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who wrote the original bible

No single person “wrote the original Bible.” The Bible is a collection of many books, composed and edited over roughly a thousand years by multiple authors, editors, and scribal circles, and then gathered into the form we know today.

Quick Scoop: Who Wrote the “Original Bible”?

When people ask “who wrote the original Bible,” they’re usually mixing three questions into one:

  1. Who wrote the books in the Old Testament?
  2. Who wrote the books in the New Testament?
  3. When and how did those writings become “the Bible” as a single book?

Scholars, religious traditions, and modern readers often give different answers, so it helps to look at this from several viewpoints.

Old Testament: Many Authors, Long Timeline

Historically, most of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) appears to have been written and compiled between about the 8th and 2nd centuries BCE, with some materials possibly older and some editing continuing later.

Common traditional attributions vs. modern scholarship:

  • First five books (Torah / Pentateuch)
    • Traditional view: Written by Moses.
    • Scholarly view: A compilation of multiple sources and editors (“scribal circles”) over centuries, including legal codes, stories, and priestly material.
  • Historical books (Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, etc.)
    • Traditional view: Often linked to prophets or specific figures (e.g., Samuel).
    • Scholarly view: Produced and edited by court scribes and priestly or prophetic groups, especially around the time of the monarchy, the Babylonian exile, and the period after the exile.
  • Prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, the Twelve)
    • Traditional view: Named prophets wrote the books that bear their names.
    • Scholarly view: Many prophetic books show layers—words from the prophet plus later expansions and editing by disciples or priestly circles; for example, Jeremiah may contain words of Jeremiah plus work by Baruch and later editors.
  • Writings (Psalms, Proverbs, Job, etc.)
    • Traditional view: Psalms mostly by David, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes by Solomon, others by known figures.
    • Scholarly view: Collections from various authors and time periods; some psalms are by David, but others clearly come from temple musicians and later communities.

So in historical-critical terms, the “original Old Testament” was not a single book written once, but a library slowly formed and edited over centuries.

New Testament: Named and Anonymous Writings

The New Testament was written in the 1st century CE (roughly 50–100 CE) by early Christian leaders and communities.

Traditional attributions:

  • Gospels
    • Matthew: Attributed to the apostle Matthew.
    • Mark: Attributed to Mark, companion of Peter.
    • Luke: Attributed to Luke, companion of Paul.
    • John: Attributed to the apostle John.
  • Acts
    • Traditionally by Luke, as a sequel to the Gospel of Luke.
  • Letters of Paul (Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, etc.)
    • Traditionally all by Paul; modern scholars think most are genuinely Pauline, but a few may be by later followers writing in his name.
  • General letters and Revelation
    • James: Traditionally by James, brother of Jesus.
    • Peter: 1–2 Peter traditionally by Peter.
    • John’s letters: Traditionally by John.
    • Revelation: Attributed to “John,” identity debated.

Modern critical scholarship agrees that some of these attributions fit the style and period, but others look like later works by anonymous Christians using an important name (a common ancient practice).

Was There Ever One “Original” Bible?

From a historian’s lens:

  • There was never a single moment when one author sat down and wrote “the Bible.”
  • Instead, individual books and collections were written, edited, and copied by different groups, then canonized (officially recognized as Scripture) at different times for Jewish and Christian communities.

From a faith lens, many religious traditions say:

  • God is the ultimate author, working through many human writers over time; humans held the pen, God inspired the message.

Both perspectives can talk about authorship , but they mean different things—historical process vs. divine inspiration.

Multiple Viewpoints on “Who Wrote It?”

Here are three major ways people answer this question today:

  1. Traditional religious view (Jewish and Christian)
    • Specific books are assigned to known figures (Moses, David, Solomon, prophets, apostles).
    • The unity of the Bible is explained by one divine Author working through many human writers.
  1. Historical-critical scholarly view
    • Texts arose from communities and scribal circles over time, often anonymous.
    • Books went through drafting, collecting, editing, and re-editing before reaching their present form.
  1. Popular Christian teaching view
    • Often lists around 35–40 main human authors (Moses, Joshua, Samuel, Ezra, David, Solomon, prophets, apostles like Paul and Peter, etc.).
    • This view emphasizes clarity for believers rather than fine-grained scholarly debate.

These viewpoints sometimes disagree on details , but they all agree that multiple people and communities are involved, not just one author.

Simple Answer You Can Remember

If you want a short, memorable way to answer “who wrote the original Bible,” you can say:

The Bible wasn’t written by one person all at once. It’s a collection of ancient writings produced by many authors and communities over centuries, later gathered into the single book we now call “the Bible.”

And if you want to add the faith angle:

Many believers say that God is the ultimate author, and human writers across history were the instruments who wrote it down.

Quick Table: Perspectives on Bible Authorship

[5][6][9] [1][7] [4][2][9]
Perspective Who “wrote” the Bible? Key Idea
Traditional Jewish/Christian Named figures like Moses, David, prophets, apostles; all inspired by God.One divine Author working through many human authors.
Historical-critical scholarship Multiple anonymous scribes, editors, and communities over centuries.Texts grew and were edited; no single “original Bible” moment.
Popular teaching resources About 35–40 human authors listed by name (Moses, Paul, etc.).Emphasizes clarity and lists of authors more than detailed textual history.
**TL;DR:** No one person wrote “the original Bible.” It is a **multi-author, multi- century collection** of writings; religious traditions credit God as the ultimate author, while historians describe a long process of composition and editing by various scribes, communities, and leaders.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.