The Bible
AN OVERVIEW
Biblia, a Greek word meaning “little books”
 Old Testament
 New Testament
written by and for the
Jewish community of faith
between the 12th and 2nd
centuries BCE.
27 documents produced by
the early Christian
movement between about
50 and 150 CE
Written in Hebrew,
therefore most scholars
call it the Hebrew Bible.
BCE and CE
“Before Common Era” and “Common Era”
These references are religiously neutral; previously the
terms BC (before Christ) or AD (anno domini, Latin for
in the year of the Lord) were used
The Bible
 a diverse anthology of documents composed over a
period of 1,100 years
 Its general theme is God’s unfolding purpose for the
humans he created “in him image and likeness”
 The making of covenants function as God’s means of
relating to humanity
 Each major section opens or closes with a statement
about God’s repeated promises to give Israel a
national homeland
The world’s three major monotheistic
faiths: Judaism, Christianity, Islam
Monotheism:
the belief in a single God
Polytheism:
the belief in more than one
god
Why Study the Bible from a historical
perspective?
“Because Western society, to an incalculable extent,
is shaped by ancient Judeo-Christian religious
traditions preserved in the Bible, a knowledge of
the historical, social, and religious forces that
prompted biblical authors to express their
particular views helps us to understand better our
own way of life.”
“Israel”
 The name “Israel” has multiple meanings
 Most often refers to the ancient Near Eastern people
with whom God entered into a special partnership
 Or: the 12 tribe union under Kings Saul, David, and
Solomon (1020-922 BCE)
 Or: the 10 northern tribes separated from Judah
after Solomon
Yahweh
 The sacred name of Israel’s God, referred to almost
7,000 in the classical Hebrew translation
 It is derived from the verb “to be”, meaning “he is” or
“he causes to be”
Tanakh
 an acronym based on the first letter of each of its
three major divisions—



Torah (divine instruction)
Nevi’im (Prophets)
Kethuvim (Writings)
 Tanakh, was written in the Hebrew language. It
explores the relationship between God and Israel, his
chosen people, with whom he extends a series of
covenants (pacts or agreements)
Torah (“teaching or instruction”)
 Genesis
 Exodus
 Leviticus
 Numbers
 Deuteronomy
Nevi’im
 The first part relates the historical experience of
Israel from its conquest of Canaan to the destruction
of its capital, Jerusalem by the Kingdom of Babylon

Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings; and Isaiah,
Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the “Scroll of the Twelve”= Amos,
Hosea, Micah, Joel, etc.
 The second part consists of pronouncements by
oracles or prophets, said to be divinely inspired.
Moses
 Main character in Exodus through Deuteronomy
 These parts of the Torah often called “Mosaic Law”
Kethuvim
The most diverse kinds of writing in the Bible.
Psalms, Job, Proverbs (Wisdom books), Festival
scrolls- Ruth, Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes,
Lamentations, Esther; Daniel; Ezra-Nathaniel, 1 and 2
Chronicles