The Hebrew scriptures, called Tanakh or simply Bible by Jews and the Old Testament by Christians, contain the original sources of western religious traditions. This book describes their growth beginning with the traditions that grew up among Israelite tribes in Canaan and the Israelite and Judean monarchies that followed. Part I treats the formation of oral rituals and traditions which came to be the contents of the written books. Part II deals with the formation of the literature contained in the Hebrew Scriptures. Part III describes the development of the canons of Hebrew and Greek scriptures.

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