The Bible: I. Authenticity II. Credibility III. Morality

by John E. Remsburg

CHAPTER V.

AUTHORSHIP AND DATES.

Upon the authenticity of the books of the Bible depends in a large measure their value as authorities. These books are filled with strange and marvelous stories. Are these stories true or false? If true, we should accept them; if false, reject them. From whence do these writings come?

If you hear a startling statement on the street your disposition to accept or reject it will depend largely upon the character of its author. If he is a reputable person you will be disposed to accept it; if it does not come from a reputable person, or if you are unable to discover its author, you will be disposed to reject it. Christian priests demand the acceptance of these books as infallible truth. What evidence do they adduce to justify this demand? Where did they obtain these books? When were they written? Who wrote them? What is the reputation of their authors for intelligence and veracity? Were they learned and astute men, or were they weak and credulous men? Were they good men, or were they bad men? If able men wrote them, may they not have been impostors? If good men wrote them, may they not have been mistaken?

These priests claim to have a knowledge of the authorship of all, or nearly all, the books of the Bible. With one or two exceptions, they have assigned authors to all the books of the Old Testament, and to these exceptions they have even assigned “probable” authors. They also claim a great antiquity for them—claim that they were written from four hundred to fifteen hundred years before the Christian era. The books of the New Testament, they affirm, were all written in the first century, and by those whose names they bear.

The following table gives the authorship and date of composition, according to orthodox authorities, of the books composing the Protestant canon. It is not claimed that every book was written in the year assigned for its composition, but that it was written in or prior to the year assigned.

Old Testament.

BOOK	AUTHOR	DATE
Genesis	Moses	B.C. 1451
Exodus	Moses ,,	B.C. ,, 1451 ,,
Leviticus	Moses ,,	B.C. ,, 1451 ,,
Numbers	Moses ,,	B.C. ,, 1451 ,,
Deuteronomy	Moses ,,	B.C. ,, 1451 ,,
Joshua	Joshua	B.C. ,, 1426
Judges	Samuel	B.C. ,, 1049
Ruth	Samuel ,, (?)	B.C. ,, 1049 ,,
1 Samuel	Samuel ,,	B.C. ,, 1049 ,,
2 Samuel	Gad & Nathan	B.C. 1016
1 Kings	Jeremiah	B.C. ,, 600
2 Kings	Jeremiah ,,	B.C. ,, 600 ,,
1 Chronicles	Ezra	B.C. ,, 456
2 Chronicles	Ezra ,,	B.C. ,, 456 ,,
Ezra	Ezra ,,	B.C. ,, 456 ,,
Nehemiah	Nehemiah	B.C. ,, 433
Esther	Mordecai (?)	B.C. ,, 440
Job	Job	B.C. ,, 1520
Psalms	David	B.C. ,, 1020
Proverbs	Solomon	B.C. ,, 980
Ecclesiastes	Solomon ,,	B.C. ,, 980 ,,
S. of Solomon	Solomon ,,	B.C. ,, 1016
Isaiah	Isaiah	B.C. ,, 700
Jeremiah	Jeremiah	B.C. ,, 585
Lamentations	Jeremiah ,,	B.C. ,, 585 ,,
Ezekiel	Ezekiel	B.C. ,, 575
Daniel	Daniel	B.C. ,, 534
Hosea	Hosea	B.C. ,, 780
Joel	Joel	B.C. ,, 800
Amos	Amos	B.C. ,, 785
Obadiah	Obadiah	B.C. ,, 588
Jonah	Jonah	B.C. ,, 856
Micah	Micah	B.C. ,, 700
Nahum	Nahum	B.C. ,, 698
Habakkuk	Habakkuk	B.C. ,, 600
Zephaniah	Zephaniah	B.C. ,, 609
Haggai	Haggai	B.C. ,, 583
Zechariah	Zechariah	B.C. ,, 520
Malachi	Malachi	B.C. ,, 420

New Testament.

BOOK	AUTHOR	DATE
Matthew	Matthew	A.D. 40
Mark	Mark	A.D. ,, 63
Luke	Luke	A.D. ,, 63 ,,
John	John	A.D. 97
Acts	Luke	A.D. ,, 63
Romans	Paul	A.D. ,, 57
1 Corinthians	Paul ,,	A.D. ,, 57 ,,
2 Corinthians	Paul ,,	A.D. ,, 57 ,,
Galatians	Paul ,,	A.D. ,, 55
Ephesians	Paul ,,	A.D. ,, 62
Philippians	Paul ,,	A.D. ,, 62 ,,
Colossians	Paul ,,	A.D. ,, 61
1 Thessalonians	Paul ,,	A.D. ,, 52
2 Thessalonians	Paul ,,	A.D. ,, 52 ,,
1 Timothy	Paul ,,	A.D. ,, 64
2 Timothy	Paul ,,	A.D. ,, 65
Titus	Paul ,,	A.D. ,, 65 ,,
Philemon	Paul ,,	A.D. ,, 61
Hebrews	Paul ,,	A.D. ,, 62
James	James	A.D. ,, 62 ,,
1 Peter	Peter	A.D. ,, 64
2 Peter	Peter ,,	A.D. ,, 64 ,,
1 John	John	A.D. ,, 68
2 John	John ,,	A.D. ,, 68 ,,
3 John	John ,,	A.D. ,, 69
Jude	Jude	A.D. ,, 64
Revelation	John	A.D. ,, 96