The collection of books comprising the sacred Scripture of the Hebrews and recording their history as the chosen people; the first half of the Christian Bible.
Christian term for the Hebrew Bible, which is the first part of the Christian Bible. It contains 39 (according to Christianity) or 24 (according to Judaism) books, which include the origins of the world, the history of the ancient Hebrews and their covenant with God, prophetical writings, and religious poetry. The first five books (The five books of Moses) are traditionally ascribed to Moses and known as the Pentateuch (by Christians) or the Torah (by Jews).
The language of the original text was Hebrew, dating from the 12th–2nd centuries BC. The earliest known manuscripts containing part of the text were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls. The traditional text (translated first into Greek and then other languages) was compiled by rabbinical authorities around the 2nd century AD.