The Sibylline Oracles are a collection of prophetic texts, not written by a single author but compiled over many centuries. They were produced anonymously by Jewish and later Christian writers, from roughly the 2nd century BCE to the 7th century CE. The authors adopted the well-known Greco-Roman figure of the Sibyl, a mythical prophetess, to present their own religious teachings. This was a form of cross-cultural propaganda, using a respected pagan literary style to argue for Jewish monotheism and, later, Christian doctrine.

The collection is a complex composite of poetry. The standard surviving version contains 12 or 14 books, though the original was larger and much has been lost. The books were written in different eras: the core Jewish prophecies (like Books 3-5) date from before and after the turn of the Common Era, while other books are Christian compositions from the 2nd to 4th centuries CE. The final compilation of the collection as we know it likely occurred in the 6th or 7th century CE.

According to modern scholars, the Oracles are historically significant as a major example of religious adaptation in the ancient world. They show how Jewish and Christian communities engaged with Greco-Roman culture, using its own forms to critique it and promote their faith. Early Christian writers often quoted them as if they were authentic pagan predictions of Christian truth, which gave the texts considerable authority. Their influence extended from antiquity through the Renaissance, preserving the Sibyl as a powerful symbol of ancient prophecy.