The Unity of the Book of Lamentations ELIE ASSIS Bar-Ilan University Ramat-Gan 52900, Israel THE BOOK OF LAMENTATIONS is made up of five poems lamenting the destruction of Judah and Jerusalem in the year 587 B.C.E. (hereinafter referred to as “the Destruction”). Each of the first four poems has a complete and distinct acrostic structure. In this article I will discuss the unity of the book and the nature of the connection among the five poems. In this context, a distinction must be made between the question of single authorship and the literary unity of the book. Many scholars argue that differences in content, historical background, and style prove that these poems were composed by different authors at different times. In Max Löhr’s opinion, chaps. 2 and 4 are similar in content and form and are superior poetically and ideologically. Therefore, they are considered to be the earliest in the collection; they describe the events of the Destruction and were written by an eyewitness circa 580 B.C.E. Chapters 1 and 5 are characterized by emphasis on transgression and reflect a later period; they were written circa 540 B.C.E. Chapter 3 is characterized by an artificial style, and specific historical details are missing. It is therefore the latest in the collection. It was written circa 325 B.C.E., and its author was responsible for the final redaction of the collection. 1 Scholars have cited also differences in meter and in the type of acrostic among the poems as proof of different authors. In contrast to the other poems, chap. 3 is a triple acrostic and chap. 5 is not an acrostic. In chaps. 1, 2, and 3, each stanza is An earlier version of this paper was read at the summer meeting of the Society for Old Tes- tament Study in July 2005 in Edinburgh. I would like to acknowledge the generous support of Beit Shalom, Japan, in preparing this research. 1 Max Löhr, Die Klagelieder des Jeremias (HKAT; Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1906) xiv-xv. For variations of this approach, see, e.g., Robert Gordis, The Song of Songs and Lamentations: A Study, Modern Translation and Commentary (rev. and augm. ed.; New York: Ktav, 1974) 126-27. 306