The Books of Ruth, Esther, Ecclesiastes, The Song of Songs, Lamentations: The Five Scrolls

The five Old Testament books dealt with in this volume of the Commentary occupied a special place in Hebrew tradition as selected readings for major festivals and were accordingly brought together in Hebrew manuscripts to form a group of five scrolls. The books of The Five Scrolls vary greatly; debate about their holiness and authority is recorded from the second century AD onwards, and they pose many problems of interpretation today.