The Formation of the Old Testament | xxxiii
EARLY REFERENCES TO THE OLD TESTAMENT COLLECTIONS AND CANON
The Old Testament — and Jewish literature written between the Old Testament and New Testament — attests to the belief that God has delivered divine messages through prophetic figures ( like Moses and Isaiah ), as well as through the Psalms . The followers of Jesus inherited this notion of sacred Scripture and the Hebrew Scriptures themselves — although they often read them in Greek . Early Christ followers also inherited the commonly accepted designations for sections of the Scriptures , namely , the Law and the Prophets ( e . g ., Lk 24:27 ).
The New Testament generally only includes references to the Law and the Prophets ( see Mt 5:17 ; 7:12 ; Lk 24:27 ; Ac 28:23 ), but in Lk 24:44 , Jesus mentions that everything about him in the “ Law of Moses , the Prophets and the Psalms ” must be fulfilled . The categories may suggest that a third grouping (“ psalms ”) was emerging at that time .
Both Jesus and his followers cited the Jewish Scriptures as an authoritative collection of sacred books ( Lk 24:13 – 35 ). Those books influenced virtually the entire life and ministry of the community of Jesus ’ followers . The central teachings of the church were rooted in Scripture ( see 1Co 15:3 – 8 ), and early Chris tians regularly incorporated Scripture as they told their story . All of the New Testament authors regularly cite the Jewish Scriptures ; in particular , the book of Hebrews includes more Scripture citations than any other New Testament book . The books that are most frequently cited in the New Testament and early church writings are Deuteronomy , Isaiah and the Psalms . Not all of the Old Testament books are cited in the New Testament , and there are allusions to some nonbiblical books ( e . g ., 1 Enoch in 2Pe 2:4 and Jude 14 ).
In the late first century AD , the historian Josephus is the first Jewish writer to limit the number of books that make up the Jewish Scriptures . He mentions a limited 22-book collection identified only by category , not specific titles . In Against Apion , he writes :
Our books , those which are justly accredited , are but two and twenty , and contain the record of all time . Of these , five are the books of Moses , comprising the laws and the traditional history from the birth of man down to the death of the lawgiver . . . The prophets subsequent to Moses wrote the history of the events of their own times in thirteen books . The remaining four books contain hymns to God and precepts for the conduct of human life ( Against Apion 1.38 – 40 ).
While it is not entirely clear which books were included in Josephus ’ collection , he is likely referring to the books that later comprised the Hebrew Bible , though that is not clear in Josephus ’ writings .
At about the same time as Josephus , the author of the Jewish apocalyptic work 4 Ezra referred to 24 books to be read by both the worthy and unworthy alike , but 70 others that were reserved for the “ wise among your people . For in them is the spring of understanding , the fountain of wisdom , and the river of knowledge ” ( 4 Ezra 14:45 – 7 nrsv ). The 24 books are likely the same as those that Josephus had mentioned , only counted differently by combining books in different ways . The later tripartite Hebrew Bible ( Law , Prophets and Writings ) appears for the first time in the middle to late second century BC . Those books are also likely the same as those in the Protestant Old Testament , but not in the same order . In the late first century AD we cannot be certain about all of the books that Josephus had in mind , but we can be sure that he wanted the number to be the same as the letters in the Hebrew alphabet ( 22 ) by combining the books to equal that number .