Old Testament

The Old Testament (also called the Hebrew Bible) contains the legends, histories, laws and prophecies of the ancient Hebrews. It was written between the 12th and 2nd centuries BC. The original language of the Old Testament was Classical Hebrew, along with some Aramaic, but it was later translated into Greek (the Septuagint), Latin (the Vulgate) and other languages.

The texts that make up the Old Testament generally include:

  • the Pentateuch ("five scrolls" of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy) or Torah, which include many of the most familiar tales such as the Garden of Eden, Noah's Ark, and the Ten Commandments
  • a number of historical books that cover among other things the conquest of Canaan after the return from Egypt, King David, the kingdoms of Israel and Judea, and the Babylonian Exile
  • the prophets, traditionally divided into major (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel) and minor (Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi)
  • several poetic books, including Psalms and Proverbs

Different denominations recognize different books as part of their canon. Books not included in a particular canon are sometimes termed apocrypha (from Greek meaning "hidden away"). For example, the Book of Maccabees and the Book of Judith are considered canonical by Catholics and Orthodox Christians, but apocryphal by Protestants.

Names from the Old Testament are almost all derived from Hebrew. Common name elements are el (for example in Elijah) and jeho-, jo-, -jah, -iah (in Isaiah), which refer to the Hebrew God. Most Old Testament names were not regularly used by Christians until relatively recent times, after the Protestant Reformation. Common English names that originate from the Old Testament include:

See also New Testament.

On this site

List of Biblical names and meanings
Complete list of Biblical names