1st SCAC ATTAC

Bible

A collection of religious texts.

Canon

The collection of books a religious community considers sacred and authoritative.

Hebrew Bible

A neutral name for the biblical books shared by Jewish and Christian traditions.

Tanakh

The Jewish Bible, divided into Torah, Prophets, and Writings.

Torah

“Instruction”; the first five books of the Hebrew Bible.

Nevi’im

“Prophets”; the second section of the Tanakh.

Ketuvim

“Writings”; the third section of the Tanakh.

Former Prophets

Books that tell historical narratives about ancient Israel.

Latter Prophets

Books associated with individual prophets.

Deuterocanonical Books

Additional biblical books accepted by Catholic and Orthodox Christians.

Ancient Near East

The larger region and culture in which ancient Israel developed.

Ancient Israel

The ancient society whose traditions produced the Hebrew Bible.

Canaan

An ancient name for the land where Israel developed.

Israel

The northern kingdom after the monarchy divided.

Judah

The southern kingdom after the monarchy divided.

Mesopotamia

The region between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers that influenced Israelite culture.

Gilgamesh Epic

An ancient Mesopotamian work containing a flood story similar to Genesis.

Code of Hammurabi

An ancient Mesopotamian collection of laws with parallels to biblical laws.

Egypt

A major ancient civilization that influenced Israel’s history and traditions.

Exodus

The biblical tradition about Israel’s departure from Egypt.

Diaspora

The scattering of Jewish people outside their ancestral homeland.

United Monarchy

The period when Israel was united under Saul, David, and Solomon.

Divided Monarchy

The period when the kingdom separated into Israel and Judah.

Assyrian Empire

The empire that conquered the northern kingdom of Israel.

Babylonian Exile

The destruction of Jerusalem and its temple followed by the deportation of many Judeans.

Hellenization

The adoption or spread of Greek culture.

Maccabees

Jewish rebels who fought against Seleucid control.

Oral Tradition

Traditions passed down by speaking and retelling before being written.

Scribes

People who copied and transmitted biblical texts.

Autograph

The original manuscript of a biblical text.

Textual Variant

A difference between copies or versions of a biblical text.

Masoretic Text (MT)

Hebrew biblical manuscripts preserved and standardized by the Masoretes.

Masoretes

Jewish scholars who preserved the Hebrew biblical text.

Dead Sea Scrolls

Ancient manuscripts that help scholars compare versions of biblical texts.

Qumran

The location near the Dead Sea where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered.

Canonization

The process through which certain books became recognized as authoritative.

Septuagint

An ancient Greek translation of Hebrew scripture.

Vulgate

An important Latin translation of the Bible.

Literal Translation

A translation that tries to preserve the original wording and structure.

Dynamic Translation

A translation that focuses on communicating the original meaning naturally.

Biblical Studies

The academic study of biblical texts.

Biblical Criticism

Careful, analytical, and objective examination of biblical texts.

Text Criticism

Compares manuscripts to determine the most probable original wording.

Historical Criticism

Studies historical events or the historical circumstances behind a text.

Social-Science Criticism

Uses social sciences to understand the society behind biblical traditions.

Form Criticism

Studies earlier oral forms, genres, and their original social settings.

Source Criticism

Identifies earlier sources combined to create the present text.

Redaction Criticism

Studies how the final editor shaped and arranged earlier sources.

Literary Criticism

Studies the Bible as literature, including plot, characters, setting, and symbolism.

Canonical Criticism

Interprets a text in relation to the larger biblical canon.

Reader-Response Criticism

Focuses on the reader’s role in creating meaning.

Feminist Criticism

Examines biblical texts through concerns about women and gender.

Social Location

A reader’s background and identity factors that influence how they interpret a te