The Hebrew Bible (Tanakh)

Let’s trace the story of how the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) became standardized into the Masoretic Text (MT) that Judaism uses today.

1. Before 70 CE (Second Temple Period)

• Multiple textual traditions coexisted:

  • Proto-Masoretic scrolls (close to later MT, used in the Temple).

  • Septuagint Vorlage (different Hebrew base, later translated into Greek).

  • Samaritan Pentateuch tradition (Torah only).

  • Other rewritten/paraphrased scriptures (Jubilees, Temple Scroll, etc.).

• The Torah was universally sacred, but the Prophets and Writings were not yet fixed.

No single “official” perfect Bible yet.

2. After 70 CE (Destruction of the Temple)

• Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed by Rome.

• Priestly authority collapsed, leaving Pharisaic/Rabbinic Judaism as the main surviving stream.

• Rabbinic leaders began unifying Jewish practice, including scripture.

• At this stage:

  • Some books (Torah, Prophets) were undisputed.

  • Others (Esther, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs) were debated.

Canon and text were not yet fully settled.

3. Around 90 CE – The Yavneh Period

• After 70 CE, Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai and later rabbis in Yavneh/Jamnia helped shape Jewish tradition.

• There likely wasn’t a single “council” fixing the Bible, but debates about which books belonged were happening.

• By the 2nd century CE, the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible (same as Protestant OT, but different order) were generally accepted.

Canon settled gradually; text still varied.

4. 2nd–6th Centuries CE – Rise of the Masoretic Tradition

• Jewish scribes called soferim carefully copied Torah scrolls.

• Competing Hebrew text traditions still existed, but the proto-Masoretic tradition became dominant.

• This was helped by Rabbinic Judaism rejecting the Septuagint, partly because Christians were using it.

• By the 4th–6th centuries CE, the proto-MT was the standard Hebrew Bible in Jewish communities.

The proto-MT won out as the authoritative text.

5. 6th–10th Centuries CE – The Masoretes

• Jewish scholars in Tiberias (Galilee) and Babylonia (esp. the Ben Asher family) developed the Masorah:

  • A precise system of vowel points, accents, and notes to preserve pronunciation and prevent scribal error.

  • They counted every word, letter, and verse for accuracy.

• The result: the Masoretic Text, essentially identical to the Hebrew Bible used in Judaism today.

• The oldest nearly complete copy: Aleppo Codex (10th c.) and Leningrad Codex (1008 CE).

By the 10th century, the MT was fixed and considered perfect.

Summary Timeline

• Before 70 CE: Many Hebrew/Greek versions (no single perfect text).

• 70–200 CE: Torah universally accepted; other books debated; proto-MT gains authority.

• 200–600 CE: Rabbinic Judaism consolidates; proto-MT becomes standard Hebrew text.

• 600–1000 CE: Masoretes add vowels/notes → Masoretic Text fixed.

• After 1000 CE: The MT is the universally recognized “perfect” Hebrew Bible in Judaism.