A Little Q & A For Your Friday From The Enon Church Of Christ

The Question:

 Dear Sir:  I have been studying, but have not found all the information I want.  How many men wrote the Old Testament, and when were each of the books written?

 The Answer:

 This is a difficult question to answer, and it becomes very involved.  The writers of the Bible did not "date" their writings, and the time each was written must be determined by events recorded in it and by references from other books.  It is thought by most scholars that about twenty-seven to thirty-five men were involved in the writing, from about 1500 B.C. (the first five books) until about 400 B.C. (the book of Malachi).  Among the writers were such men as Moses, Joshua, Samuel, Ezra, Nehemiah, David, Solomon and the seventeen prophets whose books bear their names.

 The author of Job is unclear, and so is the time it was written.  The authors of Esther and both books of Chronicles are also unknown.  While King David wrote most of the Psalms, there were probably about six to ten other writers also involved in writing them.  So, from the Psalms alone there were from six to twelve writers.  And, presumably, these were written over a period of about 200 years.  Granted, much of the above is surmised from evidences in the Bible and from other sources, and it is certainly debatable as to how accurate it is.

 The thing to remember, though, is that God is the author of the Old Testament Scriptures!  The apostle Peter wrote, "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit." (2 Pet. 1:20-21).  For this reason Paul wrote of those Scriptures, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Tim. 3:16-17).

I hope this helps.