Authors of the Bible
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Authors of the Bible are listed by book of the Bible, comparing the writer according to Christian tradition with what current scholarship proposes.
Contents |
[edit] Old Testament
Book | Author according to tradition |
Author according to scholarship |
---|---|---|
Book of Genesis | Moses | Various authors from 9th century BC to last fifth century BC, including the Jahwist, Elohist, Deuteronomist and the Priestly sources[1] |
Exodus | ||
Leviticus | ||
Numbers | ||
Deuteronomy | ||
Joshua | Joshua with a portion by Phinehas or Eleazar | Deuteronomist using material from the Yahwist and Elohist |
Judges | Samuel | Deuteronomist |
Ruth | Samuel | A later author, writing after the time of David |
1 Samuel | Samuel, Gad, and Nathan | Deuteronomist or a combination of a Jerusalem source, republican source, the court history of David, the sanctuaries source, the monarchial source, and the material of various editors who combined these sources |
2 Samuel | ||
1 Kings | Perhaps Ezra | Deuteronomist |
2 Kings | ||
1 Chronicles | Ezra | The Chronicler, writing between 450 and 435 BC, after the Babylonian captivity |
2 Chronicles | ||
Ezra | Ezra | The Chronicler, writing between 450 and 435 BC, after the Babylonian captivity |
Nehemiah | Nehemiah using some material by Ezra | The Chronicler, writing between 450 and 435 BC, after the Babylonian captivity |
Tobit | A writer in the second century BC | |
Judith | Eliakim (Joakim), the high priest of the story | |
Esther | The Great Assembly using material from Mordecai | An unknown author writing between 460 and 331 BC |
1 Maccabees | A devout Jew from the Holy Land. | An unknown Jewish author, writing around 100 BC |
2 Maccabees | Based on the writing of Jason of Cyrene | An unknown author, writing in the second or first century BC |
3 Maccabees | An Alexandrian Jew writing in Greek in the first century BC or first century AD | |
4 Maccabees | Josephus | An Alexandrian Jew writing in the first century BC or first century AD |
Job | Moses | A writer in the 4th century BC. |
Psalms | Mainly David and also Asaph, sons of Korah, Moses, Heman the Ezrahite, Ethan the Ezrahite and Solomon | Various authors recording oral tradition. Portions from 1000BC to 200BC. |
Proverbs | Solomon, Agur son of Jakeh, Lemuel and other wise men | An editor compiling from various sources well after the time of Solomon |
Ecclesiastes | Solomon | A Hebrew poet of the third or second centuries BC using the life of Solomon as a vista for the Hebrews' pursuit of Wisdom. An unknown author in Hellenistic period from two older oral sources (Eccl1:1-6:9 which claims to be Solomon, Eccl6:10-12:8 with the theme of non-knowing) |
Song of Solomon | Solomon | |
Wisdom | Solomon | An Alexandrian Jew writing during the Jewish Hellenistic period |
Sirach | Jesus the son of Sirach of Jerusalem | |
Isaiah | Isaiah | Three main authors and an extensive editing process. Is1-39 "Historical Isaiah" with multiple layers of editing. Is40-55 Exilic & Is56-66 post-exilic. |
Jeremiah | Jeremiah | Baruch ben Neriah[2] |
Lamentations | Jeremiah | Disupted and perhaps based on the older Mesopotamian genre of the "city lament", of which the Lament for Ur is among the oldest and best-known |
Letter of Jeremiah | Jeremiah | A Hellenistic Jew living in Alexandria |
Baruch | Baruch ben Neriah | An author writing during or shortly after the period of the Maccabees |
Ezekiel | Ezekiel | Disputed, with varying degrees of attribution to Ezekiel |
Daniel | Daniel | An editor in the fourth century to mid-second century BC |
Hosea | Hosea | |
Joel | Joel | |
Amos | Amos | |
Obadiah | Obadiah | |
Jonah | Jonah | Possibly a post-exilic (after 530 BC) editor recording oral traditions passed down from the eighth century BC |
Micah | Micah | The first three chapters by Micah and the remainder by a later writer |
Nahum | Nahum | |
Habakkuk | Habakkuk | |
Zephaniah | Zephaniah | Disputed; possibly a writer after the time period indicated by the text |
Haggai | Haggai | |
Zechariah | Zechariah | Zechariah (chapters 1-8); the later remaining designated Deutero-Zechariah, were possibly written by disciples of Zechariah |
Malachi | Malachi or Ezra | Possibly the author of Deutero-Zechariah |
[edit] New Testament
Book | Author according to tradition |
Author according to scholarship |
---|---|---|
Matthew | Matthew the Evangelist | An author who borrowed from both Mark and a source called Q |
Mark | Mark the Evangelist | Perhaps Mark (John Mark), follower of Peter. |
Luke | Luke the Evangelist | Luke, or an unknown author who borrowed from both Mark and a source called Q |
John | John the Apostle or John the Evangelist | An unknown author with no direct connection to the historical Jesus Jn 21 finished after death of primary author by follower(s) |
Acts | Luke the Evangelist | The author of Luke, possibly named Luke |
Romans | Paul the Apostle | Paul the Apostle |
1 Corinthians | ||
2 Corinthians | ||
Galatians | ||
Ephesians | Paul the Apostle | Paul the Apostle or edited dictations from Paul |
Philippians | Paul the Apostle | Paul the Apostle |
Colossians | Paul the Apostle | Disputed; perhaps Paul coauthoring with Timothy |
1 Thessalonians | Paul the Apostle | Paul the Apostle |
2 Thessalonians | Paul the Apostle | An associate or disciple after his death, representing what they believed was his message[3] |
1 Timothy | Paul the Apostle | Perhaps someone associated with Paul, writing at a later date |
2 Timothy | Paul the Apostle | Perhaps someone associated with Paul, writing after his death |
Titus | Paul the Apostle | Perhaps someone associated with Paul, writing after his death |
Philemon | Paul the Apostle | Paul the Apostle |
Hebrews | Paul the Apostle or possibly Luke the Evangelist, Clement of Rome or Barnabas | An unknown author, but almost certainly not Paul[4] |
James | James the Just | A writer in the late first or early second centuries, after the death of James the Just |
1 Peter | Peter | An author, perhaps Silas, proficient with Greek writing |
2 Peter | Peter | Certainly not Peter[5] |
1 John | John the Evangelist | An unknown author with no direct connection to the historical Jesus Same as Gospel of John. |
2 John | John the Evangelist | An unknown author with no direct connection to the historical Jesus Final Editor of Jn 21 |
3 John | John the Evangelist | An unknown author with no direct connection to the historical Jesus Final Editor of Jn 21 |
Jude | Jude the Apostle or Jude, brother of Jesus | A pseudonymous work written between the end of the first century and the first quarter of the 2nd century |
Revelation of Christ to John | John the Apostle | Perhaps John of Patmos |
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
- ^ From the Introduction to Richard Elliot Friedman's The Bible with Sources Revealed, 2003.
- ^ Miller, Stephen M., Huber, Robert V. (2004). The Bible: A History. Good Books, page 33. ISBN 1561484148.
- ^ Ehrman, Bart D. (2004). The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings. New York: Oxford, p.385; Beverly Roberts Gaventa, First and Second Thessalonians, Westminster John Knox Press, 1998, p.93; Vincent M. Smiles, First Thessalonians, Philippians, Second Thessalonians, Colossians, Ephesians, Liturgical Press, 2005, p.53; Udo Schnelle, translated by M. Eugene Boring, The History and Theology of the New Testament Writings (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1998), pp. 315-325; M. Eugene Boring, Fred B. Craddock, The People's New Testament Commentary, Westminster John Knox Press, 2004 p652; Joseph Francis Kelly, An Introduction to the New Testament for Catholics, Liturgical Press, 2006 p.32
- ^ http://religion-online.org/showchapter.asp?title=531&C=563 Richard Heard, Introduction To The New Testament
- ^ Carson, D.A., and Douglas J. Moo. An Introduction to the New Testament, second edition. HarperCollins Canada; Zondervan: 2005. ISBN-10 0310238595, ISBN-13 978-0310238591. p.659.