Hebrew Bible

==Development and codification==
{{Main|Development of the Hebrew Bible canon}}

The books that make up the Hebrew Bible were composed and edited in stages over several hundred years. According to biblical scholar [[John J. Collins]], "It now seems clear that all the Hebrew Bible received its final shape in the postexilic, or Second Temple, period."{{Sfn|Collins|2018|p=15}}

Traditionally, [[Moses]] was considered the author of the Torah, and this part of the Tanakh achieved authoritative or canonical status first, possibly as early as the 5th century BCE. This is suggested by [[Ezra 7]]:6, which describes [[Ezra]] as "a scribe skilled in the law (''torah'') of Moses that the Lord the God of Israel had given".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Coogan |first1=Michael D. |title=The Old Testament: A Historical and Literary Introduction to the Hebrew Scriptures |last2=Chapman |first2=Cynthia R. |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2018 |isbn=978-0190608651 |edition=4th |pages=4–5 |author-link1=Michael Coogan}}</ref>

The Nevi'im had gained canonical status by the 2nd century BCE. There are references to the "Law and the Prophets" in the [[Book of Sirach]], the [[Dead Sea Scrolls]], and the [[New Testament]]. The Book of Daniel, written {{circa|164 BCE}}, was not grouped with the Prophets presumably because the Nevi'im collection was already fixed by this time.{{Sfn|Collins|2018|p=5}}

The Ketuvim was the last part of the Tanakh to achieve canonical status. The prologue to the Book of Sirach mentions "other writings" along with the Law and Prophets but does not specify content. The [[Gospel of Luke]] refers to "the Law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms" ([[Luke 24]]:44). These references suggest that the content of the Writings remained fluid until the canonization process was completed in the 2nd century CE.{{Sfn|Coogan|Chapman|2018|p=5}}

There is no scholarly consensus as to when the Hebrew Bible canon was fixed: some scholars argue that it was fixed by the [[Hasmonean dynasty]],<ref name="Davies662">{{cite book |last=Davies |first=Philip R. |title=The Canon Debate |publisher=Baker Academic |year=2001 |isbn=978-1-4412-4163-4 |editor1-last=McDonald |editor1-first=Lee Martin |page=PT66 |chapter=The Jewish Scriptural Canon in Cultural Perspective |quote=With many other scholars, I conclude that the fixing of a canonical list was almost certainly the achievement of the Hasmonean dynasty. |editor2-last=Sanders |editor2-first=James A. |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kxW-AgAAQBAJ&pg=PT66}}</ref> while others argue it was not fixed until the second century CE or even later.<ref name="Neusner2">McDonald & Sanders, ''The Canon Debate'', 2002, p. 5, cited are Neusner's ''Judaism and Christianity in the Age of Constantine'', pp. 128–145, and ''Midrash in Context: Exegesis in Formative Judaism'', pp. 1–22.</ref> The late 1st century [[Council of Jamnia]] was once credited with fixing the Hebrew canon, but modern scholars believe there was no such authoritative council of rabbis. Between 70 and 100 CE, rabbis debated whether certain books "make the hands unclean" (meaning the books are holy and should be considered scripture) and references to fixed numbers of canonical books appear.{{Sfn|Collins|2018|p=5}} There were several criteria for inclusion. Books had to be older than the 4th century BCE or attributed to an author who had lived before that period. The original language had to be Hebrew, and books needed to be in wide use. Many books considered scripture by certain Jewish communities were excluded during this time.{{Sfn|Coogan|Chapman|2018|pp=5 & 7}}

[[File:Texts of the OT.svg|thumb|right|350px|The inter-relationship between various significant ancient manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible (some identified by their siglum). Mt being the Masoretic text. The lowermost text "(lost)" would be the [[Urtext (Biblical studies)|Urtext]].]]

There are various [[textual variants in the Hebrew Bible]], the result of centuries of hand-copying. [[Sofer|Scribes]] introduced thousands of minor changes into the biblical texts. Sometimes, these changes were by accident. At other times, scribes intentionally added clarifications or theological material. In the Middle Ages, Jewish scribes produced the [[Masoretic Text]], which became the authoritative version of the Tanakh.{{Sfn|Carr|2021|pp=6–7}} [[Biblical Hebrew|Ancient Hebrew]] was written without vowels, but the [[Masoretes]] added vowel markings to the text to ensure accuracy.{{Sfn|Collins|2018|pp=7–8}}

Rabbi and Talmudic scholar [[Louis Ginzberg]] wrote in ''[[Legends of the Jews]]'', published in 1909, that the twenty-four book canon was fixed by Ezra and the scribes in the [[Second Temple period]].<ref>[[Louis Ginzberg|Ginzberg, Louis]] (1909). ''[[Legends of the Jews|The Legends of the Jews]] [http://www.swartzentrover.com/cotor/e-books/misc/Legends/Legends%20of%20the%20Jews.pdf Vol. IV : Chapter XI Ezra] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200313050820/http://www.swartzentrover.com/cotor/e-books/misc/Legends/Legends |date=2020-03-13 }}'' (Translated by [[Henrietta Szold]]) Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society.</ref>{{Failed verification|date=January 2024}} According to the [[Talmud]], much of the Tanakh was compiled by the men of the [[Great Assembly]] (''Anshei K'nesset HaGedolah''), a task completed in 450&nbsp;BCE, and it has remained unchanged ever since.<ref>(Bava Batra 14b–15a, Rashi to Megillah 3a, 14a)</ref> The 24-book canon is mentioned in the [[Ecclesiastes Rabbah|Midrash Koheleth]] 12:12: ''Whoever brings together in his house more than twenty four books brings confusion''.<ref>[[Ecclesiastes Rabbah|Midrash Qoheleth]] 12:12</ref>