In Front | The Bible Jesus Read, Part 3

Jesus isn’t specifying which books are included in the Law and Prophets. He’s referencing established collections and assuming His audience will know just what books He’s talking about. This collection is referred to as “the Law, the Prophets and Psalms” in Luke 24:44, an indication that the three-part designation of Law, Prophets and Writings (known also by the largest and most popular book, Psalms) was already in use. In either case, these designations referred to the complete body of canonical texts in the time of the New Testament.

We can say that the “Bible” of the first century AD—whether in the original Hebrew (and Aramaic) or the Greek Septuagint—was a widely acknowledged, standing library of authoritative texts organized into two or three collections. Although the order of these collections sometimes varied, the choice of books was intact. Some debate about a few books late in the first century may only relate to their proper use. As the New Testament begins forming in the first century, it is important for all of us to realize that the “Bible” Jesus and the apostles read and quoted from was what we call the Old Testament. And, equally important for those who might disregard or disparage this earlier Testament, it was their only Bible.