After the death of Alexander the Great in 323 B.C., Greek culture continued to spread through the areas his armies had conquered. During this time, a large amount of literature-including prose fiction, poetry, drama, biography, and history-was produced throughout the ancient world. Even though most literature of the period was probably meant to be read aloud, more and more people were learning to read for themselves. As Greek culture spread through Egypt, Asia Minor, and the ancient Near East, it became important for the Greek rulers to preserve their written texts. Libraries were founded in cities such as Alexandria in Egypt, Pergamum in Asia Minor, and the Macedonian court at Pella in northern Greece. Supported by kings, these libraries were places where Greek literature could be collected, organized, and preserved. The financial support (patronage) of writers, usually by kings or members of royal families, also created new forms of literature.

One of the most popular forms of literature in the Hellenistic world was the romance. These fictions written in prose combined legendary stories of adventure, love, and popular history. We know from surviving examples that often the main characters were faithful lovers, destined for marriage, who were separated by an accident or a scheme of some kind. Remaining true to each other, the couple eventually reunited after a series of fantastic adventures. In many cases, chance or supernatural events are important to the plot. Written at a time when whole populations were forced to live in foreign lands or among strangers, these romances provided entertainment, moral lessons, and sense of national identity and pride to those who read or heard them.

Many scholars have noted strong elements of historical romance in Tobit, Judith, Susanna, and Bel and the Dragon, and even in the New Testament book of Acts. Though these stories are presented as actual events set during the period of exile, they are clearly created using some fictional styles of writing. These stories are designed to encourage God's people to remain faithful to God's Law (or to the gospel, in the case of Acts) during a time of military oppression. In addition, such works often show a stronger role for women and a continued faith in God's justice. For example, Susanna (in the short book of Susanna) and Sarah (in Tobit) are shown to be honest and good; in Judith, the heroine is shown to be acting for God in the victory of the Jewish people; and Acts includes descriptions of important female leaders in the early church, such as Priscilla (Acts 18.1-26) and Lydia (Acts 16: 14,15).