Why do we listen to the Hebrew scriptures? Because it is important to understand our history as a people of God, in order to have faith, in the one sent by God. Jesus himself tells us, “I did not come to abolish the law and the prophets but to fulfill the law.”
The Old Testament can be divided into 5 books. The Pentateuch, which include the first five books of the Bible, which the Jewish people refer to as the “Torah” or the “Law” (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy) also included are the books of Joshua, Judges, and Ruth, the historical books of Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Tobit, Judith, Esther, and the Maccabees, the wisdom books of Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Wisdom, and Sirach, the prophetic books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Baruch, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habukkuk, Zephaniah, Haggi, Zechariah, and Malachi.

During the Easter season we hear from the Acts of the Apostles. The Acts of the Apostles records the history of the young church and its beginnings. It tells of the disciples reaching out to the Jews as well as the Gentiles to continue the work that Jesus began. Luke is the composer of this book and he continually links the promise of salvation from the Hebrew scriptures to the works of the Holy Spirit offering salvation to all people