Historical criticismBranch of literary criticism that investigates the origins of ancient text Part of a series on theBible Canons and books Tanakh Torah Nevi'im Ketuvim Old Testament (OT) New Testament (NT) Deuterocanon Antilegomena Chapters and verses Apocrypha Jewish OT NT Authorship and development Authorship Dating Hebrew canon Old Testament canon New Testament canon Composition of the Torah Mosaic authorship Pauline epistles Petrine epistles Johannine works Translations and manuscripts Dead Sea Scrolls Masoretic Text Samaritan Pentateuch Targumim Septuagint Peshitta Vetus Latina Vulgate Gothic Bible Luther Bible English Bibles by language Biblical studies Archeology Artifacts Dating Historicity Internal consistency People Places Names Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia Rahlfs' Septuagint Novum Testamentum Graece Documentary hypothesis Synoptic problem NT textual categories Biblical criticism Historical Textual Source Form Redaction Canonical Interpretation Hermeneutics Pesher Midrash Pardes Allegorical interpretation Historical-grammatical method Inspiration Literalism Alcohol Conspiracy theory Ethics Capital punishment Homosexuality Humor Incest Muhammad Prophecy Rape Serpents Sex Slavery Violence Warfare Women Perspectives Gnostic Islamic Quranic Inerrancy Infallibility Criticism of the Bible Biblical authority Outline of Bible-related topics Bible portalvte Historical criticism (also known as the historical-critical method (HCM) or higher criticism, in contrast to lower criticism or textual criticism) is a branch of criticism that investigates the origins of ancient texts to understand "the world behind the text" and emphasizes a process that "delays any assessment of scripture's truth and relevance until after the act of interpretation has been carried out".
Old TestamentFirst division of the Christian Bible Old TestamentPart of the BibleInformationReligionChristianityBooks46 (Catholic), up to 49 (Orthodox), 39 (Protestant)It overlaps with the Hebrew Bible and the Septuagint Part of a series on theBible Canons and books Tanakh Torah Nevi'im Ketuvim Old Testament (OT) New Testament (NT) Deuterocanon Antilegomena Chapters and verses Apocrypha Jewish OT NT Authorship and development Authorship Dating Hebrew canon Old Testament canon New Testament canon Composition of the Torah Mosaic authorship Pauline epistles Petrine epistles Johannine works Translations and manuscripts Dead Sea Scrolls Masoretic Text Samaritan Pentateuch Targumim Septuagint Peshitta Vetus Latina Vulgate Gothic Bible Luther Bible English Bibles by language Biblical studies Archeology Artifacts Dating Historicity Internal consistency People Places Names Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia Rahlfs' Septuagint Novum Testamentum Graece Documentary hypothesis Synoptic problem NT textual categories Biblical criticism Historical Textual Source Form Redaction Canonical Interpretation Hermeneutics Pesher Midrash Pardes Allegorical interpretation Historical-grammatical method Inspiration Literalism Alcohol Conspiracy theory Ethics Capital punishment Homosexuality Humor Incest Muhammad Prophecy Rape Serpents Sex Slavery Violence Warfare Women Perspectives Gnostic Islamic Quranic Inerrancy Infallibility Criticism of the Bible Biblical authority Outline of Bible-related topics Bible portalvte Part of a series onChristianity Christians JesusChrist Nativity Baptism Ministry Crucifixion Resurrection Ascension BibleFoundations Old Testament New Testament Gospel Canon Church Prophets Creed New Covenant Theology God Trinity Father Son Holy Spirit Apologetics Baptism Christology History of theology Salvation Stewardship Universalism HistoryTradition Apostles Peter Paul Mary Early Christianity Church Fathers Constantine Councils Augustine Three Holy Hierarchs East–West Schism Crusades Aquinas Reformation Luther Denominations(list) Western Latin-rite Catholic Independent Catholic Protestant Anabaptist Anglican Baptist Evangelical Lutheran Methodist Moravian Pentecostal Plymouth Brethren Quaker Reformed Unitarian Waldensian Western Orthodox Eastern Eastern Orthodox Oriental Orthodox East Syriac Eastern Catholic Eastern Protestant Restorationist Adventist Irvingite Jehovah's Witness Latter Day Saint Swedenborgian Related topics Art Adherents Criticism Culture Ecumenism Liturgy Mission Other religions Persecution Prayer Sermon Symbolism Western society Worship Sabbath in Christianity Gregorian calendar Glossary Index Outline Christianity portalvte The Old Testament (OT) is the first division of the Christian Bible.
Hebrew BibleCore group of ancient Hebrew scriptures Hebrew Bibleתָּנָ״ךְ TanakhHebrew Bible (Tanakh) in the collection of the Jewish Museum of Switzerland, printed in Israel in 1962InformationReligionJudaismLanguage Biblical Hebrew (almost all) Biblical Aramaic (Daniel 2:4b–7:28, Ezra 4:8–6:18 and 7:12–26, and Jeremiah 10:11) Period8th/7th centuries BCE – 2nd/1st centuries BCEBooks24Hebrew Bible at Hebrew Wikisource Tanakh (Judaism) Torah (Instruction)GenesisBereshitExodusShemotLeviticusWayiqraNumbersBemidbarDeuteronomyDevarim Nevi'im (Prophets) Former JoshuaYehoshuaJudgesShofetimSamuelShemuelKingsMelakhim Latter IsaiahYeshayahuJeremiahYirmeyahuEzekielYekhezqel Minor Hosea Joel Amos Obadiah Jonah Micah Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi Ketuvim (Writings) Poetic PsalmsTehillimProverbsMishleiJobIyov Five Megillot (Scrolls) Song of SongsShir HashirimRuthRutLamentationsEikhahEcclesiastesQoheletEstherEster Historical DanielDaniyyelEzra–NehemiahEzraChroniclesDivre Hayyamim Old Testament (Christianity) Pentateuch Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy Historical Joshua Judges Ruth 1–2 Samuel 1–2 Kings 1–2 Chronicles Ezra Nehemiah Esther Poetic Job Psalms Proverbs Ecclesiastes Song of Songs Prophetic Major prophets Isaiah Jeremiah Lamentations Ezekiel Daniel Minor prophets Hosea Joel Amos Obadiah Jonah Micah Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi Deuterocanonical Tobit Judith Additions to Esther 1 Maccabees 2 Maccabees Wisdom of Solomon Sirach Baruch / Letter of Jeremiah Additions to Daniel Orthodox only 1 Esdras 2 Esdras Prayer of Manasseh Psalm 151 3 Maccabees Orthodox Tewahedo Enoch Jubilees 1, 2, and 3 Meqabyan Paralipomena of Baruch Broader canon Bible portalvte The Hebrew Bible, Jewish Bible, or Tanakh (US: /tɑːˈnɑːx/, UK: /tæˈnæx/ or /təˈnæx/; Hebrew: תַּנַ״ךְ, romanized: tanaḵ; תָּנָ״ךְ, tānāḵ; or תְּנַ״ךְ, tənaḵ), also known in Hebrew as Miqra (/miːˈkrɑː/; מִקְרָא, miqrāʾ), is the canonical collection of Hebrew scriptures, comprising the Torah (lit.
Academic disciplineAn academic discipline or academic field is a subdivision of knowledge that is taught and researched at the college or university level. Disciplines are defined (in part) and recognized by the academic journals in which research is published, and the learned societies and academic departments or faculties within colleges and universities to which their practitioners belong.
BibleCollection of religious textsPhilologyPhilology (from Ancient Greek φιλολογία (philología) 'love of word') is the study of language in oral and written historical sources. It is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics with strong ties to etymology. Philology is also defined as the study of literary texts and oral and written records, the establishment of their authenticity and their original form, and the determination of their meaning.
TheologyTheology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity and the history behind religion. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries.New TestamentThe New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian Bible. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events relating to first-century Christianity. The first division, known as the Old Testament (based primarily on the Hebrew Bible), together with the New Testament constitutes the sacred scripture of Christianity. The New Testament is a collection of 27 Christian texts written in Koine Greek by various authors.Biblical canonTexts regarded as part of the BibleTextual criticismIdentification of textual variantsCarmina Cantabrigiensia, Manuscript C, folio 436v, 11th centuryTextual criticism is a branch of textual scholarship, philology, and literary criticism that is concerned with the identification of textual variants, or different versions, of either manuscripts (mss) or of printed books.
Ancient historyPeriod between prehistory and the medieval era This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages) This article may be too technical for most readers to understand. Please help improve it to make it understandable to non-experts, without removing the technical details. (July 2026) (Learn how and when to remove this message) This article may be confusing or unclear to readers.
JudaismJudaism (Hebrew: יַהֲדוּת, romanized: Yahăḏūṯ) is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of observing the Mosaic covenant, which they believe was established between God and the Jewish people. The religion is considered one of the earliest monotheistic religions.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.