Dr Matt Baker explores the authorship and themes of the Ketuvim, or Writings, in the Jewish Tanakh, including Psalms, Proverbs, and more.

Key Insights

🔄 Literary vs. Historical: Many texts are not strict historical accounts but rather literary explorations of faith and morality, encouraging readers to seek deeper meanings.

📖 Proverbs Structure: Proverbs is a collection of sayings, traditionally attributed to Solomon, but likely compiled over time by various authors.

💔 Lamentations’ Grief: Traditionally linked to Jeremiah, this book mourns Jerusalem’s destruction, structured in acrostics.

🎉 Esther’s Unique Nature: Esther is notable for not mentioning God and is seen as a comedic narrative set in the Persian period.

🎤 Diverse Authorship: Recognizing the multiple authors of texts like Psalms and Proverbs invites deeper appreciation for the variety of perspectives in the biblical narrative.

Further reading:

• Alter, Robert (2011). The Art of Biblical Narrative. Basic Books.
• Baden, Joel (2012). The Composition of the Pentateuch: Renewing the Documentary Hypothesis. Yale University Press.
• Coogan, Michael (2001) The Oxford History of the Biblical World. Oxford University Press
• Finkelstein, Israel & Neil Asher Silberman (2001). The Bible Unearthed. Free Press.
• Kugel, James (2007). How to Read the Bible. Free Press.
• Stein, Robert H. (2001). Studying the Synoptic Gospels: Origin and Interpretation. Baker Academic.”

Dr. Matt Baker is the founder of UsefulCharts and the creator of its educational wall charts. Matt holds a Ph.D Religion and a B.A. in Theology. In his personal life Matt is a practicing member of Reformed Judiasim.