The Hebrew scriptures have been preserved for over 3,000 years, primarily in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. The Old Testament is not just a theological canon of Scripture, but the history of Judaism and the Jewish people. Scripture arises in a community of believers as a result of positive and/or negative pressures. Often, ancient cultures were forced to consolidate their oral stories and traditions into writing due to internal or external pressures. In Judaism, several factors led to the creation of the holy scripture, the Tanakh, which eventually became the Old Testament. The formation of the nation Israel acted as a positive internal pressure, as people wanted to celebrate and remember their heritage, and it satisfied the practical use of court documents. Eventually the Greeks took over, followed by the Romans, and the destruction of the temple during the failed First Revolt acted as a negative external pressure on the Jews to write down what they had before their memory was lost. The death of the first generation of disciples increased the urgency of consolidating their tradition in writing. The events of the Old Testament explain God's relationship with the people through numerous Covenants that grant authority; they are the communication relationships between God and his people. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay A covenant is an agreement of promises and obligations. However, it is not necessary to explicitly define it as a covenant. God did not call his first covenant by name. He created a perfect relationship with Adam and Eve that revolved around obedience. In exchange, they were promised everything they would need to live in the Garden of Eden. Unfortunately, temptation got the better of Adam and Eve, who ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, breaking the covenant. Their perfect relationship with God was broken because they turned away from Him and disorder struck the world. God later makes a covenant with the people of the world through Noah after he floods the Earth. However, once again people turn away from God due to a breakdown in communication and disorder enters the world again. People try to mend the relationship at the Tower of Babel, but this fails and God scatters and confuses people; He will not make a pact with all mankind again. Instead, around 1800 BCE, God makes a covenant with Abraham and his descendants. They are His chosen people, and God promises them blessings, a promised land, and many descendants if they follow His word. Abraham becomes the father of Judaism and a model of faith and obedience. Twelve tribes of Israel developed and moved into Egypt, where a pharaoh began using them as forced labor. Around 1280 BC was the time of Moses, who was called to leadership and became known as one of the greatest prophets. He delivered the 10 Commandments to the people from Mount Sinai, the first time God offered His side of a covenant, rather than simply telling the people what to do. After Moses' death, Joshua took command and led Israel through periods of fighting with the Moabites and Ammonites, where the fractured community eventually asked for a King. David united the tribes into a monarchy and was a good ruler; God made a covenant with him that one of his descendants would always be king, known as the House of David. God also promised that if his people could not defend themselves and needed a savior, he would send the Messiah. This became known as messianic expectation. Over the next 900 years, the tribes of Israel fell apart and were subjected to numerous empires. Even if they built a.