To what extent to Jews follow the Old Testament?

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Telemachus

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Ya’ll,

I’m pretty ignorant of Jewish history and the origins of much of the Old Testament scriptures, so be charitable please.

I’d like to know to what extent Jews follow the Old Testament as Christians know it. Were the books that came to be known as the Old Testament understood to be sacred scripture by the Jews, or is that something that Christians came to believe about them because of references to them by Christ and the Apostles? Are some books accepted and others not? Obviously, the Torah is important within Jewish belief, but that’s just the first five books of the Old Testament, yes?

I’d appreciate responses primarily from practicing, believing Jews, but anyone else is welcome to provide info.

Regards,
Tele
 
What you call the ‘Old Testament’ we call ‘The Tanakh’.

We treat our scriptures quite differently from the way Christians use them. Cutting a very complex story into a one liner - there is Torah, everything else is commentaries on Torah. Add to that the ‘Oral Torah’ tradition (words like ‘Talmud’) which is, err, commentaries on Torah and you might start to get the picture.
 
Kaninchen said:
What you call the ‘Old Testament’ we call ‘The Tanakh’.

We treat our scriptures quite differently from the way Christians use them. Cutting a very complex story into a one liner - there is Torah, everything else is commentaries on Torah. Add to that the ‘Oral Torah’ tradition (words like ‘Talmud’) which is, err, commentaries on Torah and you might start to get the picture.
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Hmmm, neat stuff! I’m struck by the amount of consistency between the Bible and the scriptures / commentaries / etc. of the Jews, although as you say, I’m sure that they are treated quite differently by Jews and Christians.

How do Jews typically treat the statements of the Prophets, for instance, Isaiah? Are their prophecies normally construed to have already come to pass? Are there any that are said to represent not only actual events, but also event “archetypes,” for lack of a better word? I ask, because Christians understand many of these prophecies to apply throughout human history, not just to specific events, and not just necessarily to Jews. Do Jews have a similar conception of these prophecies?

Regards,
Tele
 
Telemachus said:
How do Jews typically treat the statements of the Prophets, for instance, Isaiah? Are their prophecies normally construed to have already come to pass? Are there any that are said to represent not only actual events, but also event “archetypes,” for lack of a better word? I ask, because Christians understand many of these prophecies to apply throughout human history, not just to specific events, and not just necessarily to Jews. Do Jews have a similar conception of these prophecies?
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Perhaps this may help.
 
It’s pretty much an impossible question to answer. Just like Christianity, In Judaism there are multiple denominations. Each has its place on the spectrum of observance, cultural identity, tradition, and authority/historicity of Tanakh. As a general rule of thumb even Orthodox Jews who believe its all the divine word of God and were absolutely bound to observe it strongly believe in Interpretation. Only 10 laws were set in stone, the rest was on papyrus.
 
To what extent to Jews follow the Old Testament?
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Maybe in scripture there was a period of time when God was leading them (the Jews) through the desert to the promised land . . .Maybe that was main point of the Old Testament concerning Israel and the jewish people.
 
Wesley7 said:
Maybe in scripture there was a period of time when God was leading them (the Jews) through the desert to the promised land . . .Maybe that was main point of the Old Testament concerning Israel and the jewish people.
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My, my, Wesley7, aren’t we clever. I don’t think you understood the question. What I was asking was whether or not the Jews follow the Old Testament as Christians understand it, or whether or not they had their own compilations and such. Please think before posting, or maybe change your label from “Orthodox Christian” to “Worshiper of Snark.” 😃

To all those who responded, thanks. See ya on the forums.

God Bless,
Tele
 
Kaninchen said:
What you call the ‘Old Testament’ we call ‘The Tanakh’.

We treat our scriptures quite differently from the way Christians use them. Cutting a very complex story into a one liner - there is Torah, everything else is commentaries on Torah. Add to that the ‘Oral Torah’ tradition (words like ‘Talmud’) which is, err, commentaries on Torah and you might start to get the picture.
Click to expand...
The quote above is the best answer.
 
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