Introducing the Hebrew Bible

Canon, Literature, Text, and Translation

Introduction to Hebrew Bible 2

Toward A Working Definition of the Hebrew Bible

• The Hebrew HB is an ancient collection of diverse and complex texts reflecting interdependent expressions of the life, thought, and witness of ancient Israel and primitive Judaism that is regarded by Jewish and Christian religious traditions as possessing special sanctity and authority.

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Introduction to Hebrew Bible 3

Antiquity of Hebrew Bible Text

• The text of the Hebrew Bible is more than 2000 years old.• The Hebrew Bible is the

product of a remote Ancient Near Eastern milieu.

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Introduction to Hebrew Bible 4

Understanding the Hebrew Bible as an Anthology

• The Hebrew Bible is a collection of documents from different sources.• The genres of the Hebrew Bible are

manifold.• The interrelationship of documents

that compose the Hebrew Bible is a literary complex.

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Introduction to Hebrew Bible 5

Contents of the Hebrew Bible

• The contents of the Hebrew Bible represent the life, thought and witness of ancient Israel and primitive Judaism.• Despite the composite nature

of the Hebrew Bible, the unification and organization of its content suggests an interdependence of expression.

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Introduction to Hebrew Bible 6

The Sacredness of the Hebrew Bible

• Despite the difference in content organization, Judaism and Christianity regard the Hebrew Bible as scripture.• The Hebrew Bible is divinely inspired.• The Hebrew Bible is a rule by which these

religious traditions measure themselves.• The Hebrew Bible is a norm by which

these religious traditions govern themselves.

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