116 lines
7.2 KiB
HTML
116 lines
7.2 KiB
HTML
<html><head><title>The Authors of Scripture</title>
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<DIV CLASS="head">The Authors of Scripture</div>
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<DIV CLASS="subhead"><a id="toc"></A>Contents</div>
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<IMG SRC="./gifs/bluesquare.gif"> <a href="#1">Introduction</a><BR>
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<IMG SRC="./gifs/bluesquare.gif"> <a href="#2">Old Testament Authors</a><BR>
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<IMG SRC="./gifs/bluesquare.gif"> <a href="#3">New Testament Authors</a>
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<DIV CLASS="subhead"><a id="1"></A>Introduction</div>
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<DIV CLASS="desc-just"><DIV CLASS="pad2020">
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<p style="text-align:center"><b>Who were the authors of the Bible and when did they write?</b></p>
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<p>The identity of a book's author can sometimes give great insight into its meaning and intent. Some of the books of the Bible have easily identifiable authors while others remain a mystery to this very day. The list below provides a key to <I>probable</I> Biblical authorship.</p>
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<DIV CLASS="subhead">Old Testament Authors</div>
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<ul>
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<li>The Pentateuch (<b>Genesis</b>, <b>Exodus</b>, <b>Leviticus</b>, <b>Numbers</b>, and <b>Deuteronomy</b>) was written by Moses at the end of his life in the wilderness just prior to the Israelites' entry into Canaan.<br><br></li>
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<li><b>Joshua</b>, <b>Judges</b>, and <b>Ruth</b> were all likely written during (or immediately prior to) the kingly reign of David over Israel by unnamed, pro-David/anti-Saul, priestly historians.<br><br></li>
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<li>The large portion of the <b>Psalms</b> were written by King David before and during his reign over Israel. Other authors of Psalms include Moses (Psalm 90), Solomon (Psalms 72 and 127), the sons of Korah (Psalms 42-49; 84-85; and 87-88), the sons of Asaph (Psalms 50 and 73-83), and Ethan the Ezrahite (Psalm 89). A number of Psalms are also written anonymously.<br><br></li>
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<li>The books of <b>Proverbs</b> and <b>Song of Solomon</b> (also known as Canticles) were penned by King Solomon during his reign — though chapters 30 and 31 of Proverbs were written by Agur and Lemuel respectively.<br><br></li>
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<li>Though such a date and parentage is contestable, <b>Ecclesiastes</b> likely finds authorship in the Post-Exilic period and is written in the voice of the character of King Solomon. It may well be the last Biblical book written previous the New Testament.<br><br></li>
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<li>The prophetical books of <b>Isaiah</b>, <b>Hosea</b>, <b>Amos</b>, <b>Jonah</b>, <b>Micah</b>, <b>Nahum</b>, and <b>Zephaniah</b> were all written during the Kingdom Era by the prophets whose names are borne by the books' titles.<br><br></li>
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<li>The books of <b>Samuel</b> are anonymously written and probably came about during the Kingdom Era as well.<br><br></li>
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<li><b>Habakkuk</b> and <b>Joel</b> were probably written just prior the Babylonian capture of Jerusalem and were written by the prophets for whom the books are named.<br><br></li>
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<li>Jeremiah wrote both <b>Lamentations</b> and the book of <b>Jeremiah</b> and wrote over a course of years spanning the periods immediately preceding and succeeding the capture of Jerusalem.<br><br></li>
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<li><b>Obadiah</b> probably wrote just after the Exile in Babylon began, while <b>Ezekiel</b>'s and <b>Daniel</b>'s respective books spanned the entirety of Israel's 67-year captivity.<br><br></li>
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<li>The books of <b>Kings</b> were likely penned by their unknown author during the Exile.<br><br></li>
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<li>Ezra may have compiled both <b>Ezra</b> and <b>Nehemiah</b> and Jewish tradition names him the author of <b>Chronicles</b>, but whatever the case, the books were all written Post-Exile.<br><br></li>
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<li><b>Esther</b>, written after the Exile, was likely penned by a Persian Jew.<br><br></li>
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<li><b>Haggai</b>, <b>Zechariah</b>, and <b>Malachi</b> were all written after Israel's return from Babylonian and Persian captivity and their authors share names with the books' titles.<br><br></li>
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<li>The book of <b>Job</b> is of a quite ambiguous origin, but though the author remains anonymous, it too was probably authored during the Post-Exilic Era.
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</li>
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</ul>
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<DIV CLASS="return">
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<a href="#top">Return to Top</a><br>
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<a href="./h.html#2">Return to Theological FAQ Contents</a>
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</div>
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<DIV CLASS="subhead"><a id="3"></A>New Testament Authors</div>
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<DIV CLASS="main-just"><DIV CLASS="pad2020" >
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<ul>
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<li>Narratives:
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<ul>
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<li><b>The Gospel according to Matthew</b> was written by Matthew the tax collector.</li>
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<li><b>The Gospel according to Mark</b> was written by John-Mark.</li>
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<li><b>The Gospel according to Luke</b> was written by Luke the Physician.</li>
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<li><b>The Gospel according to John</b> was written by John the disciple that Jesus loved.</li>
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<li><b>The Acts of the Apostles</b> was written by Luke the Physician.</li>
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</ul>
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</li>
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<li>Epistles (or letters):
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<ul>
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<li>The Pauline Epistles are those written by Paul (Saul) of Tarsus:
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<ul>
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<li><b>Romans</b></li>
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<li><b>1 Corinthians</b></li>
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<li><b>2 Corinthians</b></li>
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<li><b>Galatians</b></li>
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<li><b>Ephesians</b></li>
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<li><b>Philippians</b></li>
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<li><b>Colossians</b></li>
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<li><b>1 Thessalonians</b></li>
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<li><b>2 Thessalonians</b></li>
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<li><b>1 Timothy</b></li>
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<li><b>2 Timothy</b></li>
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<li><b>Titus</b></li>
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<li><b>Philemon</b></li>
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</ul>
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</li>
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<li>The Peterine Epistles are those written by Peter of the Twelve:
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<li><b>1 Peter</b></li>
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<li><b>2 Peter</b></li>
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</li>
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<li>The Johanine Epistles are those written by John, the disciple that Jesus loved:
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<li><b>1 John</b></li>
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<li><b>2 John</b></li>
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<li><b>3 John</b></li>
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<li>And though sharing in three literary traditions—apocalyptic, prophetic, and epistolary—listing John's <b>Apocalypse</b> (also called Revelation) as an epistle will suit our purposes here. This was written by the same John as above.</li>
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</ul>
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</li>
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<li><b>The Book of James</b> was written most likely by James the brother of Jesus.</li>
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<li><b>The Book of Jude</b> was written by Jude the brother of James.</li>
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<li><b>The Epistle to the Hebrews</b> is written anonymously. Some people ascribe it to the Apostle Paul while others prefer Apollos. Most scholars lean toward someone other than Paul (simply because the grammar and use of certain key Pauline terms is markedly different from the whole body of his identified epistolary work). In the end, God didn't see the book's authorship as important to us (if He had, He would have identified the man He used in writing Hebrews), so any guess as to the identity of the author is mere speculation and should have no bearing upon our interpretation of the passages found within.</li>
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<a href="#top">Return to Top</a><br>
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<a href="./h.html#2">Return to Theological FAQ Contents</a>
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