1.1.

Description of the minor division of the Old Testament

1. Books of Israel’s Beginnings. These are the Books of the Law, also known as The
Pentateuch. The first five books of the Bible, traditionally ascribed to Moses, are
historically named the "Pentateuch," since the second century A.D. "Penta" is from the
Greek prefix "Pente", meaning "five". So the "Pentateuch" means the "five rolls," denoting
the five scrolls these books were written upon. While the works of Moses are generally
considered "Law," the term originates from the Hebrew word torah meaning "instruction,"
and delineate the civil and religious instruction given by God to the Israelites.
2. Historical Books. These books contain the history of Israel, from the death of Moses to
the captivity of Israel by the Babylonians. While these books do contain the "history" of
Israel, they do not read like modern history books. The history of Israel is interpreted and
written in light of their theology and understanding, which states that God controls all acts
of history.
3. Poetry and Wisdom Books. These books contain wisdom maxims, poetry, prayers and
songs from the Hebrews. Some of the highlights and facts from the Poetry and Wisdom
books of the Bible include: Approximately one-third of the Old Testament is in poetic
form; Solomon, considered the wisest man to live in the Bible, contributes writings in the
Wisdom books; Rhyme is not a feature of Hebrew Poetry; and Contrast of the "wise" and
the "foolish" in the Wisdom books.
4. Books of the Prophets. There are 17 prophetic books of the Old Testament which may
further be divided into the Major and Minor prophets on the basis of the respective length
of each book. The distinction does not denote importance or theological contribution. We
know that the distinction between the Major and Minor prophets has been in place since
the time of St. Augustine (354-430 A.D.).The role of the prophet was to pronounce the
Word of God. Martin Luther states that contributions of the prophets are two-fold: 1. their
prophecies regarding salvation to come through the Promised Messiah and 2. the preaching
of the Law and the Commandments to the people.