HAGIOGRAPHIA, a name given to part of the books of scripture, called by the Jews Cetuvim. The word is compounded of hagios "holy;" and graphein "I write." The name is very ancient: St. Jerome makes frequent mention of it: before him, St. Epiphanius called these books simply Prophetia.
The Jews divide the sacred writings into three classes: The Law, which comprehends the five books of Moses: The Prophets, which they call Neviim: And the Cetuvim נביאים, called by the Greeks, &c. Hagiographa; comprehending the book of Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Daniel, Ezra, including also the book of Nehemiah, Chronicles, Canticles, Ruth, the Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, and Esther.
The Jews sometimes call these books the Writings, by way of eminence, as being written by immediate inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Thus says Kimchi, in his preface to the Psalms, Maimonides in More Nevoch, and Elias Levita in his Thibbi, under the word נביאים.
They distinguish the hagiographers, however, from the prophets; in that the authors of the former did not receive the matters contained in them by the way called Prophecy, which consists in dreams, visions, whispers, ecstasies, &c. but by mere inspiration and direction of the Spirit.