02.02.19 Old Testament (OT). The Hebrew Bible is a collection of religious and historical books that were written over a fifteen hundred year period and compiled at the Council of Jamnia in A.D. 90 by prominent Jewish leaders, led by Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai.^[1] These were accepted as early as 400 B.C., but were not in an official cannon format.^[2] Yet Josephus, writing in A.D. 95, reported that he firmly believed that the Jewish cannon was closed.^[3] It is believed that after the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 135, when Gentiles took control of the Jerusalem Church, the Hebrew Bible became known as the “Old Testament.” The gospels and other Scriptures written since the birth of Christ became known as the “New Testament.”  Nowhere in the New Testament is there a reference to the Hebrew Bible as being replaced or called the “Old Testament,” but rather, it simply referred to as “Scriptures.”^[4]

[1]. Rabbi Zakkai was the last disciple of the famous Rabbi Hillel. See Parry, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the Talmud. 38-39.

[2]. See Dr. David Cook’s discussion of The Amazing Bible in 02.02.04.V.

[3]. Josephus, Against Apion 1.42-44.

[4]. For example: Mt. 21:42; 22:29; 26:54, 56; Mk. 12:10; 15:28; Lk. 4:21; Jn. 2:22; 7:38,42; 10:35; 13:18; 17:12; 19:24, 28, etc.