THE POETICAL BOOKS

1
THE POETICAL BOOKS

• JOB
• PSALMS
• PROVERBS
• ECCLESIASTES
• SONG OF SOLOMON

2
POETICAL BOOKS (cont.)

• WHEN COMPARED TO OTHER DIVI-SIONS OF THE BIBLE
  (SUCH AS THE PENTATEUCH OR HISTORICAL BOOKS),
  THESE DO NOT FORM A COHERENT UNIT.

3
POETICAL BOOKS (cont.)

• CONSIST OF A VARIETY OF LITERARY FORMS WRITTEN OR
  COLLECTED DURING DIFFERENT PERIODS, AND WHICH
  TOOK MANY CENTURIES TO ACHIEVE THEIR PRESENT
  ORDER POSITION.

4
POETICAL BOOKS (cont.)

• ONE THING THAT DOES LINK THE BOOKS IS A
  TRADITIONAL ATTRIBU-TION TO OR ASSOCIATION W/
  EITHER DAVID OR SOLOMON.

5
POETICAL BOOKS (cont.)

• IN HEBREW SCRIPTURE THESE ARE PART OF THE THIRD
  FINAL SEC-TION CALLED THE WRITINGS.

6
POETICAL BOOKS (cont.)

• JOB, PROVERBS, ECCLESIASTES POP-ULARLY REFERRED
  TO IN MODERN TIMES AS WISDOM LITERATURE.

7
WISDOM LITERATURE (cont.)

• TRADITIONALLY ATTRIBUTED TO SOL-OMON (AS PSALMS
  WERE ATTRIBUTED TO DAVID), THESE BOOKS DO NOT
  FOCUS ON ISRAEL BUT RATHER ON UNIVERSAL HUMAN
  CONCERNS.

8
WISDOM LIT. (cont.)

• UNIFYING CONCERN IS CONVEYING LESSONS IN CONDUCT,
  SPEECH, ETC. NECESSARY FOR ATTAINING A HAPPY
  PROSPEROUS LIFE AND DIVINE APPROVAL.

9
WISDOM LIT. (cont.)

• SAYINGS PARABLES OF JESUS ARE GROUNDED IN THE
  TRADITION OF WISDOM LITERATURE.