How do Jews use/view the Bible?

[Stylteralmaldo]

There are so many faiths that claim they are following the BIble the right way.

How do the Jews use/view the Bible?

I know there are three main schools of thought on Judaism (Orthodox, Conservative, Reformed).

I’m not sure if they view the Bible differently or the same. How close is that view to Catholicism’s view of the Bible.

Thanks for any (name removed by moderator)ut.

 

[cabaret]

I can’t claim to be a scholar or to speak for anybody else but I’ll try to give a kind of summary.

The Jewish organization of the Tanakh (what you would call the ‘Old Testament’) in many ways says it all.

First comes the Torah (The Law), second comes Nevi’im (Prophets) and finally Kethuvim (Writings). The latter two, in order of importance, are aides in interpreting the former – rather as in the old saying that “Most states have armies but Prussia is an army with a state’, most religions have Law, Judaism is ‘Law’ and everything else is commentary. Added to that, you can’t come to a conclusion as to what a Jewish position on anything would be (or, inevitably, several Jewish positions even within the same tradition, nevermind different traditions) without the huge body of what is known as ‘Oral Torah’ (think words like ‘Talmud’) containing legal argument and precedent.

So – in short – it’s ‘The Law’ and lots of legal commentary, whether one believes that Moses received the Torah directly from God, or that the Torah is an ancient metaphor for how the ancient Hebrews came to an understanding of Ethical Monotheism.

 

[Wormwood]

The post before mine sums it up pretty well. I would just like to add that Judaism, is a way of life, more than a religion ( as described in “the source” by david michner). The concerns of Judaism are more about living well so that your community (and yourself) will prosper. They don’t believe in hell, and are not concerned with the afterlife like christians and muslims. Christianity puts a nicer face on God, while Islam places an even more vengeful face on God. To jews God is mediem vengeful. They were the first monotheist to follow the God of Abraham, so I’m guessing they are probably the most correct (after all, Jesus himself was a jew).