Yes, God wrote the Bible! He is the source. But God chose to deliver His Word to us through human instruments. And it matters. Knowing the identity and background of each human author helps us understand what God wrote through him. The following is a breakdown of what we know about God’s human writing instruments. Here’s a downloadable PDF of the following information! (See also “Who Wrote the Bible & Why Does it Matter?”)
OLD TESTAMENT – 39 BOOKS
Historical Books
- Pentateuch (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy) – Moses
- Joshua – Joshua with the final verses written by Phineas according to Talmud
- *Judges – unknown; maybe Samuel
- Ruth – unknown
- *1 Samuel – possibly Samuel with additions by prophets Nathan and Gad
- *2 Samuel – unknown
- *1 & 2 Kings – unknown, but possibly the prophet Jeremiah along with other prophets
- *1 & 2 Chronicles – Ezra, according to Jewish tradition
- Ezra – Probably Ezra
- Nehemiah – Sections by Nehemiah, compiled by Ezra
- Esther – unknown, but possibly Mordecai
*Many scholars believe one or more compilers had a large hand in these books.
Poetry and Wisdom Books
- Job – unknown
- Psalms – various including David
- Proverbs – various including Solomon
- Ecclesiastes – Solomon
- Song of Songs – Solomon
- Lamentations – Jeremiah
Books of Prophecy
The prophets – Isaiah through Malachi (4 major and 12 minor) are attributed to the prophet himself, the namesake of each book.
4 Major Prophets
- Isaiah – Isaiah
- Jeremiah – Jeremiah
- Ezekiel – Ezekiel
- Daniel – Daniel
12 Minor Prophets
- Hosea – Hosea
- Joel – Joel
- Amos – Amos
- Obadiah – Obadiah
- Jonah – Jonah
- Micah – Micah
- Nahum – Nahum
- Habakkuk – Habakkuk
- Zephaniah – Zephaniah
- Haggai – Haggai
- Zechariah – Zechariah
- Malachi – Malachi
NEW TESTAMENT – 27 BOOKS
Four Gospels
- Matthew – Matthew, one of Jesus’ 12 disciples
- Mark – John Mark, cousin of Barnabas; Featured in Acts and mentioned in Colossians, Philemon, 2 Timothy and 1 Peter; Probably based on Peter’s testimony
- Luke – Luke, a doctor (Colossians 4:14) and ministry companion of the Apostle Paul (Acts 16:10-17, 20:5-16, 21:1-18, 27:1-28:16); this Gospel and Acts are a two-volume set written to someone named “Theophilus” who probably funded Luke’s research and writing
- John – John the apostle, son of Zebedee, one of Jesus’ 12 disciples
History
- Acts – Luke, companion volume to the Gospel of Luke
Paul’s Writings
- This apostle and former Pharisee wrote letters to specific churches to address specific issues
- Letters to Churches (9) – Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians Colossians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians
- Pastoral Epistles (3) – 1 & 2 Timothy, and Titus were written by the Apostle Paul to encourage and direct young pastors
- Philemon – Personal letter from Paul to Philemon
Other NT Writings
- Hebrews – unknown; probably a 2nd generation Jewish believer (Hebrews 2:3)
- James – James, the half-brother of Jesus and leader of the Jerusalem church
- I & 2 Peter – Peter the apostle, one of Jesus’ 12 disciples
- 1, 2, & 3 John – John the apostle, son of Zebedee, one of Jesus’ 12 disciples
- Jude – Jude, half-brother of Jesus
- Revelation – John the apostle, son of Zebedee, one of Jesus’ 12 disciples
Titus Bible Study
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