Lesson 4 - Who Wrote the Bible?
Who Wrote the OLD Testament?
Moses wrote some of the first five books of the Old Testament, if not all five.
These are called the Law, or the Law of Moses because he is the one who received it from God to write down and pass on to the Jewish people (Ex 24:4; 31:18; 32:19, 34:1, 27, 28). In many verses of the New Testament, it refers to the Law of Moses when teaching that it is not in effect any more (Col 2:14; Ro 10:4).
Several other inspired men called prophets wrote the rest of the O.T.
- For example, Solomon wrote most of the book of Proverbs, the Song of Solomon, and Ecclesiastes (Pr 1:1; Ec 1:1; Sol 1:1).
- King David wrote most of the book of Psalms, which were songs about his joys, sorrows, and needs. He also spoke of the Christ in them (Ps 2:7; Ps 22).
- Several other prophets spoke words from God that were written down; men such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. King David was also called a prophet (Ac 2:29, 30; 2 Sa 23:1, 2). Others contributed to the writings.
Who Wrote the NEW Testament?
The N.T. was written by eight inspired men. Seven were Jews. Luke is believed to have been a Gentile.NAME # OF BOOKS1. Paul (Tent-Maker) 14 2. John (Fisherman) 5 3. Luke (Physician) 2 4. Peter (Fisherman) 2 5. Matthew/Levi (Tax-Collector) 1 6. Mark 1 7. James (Carpenter) 1 8. Jude (Carpenter) 1 The books were written approximately between 33 A.D. and 120 A.D. in the Greek language of that day, and were circulated amongst the gatherings of believers. For example, Paul said, “When this letter is read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans...” (Col 4:16) In his first letter to Timothy, in 5:18, Paul actually quotes from the Gospel according to Matthew or Luke (Mt 10:10; Lk 10:7). So Matthew’s and/or Luke’s Gospel account must have been circulated during the first century.