The Books of Truth

What will unlock the mysteries of Torah and the Prophets for us? The third major division of the Hebrew canon is called the Writings. The first section of the Writings contains the Books of Truth: Psalms, Proverbs, and Job. These three books introduce a variation in the musical scores. Their music illustrates the forms of the poetry. Like the Torah, the Psalter is divided into five books. They are an immense score, tightly tied together by the integrative power of the music over their carefully repeated words and phrases. Hear how note piles on note to say after the exit from Egypt (Psalm 114), go on immediately to the next psalm: Not to us Yahweh not to us, but to your name give glory… Let the simple learn the craft of music by singing the introduction to the Proverbs. Hear them with the music, because evidence they speak, and in the opening of the lips, uprightness. The story of Job is constructed using both the music of the Psalms and Proverbs for its speeches, and the music of the other 21 books for its prologue, epilogue, and the words of the narrator. The narrator is quite aware of the structure of the dialogues, as is illustrated by the music. The Books of Truth raise questions about how we are to hear and recite the Law and the Prophets. The Books of Truth is volume 5 of the series, The Hebrew Bible and Its Music.