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				Brief Overview of the Poetry & Wisdom Literature First, click the link to take quick look at the complete Contents Page of the Bible (or use your own bible), and then come back to here again. If you are a beginner, use the Contents Page constantly, like a map. It really is the quickest and easiest way to get used to the overall shape of things and see the big picture.
Old Testament Links: * Bible Intro * Pentateuch * The History * Poetry & Wisdom * The Prophets
				1. JOB This is a story set way back during the period of the Patriarchs in the very first book in the Bible – Genesis. Remember everything in the Old Testament from now on fits into what has already been talked about. The Book of Job is a dramatic story that raises the eternal question, ‘Why do bad things happen to good people?’ Job asks this question of God and God gives him an answer, but it’s not quite what Job expected!
Bible Contents Page
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				2. PSALMS Psalms are hymns; prayers put to music. And the Book of Psalms is just exactly that – a hymn book. It was the Jewish Hymn Book of the time, and these beautiful psalms are still used today. Many of the psalms were written by King David, many were collected by him, and the complete collection is called the Psalter. Like prayers and hymns today, they were written for a variety of reasons, and sung for a variety of occasions. They fall into a number of interesting categories, and the Hebrew poetic structure also makes fascinating study.
				3. PROVERBS Proverbs that were written back then are like proverbs today – short sayings that express some kind of underlying practical truth, often written in a novel or witty way. Just as we have amusing Life’s Little Instruction type books, so too did the people of the Old Testament times. And the Book of Proverbs is just that – a collection of little wise sayings that cover an enormous variety of subjects. Many of the proverbs were written by King Solomon, and many were collected by him. Those collected by him were written by sages (wise men) way back during the period of the Patriarchs (Book of Genesis). It’s amazing to see how many of the famous saying that we use today originated with these incredibly ancient proverbs!
				4. ECCLESIASTES The word ‘Ecclesiastes’ means ‘Philosopher’. The book is said to have been written by King Solomon, and it’s a search for the meaning of life. He doesn’t always come up with answers, but he does come up with an unexpected and very interesting conclusion!
				5. SONG OF SONGS This book is sometimes called ‘Song of Solomon’, and just to confuse you further, it used to be called ‘Canticles’. King Solomon is also credited with the authorship of this book, and it takes the form of a very beautiful series of love poems – exotic and very passionate.
				Well, congratulations again! You have just made your way through the third section of the Old Testament. Just ‘The Prophets’ to go! Remember to check out the Contents Page of your Bible, or click on the Contents Page on the left . . . just to refocus on the Big Picture again. If you would like to join us for the final leg of the Old Testament and, in a quick-n-simple way, find out how to make general sense of The Prophets, then click the button below and come with us.
Schematic Diagram Old Testament Story
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						Brief overview of the Prophets Click Here