Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} Who Wrote the Bible by Richard Elliott Friedman WHO WROTE THE BIBLE? For Friedman, 'Bible' refers to the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh), which corresponds to what Christians call the , although there are some differences. The question of who wrote the text is probably not one that has occurred to many secularists or Christians, and one might think it would be of interest only to biblical scholars. But knowing when a text was written and by whom may make a lot of difference to how we interpret what it says. Friedman has managed to produce a book that reads like a detective story and will hold the interest of anyone who recognises the central importance of this book in the history of Western culture. Moses has traditionally been held to be the author of the first five books of the Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). But difficulties with this ascription have been recognised for many centuries, and in the eighteenth century a consensus was reached that there were two separate sources for this material. This is explained by historical events. After the death of King Solomon his successors were not able to hold the kingdom together and this resulted in the formation of two independent kingdoms, in the south and Israel in the north. They had similar but not identical religious beliefs and traditions. In 722 BCE Israel was destroyed by the Assyrians. Many of its inhabitants were abducted or exiled (resulting in the idea of the ten lost tribes of Israel), while others escaped south to Judah, bringing their religious traditions and texts with them. The two sets of texts were then combined into one, but they can be separated by careful analysis. In Judah God was known as (Jehovah) while in Israel he was .The two sources have therefore been given the names J and E. But in the early nineteenth century it was realised that E is itself composed of two sources, one of which has priestly characteristics and is therefore labelled P. All three sources, J, E, and P, are found in the first four books of the Bible. The fifth book, Deuteronomy, has a different author, labelled D. He was a priest but from a different background from P, to whom he was hostile. Deuteronomy was said to have been found in the Temple by a priest, Hilkiah, in 622 BCE. The story becomes more complicated at this point because of the defeat of Judah by the Babylonians in 587 BCE. The Temple was destroyed and most of the prominent Judeans, including the priests, were transported to Babylon, although some escaped to Egypt. In 538 the Babylonians were defeated by the Persian king, Cyrus the Great, and Judah became part of the Persian empire. Cyrus allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem and to rebuild the Temple. There seem to have been two D authors, one pre-exilic and one post-exilic; both were priests. Friedman refers to the post-exilic period as an Age of Mysteries, since we know very little about what happened after the return from exile. One mystery concerns the Ark of the Covenant, which is supposed to have held the tablets on which the commandments were written. There is no information about what happened to it. The second mystery is the disappearance of the Davidic dynasty, which was promised to last for ever. Another post-exilic difference is that there were no more great prophets after this time. There is also much that is mysterious about the construction and contents of the second Temple. Friedman has a theory about these things, based on what he thinks is a connection between the Temple and the Tabernacle—the sacred Tent that, according to Exodus, the Israelites carried with them during their forty years' wandering with Moses in the desert. The final stage in the production of the Bible was the combination of all its elements to produce an artistic unity. This was done by someone whom Friedman describes as a redactor, who was also a priest. Friedman has done an excellent job of making this complicated material both interesting and comprehensible. He is fairly confident that he has been able to identify several of the Biblical authors, but I won't spoil the suspense by listing his answers here. The book is certainly worth reading, whatever your religious beliefs or lack of them. It isn't essential to have a Bible at hand when reading, although if your memory of the basic structure of the Bible is hazy you may wish to refer to Wikipedia to remind you. Episode 27: Who Wrote the Bible? - Richard Elliott Friedman. Professor Richard Elliott Friedman joins Dan and Lex for a conversation about modern Biblical scholarship, which his book Who Wrote the Bible? brought to lay audiences in an accessible way nearly thirty years ago (and which had a major influence on Dan and Lex). Among the most influential books on Biblical literature of the 20th Century, Who Wrote the Bible? provides a scholarly overview of the authorship of the through a lens known as the "." [1] Subsequently, Professor Friedman wrote additional books making these ideas available to non-experts. Along with co-hosts Dan and Lex, Professor Friedman dives deeply into his ideas and scholarship, their impact on the world, and more! (0:01 - 13:46): Prof. Friedman begins shares a bit of his own personal narrative, and then explains some of the basics of the Documentary Hypothesis. [2] To flesh out his explanation, he outlines how two separate flood narratives were woven together into one story in the Book of Genesis (the story of Noah and the ark). [3] [4] (13:47 - 27:37): Prof. Friedman examines some of the ways that the Documentary Hypothesis can shed light on ancient political struggles. Specifically, he looks at a variety of stories that elucidate a tension between those Biblical authors who traced themselves back to and those who traced themselves to Moses. He also discusses the question of historicity -- the extent to which particular events or characters depicted in the Bible were historical or literary. [5] (27:38 - 44:12): Dan brings up a novel (which we will explore in further detail on our next episode) entitled The Secret Book of Kings . He and Prof. Friedman look at the similarities and differences between the northern kingdom (Israel) and the southern kingdom (Judah), both through a historical lens and through the textual lens of the Bible, an important distinction that is significant to the plot and understanding of The Secret Book of Kings . [6] We close the episode by looking at another of Friedman's books, The Bible Now , which asks what the Bible has to say about contemporary issues, along with the broader impact of Who Wrote the Bible? on individuals, the Jewish community, and the world. [7] [8] [2] Click here for a short, written overview of the documentary hypothesis that you can find online. [3] You can look at Prof. Friedman's presentation of both Noah stories, intertwined with one another, by clicking here (it is a download link, not a website). [4] Purchase The Bible With Sources Revealed , Friedman's book that separates the entire Torah into four sources, J, E, P, and D, here. The Stele. Image Credit: www.haaretz.com. [5] Friedman mentions the "Merneptah Stele." For more on this important archaeological discovery -- the oldest artifact mentioning the name "Israel" (the people, not the land or state), click here. [6] Dan mentions The Secret Book of Kings , a novel that he helped translate and bring to English-speaking readers. To pre-order it, click here, and to learn more about it, head to www.secretbookofkings.com. [7] To purchase Friedman's book The Bible Now , applying the Torah to contemporary political debates, click here. [8] You can find further biblical history or archaeology resources for further reading, listening, or viewing by clicking here. Who Wrote the Bible? Summary & Study Guide. Who Wrote the Bible? Summary & Study Guide Description. Who Wrote the Bible? Summary & Study Guide includes comprehensive information and analysis to help you understand the book. This study guide contains the following sections: This detailed literature summary also contains Topics for Discussion and a Free Quiz on Who Wrote the Bible? by Richard Elliott Friedman. The Bible as we know it today has existed for thousands of years. One of the most published books in the world, individuals often own more than one copy and possibly more than one translation. Standing at the core of two world religions, Christianity and Judaism, the Bible also rises to great literature and history. However, even with all the study that goes into the Bible, few people know exactly who wrote it. Richard Elliot Friedman sets out in his book to rectify this situation. He first introduces the world of the investigative biblical scholar. For millennia all questions about the Bible had been suppressed and harshly resisted. In the middle of the eighteenth century, some investigators become published, and by the late nineteenth century, four authors of the Pentateuch are identified. The major Jewish and Christian world religions accept investigative biblical scholarship by the mid-twentieth century. Four letters designate the authors of the Pentateuch—E, J, D and P. The E author always refers to God as and the J author refers to God as Yahweh (mistranslated as Jehovah). The D author wrote Deuteronomy and the P author wrote priestly passages, especially lists of laws as can be found in Leviticus. Friedman identifies D as but does not have specific identities for E, J or P. A fifth person involved with the Pentateuch is the redactor or R, a person who brings all the texts together. Friedman proposes that Ezra is R. Ancient Jewish history is central to Friedman's arguments. Two major areas develop, the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah. The Kingdom of Israel begins its own Temple in order that people there can more conveniently bring their livestock for sacrifice. While the Temple in Jerusalem uses cherubs to form the throne of God, the Temple in Israel uses cast golden calves for the same purpose. This split becomes contentious between the two priesthoods, the northern Israeli that honors Moses and the southern Judah that honors Aaron. These differences become reflected in the Bible and help to determine which text was written by whom. Friedman emphasizes that investigative biblical study does not attempt to destroy anyone's faith. Rather, a greater understanding of the Bible and how it developed leads to greater possibilities for interpretation. For example, the notion of God as being both just and merciful arises due to the conflicts between two priesthoods, and as such may be a more accurate portrayal of God than either priesthood's stance. Who Wrote the Bible? The book is brand new and will be dispatched from UK. "synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title. Brilliantly presented: There is no other book like this one. It may well be unique. --Los Angeles Times. It is an event to have a book as readable and exciting as Who Wrote the Bible? It has about it the resounding smack of solid truth. --Harvard Magazine. A contemporary classic that is a thought-provoking and perceptive guide to the Bible's authorship. --New York Times Book Review. Who Wrote the Bible? For some two thousand years, the Bible has been revered, studied, disdained and debated. It is the most influential book of Western culture and is read wherever there are people who can read. Many have lived by it, some have died for it. But no one knows who wrote it or why. Armed with his training as a Bible scholar and linguist, Professor Friedman combines his own understanding of the ancient world with recent archeological evidence and new methods of literary analysis to discover clues within the Bible itself that point . Read More. For some two thousand years, the Bible has been revered, studied, disdained and debated. It is the most influential book of Western culture and is read wherever there are people who can read. Many have lived by it, some have died for it. But no one knows who wrote it or why. Armed with his training as a Bible scholar and linguist, Professor Friedman combines his own understanding of the ancient world with recent archeological evidence and new methods of literary analysis to discover clues within the Bible itself that point to a solution to the puzzle of its authorship. Like a skilled detective, he uncovers the identity of its writers, discovers that some of these writers knew each other, and tells how this affected, in unexpected ways, the final form the Bible took. He explains why there are inconsistencies in the Bible and why God is portrayed in so many and often contradictory ways. Already praised in America as 'fascinating', 'stimulating', 'brilliant' and 'provocative' by Bible scholars of differing religious affiliations, Who Wrote the Bible? challenges us to rethink the way we understand, value, and use the Bible today. Read Less.