What is the Hebrew bible and why is it important?

Answer 1

Christian Answer:

The Hebrew Bible is the 39 books of the Hebrew Scriptures. Jews divide it into 24 books.

They are important for several reasons.

*They give the history of God's dealings with a variety of people in a variety of situations, giving us insight into WHO God is and how he reacts and interacts with us.

*They provide the creation account and our purpose on earth

*They provide insight into the reasons for mankind's suffering and the many problems that now exist.

*They relate prophecies on many issues that find fulfillment in the Greek (Christian) scriptures, primarily laying the groundwork for the coming of the Messiah.(2 Peter 1:20&21) The coming of Jesus as the Messiah fulfilled the law of Moses and all the prophecies concerning him. Without the Hebrew scriptures, Jesus' arrival would make no sense.

*They also contain prophecies about our future and the future of the earth. Jesus quoted from Psalms 37:11 & 29 and many other Hebrew scriptures.

The Bible says that 'ALL scripture is inspired of God and beneficial for teaching, for reproving, for setting things straight, for disciplining in righteousness, that the man of God may be fully competent, completely equipped for every good work'. (2 Timothy 3:16)

ALL SCRIPTURE includes both the Hebrew and Greek scriptures, all inspired of God and all recorded for OUR benefit.(Romans 15:4)

Jewish Answer:

The Hebrew Bible is a term used to describe the holy books of Judaism. These are divided into three parts: The Torah (תורה), the Prophets (נביאים), and the Holy Writings (כתובים). It is these 24 books that form the core of Jewish faith, tradition, custom, and law. They are also the basis of the entire Talmud and virtually all Jewish commentaries written throughout history.

Here is a list of all 24 books of the Hebrew Bible:

1. (בְּרֵאשִׁית / Bərē'shît) - Genesis2. (שמות / Shemot) - Exodus3. (ויקרא / Vayikra) - Leviticus4. (במדבר / Bəmidbar) - Numbers5. (דְּבָרִים / Dəvārîm) - Deuteronomy6. (יְהוֹשֻעַ / Yĕhôshúa') - Joshua7. (שופטים / Shoftim) - Judges8. (שְׁמוּאֵל / Shmû'ēl) - Samuel9. (מלכים / M'lakhim) - Kings10. (יְשַׁעְיָהוּ / Yĕsha'ăyāhû) - Isaiah11. (יִרְמְיָהוּ / Yirmĕyāhû) - Jeremiah12. (יְחֶזְקֵאל / Yĕhezqēl) - Ezekiel13. The Twelve Prophets (תרי עשר)14. (תהלים / Tehillim) - Psalms

15. (משלי / Mishlei) - Proverbs

16. (אִיּוֹב / Iyyōv) - Job17. (שִׁיר הַשׁשִׁירִים/ Shīr Hashīrīm) - Song of Songs

18. (רוּת / Rūt) - Ruth

19. (איכה / Eikhah) - Lamentations

20. (קֹהְלְת / Qōhelet) - Ecclesiastes

21. (אֶסְתֵר / Estēr) - Esther22. (דָּנִיֵּאל / Dānī'ēl) - Daniel

23. (עזרא ונחמיה / Ezra v'Nehemia) - Ezra-Nehemiah

24. (דברי הימים / Divrei Hayamim) - Chronicles

Answer 2

OpinionUp until perhaps two centuries ago, the Bible was thought to have been a literal history of Israel and Judah. Historians sought to harmonise what they knew of other Near Eastern civilisations with the stories in the Bible.

Some modern historians now accept that the Bible is not always a literally true history of Israel and Judah, but merely one of the sources they can use in order to establish what really happened. Many historians would now use the Bible as a reference for the period of the Divided Monarchies of Israel and Judah, and of the Babylonian Exile and later periods, but look for confirmation by independent sources.

Answer 3

AnswerScholars say that the first books of the Bible were compiled some time after the destruction, in 722 BCE, of the northern Hebrew Kingdom of Israel. The Hebrew scriptures continued to be written, through the period of the Babylonian Exile and up to the time of the Maccabees. The Council of Jamnia, which appeared to have taken place around 90 CE, is believed to have finally defined which scriptures would form what we now know as the Hebrew Bible. In other words, neither the Hebrew scriptures nor the Bible itself existed at the time of the Hebrews of Ancient Israel.

Thus the Hebrew Bible had no siginficance for the ancient Israelites. In fact, the Bible itself says that the northern kingdom of Israel was at all times polytheistic. The Hebrew scriptures did, however, have major significance for the people of the southern kingdom of Judah during the late monarchy. After the desctruction of Israel, large numbers of refugees fled south into Judah, almost overwhelming the local population. The kings of Judah sought to develop the Judahite religion to be more inclusive, so as to maintain national unity, and monotheism and the early Hebrew scriptures were a consequence of those efforts.

The kings ceased to rule over the Jews after their defeat by Babylon, and the nation became a theocracy. The Hebrew Bible was significant is establishing and maintaining control by the priesthood.

Answer 4

To the world:

Monotheism, the Ten Commandments, the Torah and the Prophets.
The laws of Moses form much of Western legal background.
Quote:
"I will insist that the Hebrews have done more to civilize men than any other nation ... fate had ordained the Jews to be the most essential instrument for civilizing the nations" (John Adams, 2nd President of the United States).
"Certainly, the world without the Jews would have been a radically different place. Humanity might have eventually stumbled upon all the Jewish insights, but we cannot be sure. All the great conceptual discoveries of the human intellect seem obvious and inescapable once they had been revealed, but it requires a special genius to formulate them for the first time. The Jews had this gift. To them we owe the idea of equality before the law, both Divine and human; of the sanctity of life and the dignity of the human person; of the individual conscience and of the collective conscience and social responsibility" (Paul Johnson, Christian historian, author of A History of the Jews and A History of Christianity).

To Jews:

The Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) is important because it tells the history of the ancient Israelites, as well as giving us the teachings of such prophets as Moses, Isaiah and Jeremiah, the stories of kings like David and Saul, and the ethics and beliefs of the Jewish religion.

Our tradition is that the Hebrew Bible is from God (Exodus 24:12), given to us to provide knowledge, guidance, inspiration, awe and reverence, advice, law, comfort, history and more. It is the basis of Judaism. It crystallized, strengthened and codified our beliefs; insured our awareness and knowledge of our identity and history; and provided powerful impetus to be ethical.

It made us stand in awe of God, while also providing optimism and comfort through the prophecies of redemption. It inspired us to strive for holiness and informed us how to pray and to approach God's presence.

And it set detailed laws, practices and traditions for us forever.

Answer 5

The Hebrew Bible taught the ways of God and what He expects of us. It is important because it tells the history of the ancient Israelites, as well as giving us the teachings of such prophets as Moses, Isaiah and Jeremiah, the stories of kings like David and Saul, and the ethics and beliefs of the Jewish religion.
Our tradition is that the Hebrew Bible is from God (Exodus 24:12), given to us to provide knowledge, guidance, inspiration, awe and reverence, advice, law, comfort, history and more.

See also the Related Links.

Link: Israelite prophecy

Link: How has the Hebrew Bible influenced Western society?

Link: What is the history of the Hebrew Bible?