Judaism and Christianity are derived from different times and places in the world. They share a lengthy past and many of the same books. However, these communities are divergent in their beliefs. The fundamental differences lie within the literary composition of each theology’s sacred texts. The shape and structure of the Jewish and Christian canons are arranged to substantiate each community’s religious beliefs.
Jews and Christians arranged their canons differently to obtain a specific outcome in relation to their fundamental beliefs. First off, the Jews arranged their books in the Hebrew Bible to reflect their covenantal relationship with God. The 24 books are organized by genre of scripture and tell the history of God’s relationship with the Jewish people. The Hebrew Bible, or TaNaKh, is arranged starting with the Torah, containing the Five Books of Moses, which is also known as the Pentateuch. Following this is Nevi’im, beginning with the Former Prophets such as Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings, preceding the Latter Prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the 12 Minor Prophets. It concludes with the Ketuvim, or Writings such as Psalms and Proverbs and ends with the books of Chronicles. The arrangement of the Hebrew Bible follows a sequence of events, which highlight God’s intervention with his people, the Jewish people, and the fulfillment of the Covenant. By ordering the books of the Bible starting with the Law and ending with the Writings, the Jewish people are fulfilling the Covenant they have with God through an extensive history that is still underway.
Originally written in Koine Greek and out of a Greco-Roman context, the Christian Bible is an addition to the Hebrew Bible. It consists of a reorganized version with ...
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...cal content. Regardless of contrasting interpretations, the purpose of scripture as reflected amongst canon shape and structure, is to support and explain the story of the community that seeks meaning in the text.
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The New Testament is a part of the Christian Canon, which is inclusive of the Old and New Testament. The New Testament consists of twenty-seven books, and is the foundation of the Christian religion. The New Testament has set the bar for Christianity as a religion, but many questions surround the New Testament. These questions surrounding the New Testament have continuously sparked controversy. The Old Testament revealed how worshipers of Christianity were to live their lives, and helped to guide them through their lives. Many do not question the validity of the Old Testament. Books were left out essentially fitting into what the church wanted, and not seeing eye to eye with their Christian ideals. The New Testament
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