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Summary
- The Torah is the five books of Moses, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy, and they open both the Jewish Bible and every Christian Bible.
- Torah means teaching or instruction, and Jews also use the word for the whole Tanakh, for the Oral Torah of the Mishnah and Talmud, and for Jewish teaching as a whole.
- The Jewish Bible, the Tanakh, has 24 books in three parts, the Torah, the Prophets and the Writings, so the Torah is the first five books of the Old Testament and not the whole of it.
- Protestants count the same writings as 39 books, the Catholic Old Testament has 46, and Orthodox Bibles, which generally follow the Greek Septuagint, have more.
- In the synagogue the Torah is read from a handwritten scroll in 54 weekly portions, and on Simchat Torah the yearly cycle ends and begins again.
- Christians hold to the Torah’s moral commandments, and Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican and Reformed sources all say that its ritual and food laws do not bind Christians.
Bibliography (Click to show)
- King James Version: Genesis 1:1; Deuteronomy 4:44; 31:24–26; 34:5; Matthew 5:17; Luke 24:44; Acts 15:28–29; Romans 7:12; Galatians 3:24, BibleGateway.
- “The Torah”, My Jewish Learning, myjewishlearning.com.
- “What Does ‘Torah’ Mean?”, My Jewish Learning, myjewishlearning.com.
- “The Old Testament”, My Jewish Learning, myjewishlearning.com.
- “Makkot 24” (Daf Yomi, on Rabbi Simlai’s count of 613 commandments), My Jewish Learning, myjewishlearning.com.
- “Shemini Atzeret / Simchat Torah 101”, My Jewish Learning, myjewishlearning.com.
- “Sh’mini Atzeret and Simchat Torah 101” and glossary entry “Torah”, ReformJudaism.org, Union for Reform Judaism, Simchat Torah and glossary.
- “Torah”, “The Written Law: Torah” and “The Tanakh”, Jewish Virtual Library, Torah, The Written Law and The Tanakh.
- “Chronicles, Book of”, Encyclopaedia Judaica, via the Jewish Virtual Library, jewishvirtuallibrary.org.
- “Bible Canon” and “Bible Translations”, Jewish Encyclopedia (1906), Bible Canon and Bible Translations.
- Richard Gottheil and Wilhelm Bacher, “Aramaic Language Among the Jews”, Jewish Encyclopedia (1906), on Genesis 31:47, jewishencyclopedia.com.
- Hebrew-English Bible according to the Masoretic Text and the JPS 1917 Edition, contents, Mechon Mamre.
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 120–130 (the canon of Scripture and the Old Testament), 582 (Jesus and the food laws), 1961–1964 (the Old Law) and 1972 (the New Law), vatican.va (120–130), vatican.va (582), vatican.va (1961–1964) and vatican.va (1972).
- Thomas Hopko, The Orthodox Faith, vol. 1, “Old Testament: History”, Orthodox Church in America, oca.org.
- “Canon of Scripture” and “Sabbath”, question-and-answer pages on the website of the Orthodox Church in America, Canon of Scripture and Sabbath.
- Articles of Religion, Articles VI and VII, Book of Common Prayer, Church of England, churchofengland.org.
- The Westminster Confession of Faith (1646), chapters 1.2–3 and 19, Orthodox Presbyterian Church, opc.org.
- Charles John Ellicott (ed.), Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers, on Luke 24:44, Bible Hub.
- Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, on Luke 24:44, Bible Hub.
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