by Mary W. Matthews

Created on: September 09, 2008

The Hebrew Scriptures are (wrongly) called the "Old" Testament by Christians. The word "testament" is a synonym for "covenant," or binding legal agreement. The first covenant between God and humanity, as recorded in the HS, is "I [God] will never again seek to destroy all flesh" (Gen. 9:15) — and this covenant has never been superseded. Even Christians must acknowledge that the Hebrew Scriptures were the only Bible that Jesus knew; "Do not think that I have come to supersede [the HS]," Jesus said. "I have come not to abolish but to fulfill" (Matt. 5:17).

(The "new" covenant of the Christian Testament is "I will be your God and you will be my people," according to Hebrews 8:10. This "new" covenant is also stated in Ex. 6:7, 23:25; Num. 15:40-41; Jer. 7:23, 11:4, 30:3; and Ezek. 34:31, 36:28. Christians interpret these eight prior statements of "their" covenant to mean that the "new" covenant is that God is the God of ALL people.)

Most of the HS were inscribed onto tanned animal skins — "parchment" — in the late Bronze Age, between about 915 BCE and about 500 BCE. Most of the "salvation-history" recorded in the first five books, called the Torah ("toe-RAH"), is much older; several of the verses in Exodus are thought to date from the Stone Age, many centuries before the invention of the alphabet.

Here are two facts that it is important for you to remember when you encounter the HS: (1) Israel and Judea (also called Judah) were two separate, distinct nations, and (2) monotheism was not invented until about 500 BCE. Before that time, most scholars believe that both Israel and Judea practiced henotheism. "Monotheism" describes the belief that there is only one God in the entire Universe (no matter what Mormons tell you). Mormons practice "henotheism," the idea that there are many gods in the Universe, but only one god is important to his worshipers.

Thousands of years ago, Israel worshiped several gods and goddesses. The Israelite version of Jupiter and Juno were El ("god") and his co-ruler Eloah ("goddess"), known collectively as "Elohim," the gods. Subsidiary gods included Mikha-El, Rafa-El, and Gabriy-El (Michael, Raphael, and Gabriel). Subsidiary goddesses included Shaddai, Rahab, and Sarah, "the laughing goddess of the sea." Genesis 31:34-35 describes how Rachel stole Laban's household gods, the Hebrew version of the Romans' lars and penates. The great hero of Israel, similar to Hercules, was named "Israel," which is usually translated " wrestles

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