The Tanakh: Law, Prophets and Writings

The Jewish Bible is called the Tanakh, an acronym of its three parts: Torah (Teaching), Nevi'im (Prophets) and Ketuvim (Writings). The Prophets include historical books such as Samuel and Kings and the words of prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah and Amos, who criticized injustice and called kings and people back to the covenant; Amos's line 'let justice roll down like waters' became famous worldwide. The Writings include Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Ruth, Esther and other works of poetry, wisdom and history.

Christians later adopted these books as the Old Testament, though in a different order and, for Catholic and Orthodox Christians, with additional books. The Tanakh was written mostly in Hebrew, with parts in Aramaic, over many centuries; scholars date its canon's final closing to roughly the 2nd century BCE to the 2nd century CE. Its prophetic emphasis on social justice has influenced reform movements far beyond Judaism.