The Old Testament of the Judeo-Christian Bible tells the story of the Hebrew people—later called “Jews” or “Israelites”—from the creation of the world through the promulgation of the Law (based on the Ten Commandments), and into their tribal history in the Near East and Palestine. The Old Testament contains books of law, history, wisdom, prophecy, as well as a collection of “novellas,” containing instructional or edifying stories that tell of Jewish heroes dealing with exceptional challenges or adversity.