THE WRITINGS

The third major component of the Hebrew Bible is not a sequential narrative but a collection of many different writings, including liturgical poetry (the Psalms), love poetry (Song of Solomon), wisdom literature (Proverbs, Book of Job, and Ecclesiastes) and historical works (I and II Chronicles, the Book of Ezra, and the Book of Nehemiah). The collection also includes the apocalyptic Book of Daniel and short stories including the Book of Ruth and the Book of Esther.

The word 'Psalms' is derived from the Greek psalmas, which means 'song.' In Hebrew, the Book is referred to as Tehilim, meaning 'songs of praise.' In fact, the Book of Psalms encompasses 150 liturgical hymns and poems that are organized in five separate collections. Many of the psalms are attributed to David, who was an accomplished musician and singer at the court of Saul before his own rise to the throne. However, biblical scholarship is divided on the issue of which psalms could, in fact, have been written by David. The hymns are also attributed to other figures, notably Asaph and the sons of Korah.

The psalms apparently served several purposes, including their use as hymns of praise, thanksgiving and instruction as well as lamentations by the congregation during times of worship. Scholars generally agree that this corpus of songs was developed and expanded over a long period of time, possibly going back as far as the Davidic period itself. This is suggested by, among others, the subtitle of Psalm 18 that is "addressed...to the Lord on the day when the Lord delivered (David) from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul."

The Book of Chronicles contains a historical narrative of the people of Israel that generally runs parallel to the books of Samuel (I and II) and Kings (I and II). In fact, it appears that the author(s) of Chronicles used these books as one of the primary sources for their work. However, Chronicles is written from the perspective of the southern state of Judah, as the Northern Kingdom is only referred to in passing. Chronicles has extensive material on David and Solomon and is at pains to establish the Temple of Jerusalem as the only legitimate site of worship.

The Book of Daniel narrates the visions of a Jewish captive named Daniel who has been taken into exile in Babylon. His is an apocalyptic vision that promises ultimate salvation to those who remain faithful to God, despite the many years of hardship that Jews have to endure. The book assumes that these hardships are part of God's plan to punish Israel for its many transgressions against the Law, but also to save those who are willing to repent. As such, the book anticipates the theme of many writings in the intertestamental period.

Scholarship generally assumes that the Book of Daniel was written in the second century BCE, when Judah (or Judea as it was now known) was ruled by Seleucid kings from Syria. Specifically, Antiochus IV suspended the Jews' right of worship and enforced a thorough Hellenization of Judea that, among others, involved the use of the Temple in Jerusalem for worship to the Greek god Zeus. This persecution sparked the Maccabean rebellion that is chronicled in the Book of the Maccabees.

By placing the narrative of Daniel at the time of the Babylonian Captivity, the author was able to present these contemporary events as a prophecy of the future, confident in his faith that Israel would ultimately prevail. Scholars believe that verse 21 through 45 in Chapter 11 specifically refers to the evil deeds of Antiochus IV.