BIBLE HISTORY SURVEY 6 | BOOKS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

1. What is the Bible?

a) The Bible is the sacred Book, or collection of books, accepted by the Christian Church as uniquely inspired by God, and thus authoritative, providing guidelines for belief and behavior.

b) Many verses throughout the Bible attest to its divine origin (Genesis 6:9-13, Exodus 20:1-17, 2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 1:20-21, Revelation 1:1-2, etc.) 

c) But the Bible was not simply dictated word-for-word by God; it is also the work of its many different human authors. The different writing skills, writing styles, personalities, world views, and cultural backgrounds of the human authors can be seen in their works. 

d) Many of the New Testament books were originally written as letters rather than as Scripture. Some Bible writings include the authors' own research and recollection of historical events (Luke 1:1-4) and their own opinions (1 Corinthians 7:12).

2. Books of the Old Testament

The Pentateuch   Genesis   Exodus   Leviticus   Numbers   Deuteronomy	The first five Old Testament books are known as the books of the Law, or the Pentateuch or the Torah. The first 11 chapters of Genesis tell about God. Unlike the pagans of the ancient world, the Hebrew people (later known as Israelites or Jews) believed in only one true God. Through the stories of Creation, The Great Flood and The Tower of Babel we see that God created everything, and He loves and actively sustains all His creation. The remainder of Genesis tells the history of the patriarchs. The Jews trace their ancestry to a man named Abraham through his son Isaac and grandson Jacob. The Muslim Arabs also trace their ancestry to Abraham, through his son Ishmael. Exodus and Numbers tell the story of Moses, who led the Hebrews out of captivity in Egypt around 1300 B.C. They wandered for forty years in the desert before arriving at their Promised Land. During the time in the desert, God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses. Leviticus and Deuteronomy discuss the relationship between God and His chosen people, the Hebrews. They also give details of the Law that regulated almost every aspect of Hebrew life. Moses is traditionally considered to be the author of the Pentateuch, but as with many other books of the Bible, the author and date written are not known for certain.
The Historical Books   Joshua   Judges   Ruth   1st Samuel   2nd Samuel   1st Kings   2nd Kings   1st Chronicles   2nd Chronicles   Ezra   Nehemiah   Tobit*   Judith*   Esther   1st Maccabees*   2nd Maccabees*	The remainder of the Old Testament books are divided by the Jews into categories of prophets and writings. However, Christians organize it differently into sections of historical books, wisdom books, and books of prophecy. The historical books tell the history of Israel from the time of Moses until several hundred years before the time of Jesus. After 40 years in the desert, the Hebrews conquered their Promised Land of Canaan. For a time, the tribes of Israel were ruled by a series of judges. Then, in the eleventh century B.C., came the monarchy with Kings Saul, David, Solomon and several other kings. Israel suffered a number of military defeats. Jerusalem was destroyed in 586 B.C. and many captives were taken away to Babylon. Eventually, the people were allowed to return and rebuild Jerusalem and their civilization.
The Wisdom Books   Job   Psalms   Proverbs   Ecclesiastes   Song of Solomon   Wisdom*   Sirach (Ecclesiasticus)*	Psalms, Proverbs, Wisdom and Sirach contain many sayings of practical wisdom to help live a happy, successful and holy life. Job and Ecclesiastes deal with the weightier issues of the meaning of life, the existence of evil and our relationship to God. Song of Solomon is a love song glorifying romantic love between a man and woman, although it is sometimes interpreted allegorically as a story about the love of God for Israel or the Church.
The Books of Prophecy   Isaiah   Jeremiah   Lamentations   Baruch*   Ezekiel   Daniel   Hosea   Joel   Amos   Obadiah   Jonah   Micah   Nahum   Habakkuk   Zephaniah   Haggai   Zechariah   Malachi	Prophecy means speaking the mind of God. Some prophecies predict the future. Others are special messages of instruction or warning from God. The prophets were called by God to give these predictions, messages and warnings to kings, other leaders and the people. Except for Lamentations and Baruch, Each of these books is named for one of the well-known Hebrew prophets, but there were many minor prophets also.

* Included in Roman Catholic and Orthodox Bibles but not in most Protestant editions.