philechat

Yes, I am reading the Good Book now. I am wondering when the Hebrew books of poems (Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Songs of Songs, and Job) were created, and whether there were multiple authorship for each book. Under which period were these works created? Were they created before or after the exile? Were they authentic Hebrew poetry or foreign imports?

Please respond!

Celsus

Hi Philechat,

They are not a unified whole: Psalms are liturgical poetry, while Proverbs, Job and Ecclesiastes are wisdom literature, but are all part of the Ketuvim, the last section of the Old Testament Canon to be closed (c.100CE at the Council of Jamnia). All of those books are late, possibly 4th-2nd century BCE compilations, although their sources may have been earlier, and indeed may trace back to their namesakes. They are probably a product of the "Wisdom Schools" attributed to Solomon in this period (although Solomon was 5 centuries earlier). All reached their present form in post-Exilic times.

You can see specifics on Job here.

For Psalms and Proverbs, internal evidence makes multiple authorship clear enough.

Joel