Use of the term “Tanakh”
I seem to see the word “Tanakh” used all the time these days to refer to the Jewish scriptures.
Growing up in the 1980s and 1990s, I am not really sure that I remember the term at all though.
My family were what I assume was a fairly average low-burn moderately observant Orthodox house (United, for those who know British Jewry). We attended schul and weekly cheder. In the house we had three Chumashim, three siddurs, and one complete set of machzorim, in each case with Hebrew text with English translation, and the standard basic commentary for United synagogues. We also had a Hebrew only book containing the entire Jewish scriptures without commentary called “Mikraot” which my father had inherited as a boy (so 1940s). I think that the only English translation of the entirety of Jewish scriptures in the house was a King James Bible that I had around to read as literature for school purposes.
I have no memory of the term “Tanakh” being used conversationally or in cheder (although I was familiar with the words, Torah, Neviim and Ketuvim), or of books bearing that title on their spines.
I mostly remember references to “Torah” (in the wider sense).
When it came to referring specifically to the Jewish scriptures as a whole, I think people just used “Bible” or “Scriptures”. I don’t remember encountering the term “Tanakh” until I was 17 when my little brother was bar mitzvahed and the Schul gifted him an ArtScroll Tanakh with translation.
Having researched it, I don’t think that the word “Tanakh” is a modern one, and I can see that books with this name have been in print for centuries. Obviously it is an acronym for a three part taxonomy that has been in use since the ancient world. I just don’t remember hearing it used or seeing it as a kid.
Maybe this just reflects the fact that Jews at the time didn’t tend to talk about “the whole thing” so much, instead defaulting to “Torah”, or own a single volume book containing all scriptures, as opposed to a practical use Chumash. And potentially in the 1980s interfaith discussions were limited enough that no one needed to use a Jewish term to contrast with the Christian “Old Testament” concept. Alternatively, perhaps my memory is just defective. I definitely do think that bilingual copies of books entitled “Tanakh” might have been rarer items than they are today.
But I would be interested in older posters’ views on whether the term “Tanakh” has become more common in recent decades, both in publishing and in daily conversation between Jews.
Note: Some edits to clear up misunderstandings.