The Old Testament is a compilation of religious writings by ancient Israelites. The Old Testament contains 39(Protestant) or 46(Catholic) books which are broadly divided into Pentateuch, the historical books, the wisdom books and the prophets. To the Israelites who were the authors of the Old Testament, the Old Testament reveals their relationship with God and their relationship with proselytes but Christians always believed and saw the Old Testament as a preparation or the foundation stone for the New Covenant or the New Testament.
The Old Testament and its constituent books can be divided into Pentateuch, which describe Israelites as the chosen people of God, the historical books describe the journey of the Israelites from their conquest of Cannan to their defeat and exile in Babylon, the wisdom books deal with the questions of good and evil in this world and the prophets warn us about the consequences of turning away from God.
