e books categorized as "Writings" in the HB (Ruth, Esther, 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah), and several books not found in the HB (Judith, Tobit, 1 & 2 Maccabees, and sometimes 1 Esdras and 3 & 4 Maccabees).
Poetic Books - includes some of the miscellaneous "Writings" of the HB (Psalms, Proverbs, Song of Solomon, Ecclesiastes, and Job) and several more books not found in the HB (Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach/Ecclesiasticus, and often Psalm 151, Odes, and Psalms of Solomon).
Prophetic Books - placed at the end as a fourth category; include not only the "Latter Prophets" of the HB (first the Minor Prophets, counted as 12 separate books, followed by the three Major Prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel), but also the books of Daniel and Lamentations (considered "Writings" in the HB), and a few other writings associated with Jeremiah and Daniel but not found in the HB (Baruch, Letter of Jeremiah, Susanna, Bel & the Dragon).
Deuterocanonical Books / OT Apocrypha - seven (or more) books that are in the LXX but not in the HB (Tobit, Judith, 1 & 2 Maccabees, Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus, Baruch - think of the mnemonic "T. J. McWEB"), as well as some additions to the books of Esther and Daniel (longer in LXX than in HB). These texts are considered part of the biblical canon by Orthodox and Catholic Christians (although recognized as later additions, and thus called "Deuterocanonical," meaning a "second canon"), but they are not considered canonical by Jews and most Protestant Christians today (who call them "Apocryphal"). Some Protestant Bibles include the Apocrypha in a separate section between the OT and NT; some Orthodox Bibles have even more books, which are not considered canonical by Catholics (1 & 2 Esdras, 3 & 4 Maccabees, Psalm 151, etc.).
Overview Chart: see my comparison of the arrangement of the HB/OT books in Jewish, Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant versions of the Bible.
Shorthand Summary: LXX = the ancient Greek translation of HB books + the "Apocrypha" or "Deuterocanonical Books."
Non-Biblical Ancient Jewish Literature:
Pseudepigrapha - refers broadly to other ancient Jewish writings which are not part of the HB nor of the LXX, but are often attributed to a biblical figure (e.g. Jubilees, 1 Enoch, the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs, etc.). They were popular among ancient Jews, and thus are very valuable for historical purposes, even if they were never considered biblical by most people.
Inter-Testamental Literature - another collective term for an even broader range of Jewish literature written "between" the Old Testament and the New Testament.
Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS) - several collections of ancient writings (2nd century BCE to 2nd century CE) discovered between 1947 and 1956 in various caves near the NW shores of the Dead Sea; most famous are the large scrolls and numerous small fragments found in eleven caves near the ruins at Khirbet Qumran, associated by most scholars with the Essenes (a monastic group in Ancient Judaism); although copies of most books of the Hebrew Bible were also found there, more important are the original writings of the Essene/Qumran group itself.
Philo - an important Jewish writer who lived in Alexandria in the early 1st cent. CE (roughly contemporary with Jesus); he used Greek philosophical language and images to interpret Jewish biblical traditions (and vice-versa).
Josephus - the most important Jewish historian from the late 1st century CE; he was a general at the beginning of the First Jewish War against Rome, but surrendered early and then wrote a history of the "Jewish War," as well as a large history of his people, entitled "The Antiquities of the Jews."
Rabbinic Literature - various collections of Jewish writings from the 3rd through 7th centuries CE, although they contain some traditions attributed to earlier rabbis, including some famous contemporaries of Jesus. Many Orthodox and Conservative Jews believe that the chain of tradition goes all the way back to Moses, who received both the written Torah (the Bible) and the Oral Torah (other traditions) from God at Mount Sinai. The mos