Tanakh

The Tanakh, also known as the Hebrew Bible, is the canonical collection of Jewish scriptures. The name Tanakh is an acronym formed from its three traditional subdivisions: Torah, Nevi'im, and Ketuvim.

The Tanakh contains 24 books, written primarily in Hebrew with small passages in Aramaic. It is traditionally divided into three sections: the Torah (the Five Books of Moses: Genesis through Deuteronomy); the Nevi'im (the Prophets, including the Former Prophets—Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings—and the Latter Prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the Twelve Minor Prophets); and the Ketuvim (the Writings, including Psalms, Proverbs, Job, the Five Megillot—Ruth, Esther, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs—, Daniel, Ezra–Nehemiah, and Chronicles).

Historically, the Tanakh reflects a complex process of composition, redaction, and transmission, with scholarly study focusing on textual sources such as the Masoretic Text, Dead Sea Scrolls, and Septuagint. It was canonized by Jewish communities by the end of the first millennium CE. It forms the theological and historical foundation of Judaism, shaping law, ethics, liturgy, and Jewish identity. It is commonly read in synagogue services and studied in rabbinic literature and modern scholarship.

In Christianity, parts of the Tanakh are known as the Old Testament, though Christian canons differ in order and inclusion. The Tanakh remains the primary sacred text for Jews and has had a wide influence on literature, history, and religious thought.