=14.= (1.) =The Books of the Law.=--The first five books in the Bible are collectively designated as the _Pentateuch_ (_pente_--five, _teuxos_--volume); and were known among the early Jews as the _Torah_, or the law. Their authorship is traditionally ascribed to Moses,[750] and in consequence the "Five Books of Moses" is another commonly used designation. They give the history, brief though it be, of the human race from the creation to the flood, and from Noah to Israel; then a more particular account of the chosen people through their period of Egyptian bondage; thence during the journey of four decades in the wilderness to the encampment on the farther side of Jordan. [750] Ezra vi, 18; vii, 6; Neh. viii, 1; John vii, 19. =15.= (2.) =The Historical Books=, twelve in number, comprise the following: Joshua, Judges, Ruth, I and II Samuel, I and II Kings, I and II Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther. They tell the story of the Israelites entering the land of promise, and their subsequent career through three distinct periods of their existence as a people:--(1) as a theocratic nation, with a tribal organization, all parts cemented by ties of religion and kinship; (2) as a monarchy, at first a united kingdom, later a nation divided against itself; (3) as a partly conquered people, their independence curtailed by the hand of their victors. =16.= (3.) =The Poetical Books= number five: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon. They are frequently spoken of as the doctrinal or didactic works, and the Greek designation Hagiographa (_hagios_--holy, and _graphe_--a writing) is still applied.[751] These are of widely different ages, and their close association in the Bible is probably due to their common use as guides in devotion amongst the Jewish churches. [751] As stated, the Hagiographa, or "sacred writings," are generally understood to include the five poetical works of the Old Testament. By some authorities, the list is extended to include all the books mentioned in the Talmud as hagiographa; viz., Ruth, Chronicles, Ezra and Nehemiah, Esther, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Lamentations, and Daniel. =17.= (4.) =The Books of the Prophets= comprise the five larger works of Isaiah, Jeremiah, the Lamentations of Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel, commonly known as the works of the _Major Prophets_; and the twelve shorter books of Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, known to Bible scholars as the books of the _Minor Prophets_. These give the burden of the Lord's word to His people, encouragement, warning and reproof, as suited their condition, before, during, and after their captivity.[752] [752] See Note 4.