The Old Testament

Hebrew Scripture, contextualized by Christianity as the Old Testament, is comprised of a collection of ancient writings, often anonymous and composite, originating from 1150 — 150 bce (before the common era).

Scriptural texts involve various perspectives, including primarily:

  • historical
  • literary
  • theological, this itself involving:
    • philosophy
    • politics
    • and faith.

This last is not our jurisdiction and cannot be, as it tends to supersede whatever the other perspectives may yield.

However, no matter what your preferred perspective, it would be wise to know what the historical, critical, and scholarly consensus is concerning such texts.

The Old Testament (and the New Testament, and all scriptural writings) reflect the human relationship with the deity. Because the Old Testament contains writings from across a millenium, it reflects an evolving human relationship with God, from an anthropomorphic rendition of Yahweh to explain quirks of the human condition to a more abstract, inaccessible God (as in the inner portion of Job).


Genesis 1-3: Creation and Eden
Cain and Abel: The First Murder
The Story of Joseph
The Book of Job
Psalms