Why do Jews call the Old Testament by various names such as “Tanach”, “Mikra”, “Hebrew Bible”, “Jewish Bible”, “Katuv”, “Scriptures”?
The name “Old Testament” is a term invented by Christians to de-legitimize the Hebrew Bible and implies that in contrast to the “New Testament” of Christianity the “Old Testament” is antiquated and no longer valid. Jews fervently reject this label and use the ancient names for the Hebrew Bible. The most commonly used name is “Tanach” (or Tanakh) which is an acronym for the three sections of the Hebrew Bible: Torah (Law), Nevi’im (Prophets), and Ketuvim Kedoshim (Holy Writings). Jews also refer to the Hebrew Bible as “Mikra” which simply means “that which is read” and this term functions as the Hebrew equivalent of the English “Bible”. The name Mikra comes from the verse “And they read in the book, in the Torah of God… and they understood that which was read (Mikra)” (Neh 8,8). It should be noted that when Jews say Bible without any further explanation what is meant is the Hebrew Bible alone. In contrast, when Christians say Bible they mean both the “Old Testament” and the so-called “
Related Questions
- All Israel: What do Two-House teachers do with references from the Tanach or Old Testament that seem to indicate that all Israel was reunified after the Babylonian exile?
- Why do Jews call the Old Testament by various names such as "Tanach", "Mikra", "Hebrew Bible", "Jewish Bible", "Katuv", "Scriptures"?
- Why didn’t Jews in Old Testament times believe Jerusalem could be destroyed?
