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Begin Typing VigilTwo types of Wisdom-literature may be distinguished in the OT. The earlier probably arose out of the popular wisdom of experience, couched in folk-stories and parables and polished into epigrammatic form by the reflection and literary skill of a professional class of wise men. This type is represented by the collections of maxims constituting our book, by certain parts of Ecclesiastes, by some of the Psalms, and by scattered parables and riddles embodied in the historical parts of the OT — e.g. the מָשָׁל of Jotham in Judges 9:9-21, and Samson's riddle. The later type, as seen in Job and the greater part of Ecclesiastes, and in one or two Psalms — e.g. Psalm 73 — represents the direction taken by the speculative thought of the Hebrew people, the discussion of the moral and religious problems raised by God's government of the universe.
The Book of Proverbs offers hardly any points of contact with this speculative activity, except in 8 and 30:1-4. It assumes the current orthodoxy, the existence of God, man's responsibility, the blessing of the righteous and the punishment of the wicked. Its general attitude is a sane, unspeculative optimism. The passion of the Psalms, the vision of the prophets, the doubts and despair of Ecclesiastes and Job, are all absent. Its negative characteristics are interesting. None of the national features of Hebrew history appear. Israel is not mentioned, the Law and the cultus are not referred to, events in the political or religious history are not celebrated. Temple, priest, and prophet find no place either for praise or blame. Idolatry is not once mentioned, and, except for the national name of the Deity, Yahweh, it would be hard to assign this book to any special Semitic people.
The title in 1:1 apparently assigns the authorship of the whole book to Solomon, but the existence of various smaller collections with separate titles shows that this title is either due to a late editor at a date when Solomon was regarded as the fount of all Hebrew wisdom — as all Hebrew psalmody was ascribed to David — or that it refers only to the first collection. Hence the literary analysis shows that Proverbs, like its great companion the Psalter, must have reached its present form through several stages of growth. The correctness of the titles is determined by the dates assigned to the collections.
This timeline includes all thirteen books that would come to be known as the Ketuvim (the Writings).