So far I've covered the first five books of the Bible. These are sometimes called the Torah, or the Pentateuch, or the Books of Moses (they've got a lot of name!) Here's a set of simple synopses of each book:
Genesis - Origins of the whole world and the Hebrews in particular.
Exodus - The Hebrews are rescued from bondage in Egypt by the power of God, as led by Moses, and established a covenant between them, most particularly symbolized in the 10 Commandments and Ark of the Covenant.
Leviticus - God gives Moses and Aaron a set rules for preists, offerings and other (mostly) ceremonial rules about how to worship, and how to live lives that are distinct from the cultures around them.
Numbers - The journey to the promised land, and the subsequent wanderings in the wilderness for 40 years after the first generation of Israelites rebel about going into the land.
Deuteronomy - The final sermons from Moses about God's will for their lives, with an emphasis on the legal codes they'll need to live in the promised land.
For an even more compact summary:
Genesis: Origins
Exodus: Freedom from slavery
Leviticus: Priestly codes at Sinai
Numbers: Wandering in the wilderness
Deuteronomy: Final legal codes
Next post I'll talk about the sequel to these events, the book of Joshua.
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