Often people ask, “What is the Hebrew Bible?”
You would think that the term Hebrew Bible would be easy to define. It’s just the part of the Bible which is in Hebrew, right?
However, the term is actually quite complicated. And, unfortunately, when you begin to get into the details of what it might actually mean, the term Hebrew Bible makes no sense at all.
The simple answer to the question “What is the Hebrew Bible?”
The term “Hebrew Bible” refers to a collection of texts written in Biblical Hebrew that Christians call the Old Testament and Jews call the Tanakh.
If you don’t want to have to deal with the complications that arise when taking into account textual histories as well as the religious traditions involved in keeping and transmitting these texts down to the present day, then stop reading here. Otherwise, proceed.
A more complicated answer to the question “What is the Hebrew Bible?”
The term “Hebrew Bible” basically refers a collection of texts written in Biblical Hebrew that Christians call the Old Testament and Jews call the Tanakh.
However, there are a few problems with this statement:
- A few sections of the Hebrew Bible aren’t actually written in Biblical Hebrew, but Biblical Aramaic.
- Different Christian denominations have different understandings of which books are a part of the Old Testament. Some Christian denominations have “extra” books. These books are given a different status (i.e., some denominations consider them apocryphal). Other Christian denominations do not.
- Some of the oldest translations of books found within Hebrew Bible into Greek (the Septuagint) include books that are NOT part of the Tanakh, but are considered part of the Apocrypha.
- Even in the case where two different religious groups can actually agree upon which books are a part of the Hebrew Bible (such as Judaism and Protestantism), the order of the books is very different.
Perhaps the best that can be said is that the term “Hebrew Bible” is a modern term created by scholars and people sensitive to interreligious dialogue that basically refers to the texts written (mostly) in Biblical Hebrew that are considered sacred for Judaism and Christianity.
Because the term “Hebrew Bible” does not come from any particular religious movement or community, the term itself is not so politically charged. Other terms such as “Old Testament,” for example, have a much more complicated history.
As you can see, the term “Hebrew Bible” is obviously not precise or perfect. But in the interests of religious sensitivity, and in the absence of other alternatives, the term “Hebrew Bible” is the best we’ve got.