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Why are the 12 Minor Prophets counted as one book in the Hebrew Bible?
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biblical literature
Two-page spread of the Book of Ecclesiastes from Johannes Gutenberg's 42-line Bible, c. 1450ā55.
In the Hebrew Bible, the 12 Minor ProphetsāHosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachiāare consolidated into a single book known as The Twelve.12
This grouping exists because these prophetic works were historically written on a single scroll. By being recorded together on one scroll, they were traditionally reckoned as one book within the Nevi'im (Prophets) division of the Hebrew canon. While many Christian traditions treat each of these as a separate book in the Old Testament, the Hebrew Bible maintains this unified structure, which serves as the final book among the eight that comprise the Prophets.231