Heptateuch

This article is about the first seven books of the Hebrew Bible. For the seven treatises of Manichaeism, see Manichaean scripture.

The Heptateuch (seven containers) is a name sometimes given to the first seven books of the Hebrew Bible. The seven books are Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua and Judges. The first four of these are sometimes called the Tetrateuch, the first five are commonly known as the Torah or the Pentateuch, the first six as the Hexateuch. With the addition of the Book of Ruth, these eight books are known as the Octateuch. The "Enneateuch" is the Heptateuch plus the Books of Samuel and the Books of Kings (each pair of books counted as one, and not including the Book of Ruth).

Augustine of Hippo produced a piece called Questions on the Heptateuch. Ælfric of Eynsham produced an Old English version of the Heptateuch.

Cyprianus Gallus rendered the Heptateuch into Latin verse in the 5th century.

See also

• Old English Hexateuch
• Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses

Further reading

• Jean-Louis Ska (2006). "1A. Tetrateuch, Pentateuch, Hexateuch, or Enneateuch?". Introduction to Reading the Pentateuch. Winona Lake, Indiana: Eisenbrauns. pp. 3–8. ISBN 978-1-57506-122-1.
• Samuel J. Crawford, ed. (1969). The Old English Version of the Heptateuch, Ælfric's Treatise on the Old and New Testament and His Preface to Genesis'. EETS Old Series. Vol. 160. London: Oxford University Press.
• Iosephus Zycha, ed. (1895). Sacti Avreli Avgvstini Quaetionvm in Heptatevchvm libri VII. Adnotationvm in Iob liber vnvs. Sancti Avreli Avgvstini Opera. Vol. sectio III, pars 3. Vindobonae: F. Tempsky.