‖ Hagiographa, n. pl.
(hægɪˈɒgrəfə)
[late L., a. Gr. ἅγιόγραϕα, f. ἅγιος holy + γραϕή writing, -γραϕος writing, written.]
The Greek name (lit. ‘sacred writings’) of the last of the three great divisions of the Hebrew Scriptures (called in Heb. k'thūbīm writings) comprising all the books not included under the two divisions of ‘the Law’ and ‘the Prophets’.
These are Psalms, Proverbs, Job; Canticles, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther; Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, Chronicles.
| 1583 Fulke Defence (Parker Soc.) 24 These books..are sometimes called Hagiographa. 1649 Roberts Clavis Bibl. 501 The Hebrews dividing the whole Scripture into three parts, viz., The Law, the Prophets, and Hagiographa. 1860 Horne's Introd. Knowl. Script. (L.), In all there are twenty-two books of the old law; that is, five books of Moses, eight of the prophets, and nine of the Hagiographa. 1884 D. Hunter tr. Reuss' Hist. Canon i. 10 In the time of Josephus the books called the Hagiographa were not yet gathered into a clearly defined collection. |
Hence hagiˈographal a., of or pertaining to the Hagiographa.
| 1657 J. Cosin Canon Script. 152 (T.) Strabus..saith that Tobit is to be set among the apocryphal books, and not among the hagiographal. 1732 Stackhouse Hist. Bible (1767) IV. 284 In the number of hagiographal writers. |