Mysteries Of The Bible, "Who Wrote the Bible? Part 1 of 3"

What are the origins of the Good Book--the best-selling book in history? This episode will explore the question of who actually set the Bible down in writing. The program examines the efforts through the centuries of scholars who have toiled to unlock which books of the Bible were written first, and by whom. Biblical text scholars, like Dr. Richard Elliot Friedman, have broken down the Torah, the first five books of the Bible, into material written by four independent authors. Scholars call these four sources "J", "E", "P", and "D". According to scholars, these authors wrote at different times, with different agendas, and for different audiences. But aren't we generally taught that Moses wrote the Torah? If he did, are scholars wasting their time? And if he did not, how did the tradition start that Moses was the author of the Bible's first five books? This episode probes into these questions. To fully understand the Bible's message, one needs to examine the times and situations when these books were written--and the people for whom they were written. This episode will put into context the cultural, social, political, and religious settings during Biblical times. Archaeology is contributing more than ever to understanding who wrote the Bible. What have discoveries like the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Gospel of Thomas contributed to our understanding of the Good Book? The program visits the Israel Museum in Jerusalem to bring viewers the world's oldest existing piece of the Bible:...

AmazonUnbox | February 25, 1996

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