While the process and timeline leading to the canon comprising the 2nd (New) Testament is generally known (Council of Nicea in 325 CE, later variations as E. and W. Christendom split and further with the offshooting of Protestantism), the "archeology" of the 1st (Old) Testament is less commonly discussed or understood. Among Protestants it seems that emphasis goes on the Jesus stories and letters of the early church. That may be due to the smaller time horizon (2-3 years of Jesus and maybe 15-20 of the early church); compare the 4-5000 years, many pages, chapters, events, figures, and genres in the 2nd Testament.
In the eyes of Jewish teachers, students and believers the geography of the Jewish Bible (perhaps nearly identical to 2nd Testament for Christians; or to Qu'ran for Muslims) consists of several parts, including The Laws (penta tuch; first five books), Histories, Wisdom literature, Prophets, and so on. But the moment or points at which the composition of the Hebrew Bible came about is not much discussed in Protestant services. Related: for the 2nd Testament we know the process leading to break up into Chapters (800s C.E.) and Verses (1400s C.E.). But what of the Jewish Bible: was that contemporary to the Christians' scholarly analysis and processing, or did division and annotation take place after or before the Christians' undertaking?
As usual, wikipedia has some clues to the genesis of the Jewish Bible (2nd Testament). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Development_of_the_Hebrew_Bible_canon
In the eyes of Jewish teachers, students and believers the geography of the Jewish Bible (perhaps nearly identical to 2nd Testament for Christians; or to Qu'ran for Muslims) consists of several parts, including The Laws (penta tuch; first five books), Histories, Wisdom literature, Prophets, and so on. But the moment or points at which the composition of the Hebrew Bible came about is not much discussed in Protestant services. Related: for the 2nd Testament we know the process leading to break up into Chapters (800s C.E.) and Verses (1400s C.E.). But what of the Jewish Bible: was that contemporary to the Christians' scholarly analysis and processing, or did division and annotation take place after or before the Christians' undertaking?
As usual, wikipedia has some clues to the genesis of the Jewish Bible (2nd Testament). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Development_of_the_Hebrew_Bible_canon
