Is the Catholic Old Testament the complete Torah?

Answer 1

No. The Torah is made up of the Five Books of Moses. The complete Jewish Bible is called the 'Tanach'.

The Catholic Old Testament was based on the whole of the Tanach, however, it was thoroughly altered to support the teachings of Catholicism and is not considered a valid translation by Jews.

The Translation of the Torah section to Greek, referred to as the Septuagint, was done in the 3rd century under the direction of King Ptolemy in Alexandria. This translation was completed by 72 rabbis, each translation identical including specific modifications of sections deemed to not be meant for non-Jews to read.

The remaining texts of the Tanach (Nevi'im [Prophets] and K'tuvim [Writings]) were translated over the next few centuries, mainly by unknown translators, and was completed in approximately 132 BCE. This was the start of when many of the alterations were introduced.

Although a percentage of Greek speaking Jews did use the Septuagint translation for a period of time, the majority used the Aramaic translations in addition to the original Hebrew.

Another Answer

The Catholic Old Testament was based on the Greek translation of the Tanach called the Septuagint. This was a translation of the Hebrew Bible requested by the Egyptian Pharaoh, Ptolemy II (309-246 B.C.). It was the most common translation of the Bible used in Palestine at the time of Christ, and is the basis for the Vulgate translation into English. The Torah or Pentatuch comprises the first five books of this Old Testament.