old Testament uses same material as Tanakh, just arranged differently (39 books Protestant, 46 Catholic, 51 Orthodox).
✅ Summary
- Jews rejected certain writings because they were not universally accepted, not divinely inspired, or contradicted Torah/Prophets.
- The Jewish canon (Tanakh) was finalized before 100 A.D..
- Jesus and the apostles relied entirely on the Tanakh for teaching, prophecy, and fulfillment.
- Extra books used in Christian tradition (Apocrypha) were never considered authoritative by Jews.
If you want, I can make a timeline showing: Jewish canon finalized, destruction of Temple, Jesus’ ministry, and early Christian use of Scripture — it really helps visualize why the Jews don’t recognize Jesus as Messiah.
Do you want me to do that?
No comments:
Post a Comment