Final answer:
The word that fits the definition of a collection of shorter oral messages publicly proclaimed by prophets to the people of Israel or Judah is 'anthology'. This term is used to describe collections of writings or messages, often found in religious scriptures such as the Bible or the Qur'an.
Step-by-step explanation:
The word that fits the definition of a collection of shorter units, usually oral messages that prophets have proclaimed publicly to the people of Israel or Judah, is anthology. An anthology is a published collection of writings (such as poems or short stories) by different authors. In the context of religious texts like those of the Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, it refers specifically to collections of messages or writings. In the history of Judaism, this would refer to the collections of proclamations made by prophets during significant periods such as the times before the Assyrian invasion of Israel through the Babylonian Captivity.
Christianity similarly has collections of prophetic messages, and Islam has the Qur'an, which includes messages proclaimed by the Prophet Muhammad. While the Qur'an means "recitation" suggesting a primary oral tradition, it was later compiled into a textual format. The public proclamations of biblical prophets are often anthologized in religious scriptures, for example, prophets' messages found in the Old Testament of the Bible, or the Nevi'im, a major section of the Hebrew Bible that contains the books of the prophets.