The name 'Festive Scrolls' may not be immediately familiar to us because of the arrangement of the books of the Old Testament in our Bibles. The five books of Ruth, Esther, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, and Lamentations don't seem to be connected in way what so ever! However, in the Hebrew Old Testament these five books are grouped together in the section of the Bible known as Wisdom literature. They were called the Festive Scrolls (or Megilloth) because they were set to be read at temple or synagogue for one of the five festivals in Israel's annual life. Along with the Psalms, these were the only parts of the Wisdom Literature that were used in temple worship in Israel. The five scrolls were set for the following festivals:

• Song of Songs - Passover
• Ruth - Pentecost
• Lamentations - Remembrance of the Temple's Destruction
• Ecclesiastes - Tabernacles
• Esther - Purim

Some of these festivals are commanded in the Scriptures, and others grew out of Israel's experience. The association of the scrolls with the festivals enriched Israel's worship and brought the active Word of God to them so that the festivals were not simply parties or rituals, but a dynamic encounter with the living God.