Why are the books of the Torah also found in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible?

Answer 1

Answer 1

The concise answer would be that they don't. Followers of Islam have the Qur'an as their holy book, Christianity has the Bible. The Qur'an is based on the sayings and writings of the prophet Mohammed. The Bible is based on the sayings and writings of forty individual authors

Perhaps your question is 'Why do Judaism and Christianity share the Books of the Old Testament?'. Which would be closer to a valid question, since the Hebrew Bible contains almost identical content to the modern-day Christian Old Testament canon.

The reason for this is that Christianity grew as an 'expansion' from Judaism; the teachings of Jesus Christ compose the key message of the New Testament; and all of its authors wrote in the conviction that Jesus was the long-awaited 'Messiah'. Judaism does not believe that Jesus was the Messiah, and thus refutes the New Testament message - hence refraining to canonize the New Testament in the Hebrew Bible

To answer your question, Christians believe both Old and New Testament are true. Jews believe only the Old Testament is so - thus the division in canon between the two faiths.

Answer 2

The above is incorrect as concerns the relevance of the Old Testament to Islam. While it is true that many Muslims have not read the Bible and do not treasure it in the same way as Jews and Christians, the Old Testament is of importance in Islam since the Hebrew lineage of Prophets are Prophets of Islam insofar as the preach the Oneness of God and Subservience to His Will. The Old Testament, in the Islamic view is a corrupted earthly remnant of the Original Old Testament which exists in Heaven in an untarnished form. Islam holds that reading the Old Testament in light of the Qur'an's reversions to the Original Testament, a Muslim can properly understand a very important part of God's Will.

Answer 2

Christianity can be seen as a "branch off" of Judaism; Jesus, his family and his initial followers were all Jewish and had knowledge of Jewish scriptures.

After Jesus' death, his followers separated from Judaism and added their own scriptures, commonly called the New Testament.

Answer:

Jews and Christians only share what we call the "Old Testament."

Yet, it was that testament from which Jesus, the disciples and Paul taught. There was no "New Testament."

Of these "Jewish" scriptures from which they preached Christ, Jesus once told the Jews, "You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about Me, yet you refuse to come to Me to have life." (John 5:39-40 NIV)

And of these "Jewish" scriptures from which they preached Christ, Jesus told His disciples in private: "...Everything must be fulfilled that is written ABOUT ME in the Law of Moses , the Prophets and in the Psalms (the three main divisions of the Old Testament). Then He opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures." (Luke 24: 44-45 NIV)

That is... the Old Testament.

Before Jesus came in the flesh, the Old Testament was "sealed" and difficult to understand. Even Daniel the Jewish prophet wrote that he didn't understand what he was inspired to write - (Dan.12:8-10). Nor is it generally understood today, unless Christ is at the foundation of one's understanding, as Luke's passage above attests.

The Apostles of Jesus had no idea they would later write canon that would actually find their way into the Scriptures from which they taught Christ, and which found their way to our fingertips today. For all they were concerned, Christ's churches merely needed inspired understanding and instruction in how to follow Christ... and the Old Scriptures.

Jesus brought "spiritual enlightenment" to the scriptures with which the Jews disagree as to their interpretation. And His Apostles "completed the Scriptures and the testimony of God" with their inspired writings, which the Jews do not share with Christians.

Yet, within the "Jewish" texts the New Testament is the fulfillment of a prophecy found in Isaiah's inspired writings:

"...Bind up the testimony and seal up the law AMONG MY DISCIPLES. I will wait for the LORD, who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob..." (Isa.8:16-17 NIV).

Answer 3

The Christian New Testament is loaded with references to the Jewish scriptures, to the extent that significant passages make no sense out of the context of those scriptures. So, back in the day when the various church councils decided what was and was holy text, they decided that they had to include all of the texts that were considered holy by Jesus, his disciples, and the authors of the Christian books that they canonized. The Torah, the first 5 books of the Jewish bible, are essential because Jesus quoted it so frequently.