The Old Testament is the first part of the Bible, the divinely-written history of God’s dealings with the people who lived in the land of Israel. It was written by the authors who were the descendants of the ancient Israelites. The book of Old Testament is a collection of sacred writings that were collected and edited by the Christian church. The Old Testament is made up of 39 books, called "the Pentateuch", and many smaller books that were written by the authors over a period of many years. The books of the Old Testament were not written by one author but by many authors over a long period of time.

The Old Testament begins with the creation of the world and the creation of the human race. The first human beings were created by God. They were the first to sin and to be cursed by God. God gave the first humans a special mission: to be the agents of His will and to demonstrate His power and authority.

The story of the human race unfolds in the land of Israel, a special place that was set by God as the site of His future dealings with the human race. God gave the human race a special mission, to be the agents of His will and to demonstrate His power and authority.