Why do Jewish people call the Bible the “Holy Scriptures”?

Given ubiquitous variance in language and culture, I’d prefer “Why do some people” do this or that? Emphasis: “some.” I’ll explain–and note they are saying much the same. Add to that, I’ll ask and answer: “Why do we people (i.e., the TLV Bible Society folk) not do so, and refer to our rendition as the “Tree of Life”?

The word “scripture” and “script” are cut from the same linguistic cloth, and refer simply to writing. In the case at hand, it’s “holy writing”–or “Holy Scripture.” Similarly, the word “bible” and “book” are cut from the same cloth. In this case, however, in hand isn’t just any ole book; rather, it’s “The Book,” or “The Bible.” The appellations endeavor to vest the books with The Sacred.

To the question, in both cases, the literature is appropriately represented as being head and shoulders above other writings. I affirm that, which brings me to why I also prefer distinguishing ours in referring to it as the “Tree of Life.”

While others understandably and appropriately title the Word in a way that connects it to the Divine, we, in addition, want to more directly connect it to the world–to the Jewish world, particularly. Sadly, others have intentionally and accidentally and tragically disconnected those worlds and obscured the words in the Word in the process. We off the fruit of our labors to reconnect long lost worlds and words.

The simple fact is that Jews construe the Word as the Tree of Life–as “Etz Chaim.” It’s sung in synagogues weekly. The language, itself, harks back to Eden and to a paradise lost. Standing both with–and to a certain extent within–the Jewish world, we endeavor to connect both testaments, and represent the Holy Scriptures, the Bible (call it what you will) in a way that directs people to paradise restored, drawing attention to the entrance to Eden all the while.