Authors of the Bible

MOSES. Moses was a prophet of God whose story is captured starting in Exodus 1. Born of a Hebrew family, during a time when they were enslaved in Egypt, Moses' life had a twist of events that would have him grow up as Egyptian royalty, run away and start a family in the desert, and then return to help lead the exodus of the Jews to their freedom. As the main author of the first 5 books of the Old Testament, also referred to as the Pentateuch, Moses likely wrote it while leading the Israelites through the desert toward the promised land. In writing the Pentateuch, Moses captured these writings so the Israelites could remember the law and history of their people, starting from creation, to being set apart as a chosen nation, to deliverance from slavery, and ultimately being given laws to see their need for a Savior. Moses appointed leaders known as ”judges” led by God to direct the Israelites in following the law and help them get along with each other. He personally never reached the promised land, but is the only recorded person in the Bible to be buried by God himself.

SAMUEL. Jewish tradition believes the main author was likely Samuel with help of the prophets Nathan (introduced in 2 Samuel 7) and Gad (introduced in 2 Samuel 28) who were both advisors to King David and would have had recorded details in the monarchy. Samuel’s writings captured the history of the Israelites through the era of judges that helped lead God’s people.

Samuel was born to a barren woman, Hannah, who promised if she bore a son she’d give him to the Lord. After Samuel was born and weaned, Hannah brought him to the temple to live with Eli the priest, who raised him. Samuel grew up to be a prophet who was the last judge of Israel, and was instrumental in the transition between the Israelites being led by God through judges to kings and ultimately the build out of the monarchy.

SAMUEL. See Judges. A chronological continuation from the book of Judges, these books, written by Samuel with the help of Nathan and Gad, outlined the history of Samuel’s birth and life as he led the transition of the Israelites “judges” into an era of kings, as well as highlighting the start of King David’s reign of the Israelites.

EZRA. See Ezra. Overlapping in historical details with 1 & 2 Samuel, the author of 1 & 2 Chronicles likely had access to records and events within the monarchy and focused these two books on the history and reign of King David. Given the writing style of 1 & 2 Chronicles similarly matches that of Ezra and Nehemiah, it’s likely they share the same author.

Originally written as one continuous book, divided later due to scroll length, 1 & 2 Chronicles repeats much of the books of Samuel and Kings. What makes Chronicles unique is considering when it was written - after the Jewish people were exiled from the promised land and after the destruction of their nation, Jerusalem, and the temple; and still after their return 70 years later and the restoration yet living under Perisan rule. This was a time when the Jewish remnant needed to be reminded of their heritage and identity as God’s chosen people, His promises, faithfulness and desire to dwell among them. Thus you find Chronicles recorded last in the traditional Jewish order of the Bible and providing a big picture history of the Old Testament - from Genesis, through Kings and through Ezra and Nehemiah. Likely written between 400-450 years before Jesus, the author ends by pointing forward to the hope of the promised Messianic King. Due to the similarities in writing style to Ezra and Nehemiah, they likely share the same author, Ezra.

UNKNOWN. While unknown, some suggest that the author could have been Mordecai who, as the cousin of Esther, likely had access to the details of the kingdom and culture at that time. Anchored in the era of King Xerxes rule of Persia, the author captures the history of the Israelites during their exile as an unlikely Jewish woman saved her people by winning favor of the king. The book is unique in that it does not mention God once, though He is alluded to throughout the story.

DAVID & OTHERS. King David wrote about half of the Psalms with the remaining psalms attributed to Asaph (a temple worship leader), Sons of Korah (Levite song writers), Moses, King Solomon, and others.

David, whose story starts is 1 Samuel 16, was a “man after God’s own heart” (Acts 13:22) who grew up a shepherd boy, was anointed to be king of Israel while King Saul was still on the throne, and was the ultimate military hero to deliver Israel from her enemies. From killing a giant named Goliath as a young boy, to fleeing King Saul’s attacks on him, to ultimately establishing Israel’s capital in Jerusalem, King David was a jack of all trades: warrior and musician, whose psalms reflect his praise and lament during the highs and lows throughout his life.

ISAIAH. Isaiah was a prophet who preached God’s Words around 742 and 681 BC during the reigns of kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah. With a name that means “Yahweh is salvation,” Isaiah spent his lifetime proclaiming this message as he “saw the future and spoke of the Messiah’s glory” (John 12:41, NLT). His writing captured God’s Word for Israel in their current day as he advised Judah’s kings and warned the Israelites of their impending judgment. He also prophesied a message of hope through the promised restoration of man’s relationship to God that would come in the future (hint: through Jesus), which is likely why Isaiah was the most quoted prophet in the New Testament.

JEREMIAH. See Jeremiah. Likely written around 585 BC, this book is written in poetic literary style, but captures the history of the Israelites in a collection of five acrostic poems that lament the destruction of Jerusalem.

DANIEL. Daniel was a young Israelite of noble blood in the sixth century BC, who during the Israelites captivity in Babylon was summoned to live in the courts of King Nebuchadnezzar and learn Babylonian literature and culture. As a faithful follower of God, Daniel stood out from the rest of the captives for his wisdom, desire to only follow God’s way, and ability to interpret dreams. Over time, he won the favor of leadership and became an administrator over the Babylonian and Persian empires. Daniel also experienced intense visions and prophesied of the future of Babylon, as well as the future restoration of God’s people. Throughout the entire book of Daniel, we see a theme of God’s ultimate control, power and authority over humanity, and the victory God will have in the end.

JOEL. Little is known about Joel, except that he was a prophet whose name means “Yahweh is God.” Throughout his prophetic writings, Joel told Israel to confess their sins and return to God with all their hearts and warned of a locust plague that would annihilate their land if they didn’t repent. He also provided a message of hope that will one day come for those who repented.

OBADIAH. While little is known about this author, Obadiah was a prophet whose name means “servant to the Lord.” His prophetic writings captured God’s judgment against the people in Edom, who gloated as they observed Jerusalem’s destruction by foreigners.

MICAH. Micah was a prophet to Israel and Judah around 730 and 690 BC, from the countryside outside of Jerusalem. His name means “Who is like Yahweh?” which is the message echoed throughout Micah’s prophetic writings - a message of an unfathomable God who loves, forgives, and protects His people.

HABAKKUK. While little is known about the author Habakkuk, he was a prophet whose writings were unique. Instead of him preaching God’s word to the people, the author captured a dialogue between Habakkuk and God, on behalf of the people of Judah. In a very Job-like account, we see Habakkuk question God’s ways and justice, but in the end Habakkuk learns to have confidence and trust in God.

HAGGAI. Haggai was a prophet while the exiled Jews returned back to Jerusalem. Likely the most meticulously dated prophetic writings of the Old Testament, Haggai outlined the specific dates when he received God’s messages. The messages were anchored in giving glory to God through the restoration and rebuild of the temple in Jerusalem.

JOSHUA. Joshua was a man who placed his full trust in God. The leader of the Israelites after Moses, he lived through the Israelites slavery in Egypt, their exodus into the desert, and was God’s chosen leader to help see Moses’ work completed - bringing Israel into the promised land. His writings captured the history of the Israelites as they entered the land that God had promised to Abraham many years earlier.

SAMUEL. See Judges. A book written about King David’s great grandmother during the time of judges, the author captured a specific moment in history that portrays the selfless love of a Moabite woman to the Israelite family into which she married. The author also highlighted that being in the kingdom of God is not designed only for blood relatives and that there is a history of redemption in David’s ancestry.

JEREMIAH. See Jeremiah. The books of 1 & 2 Kings capture the history of the kings of the Israelites that followed King David, and their failure to follow the laws God set forth in Deuteronomy. When reading the book of Jeremiah, which prophesied the Israelites exile and overlaps toward the end of the time period of 1 & 2 Kings, it’s understandable why Jeremiah was known as the “weeping prophet.”

EZRA. Ezra was a prophet who led a remnant of exiled Israelites back to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple around 440 BC and his writings captured the history of the Israelites during this time period. Given it had been many years since being exiled from Jerusalem and the Israelites had been under Gentile (non-Jewish) rule, Ezra captured the detail of the restoration of the temple through the eyes of him and Nehemiah, and helped the discouraged Israelites rebuild and learn how to live under God’s rules.

MOSES. See Genesis. While the author is unidentified, most believe Job was written by Moses given the events portrayed likely occurred between 2000 - 1000 BC. In the ultimate story of understanding suffering in this world, this book is written as wisdom literature and summons us to trust God’s wisdom even in times that don’t seem fair or right.

SOLOMON. King Solomon was the son of King David and is known for being the richest man to ever live who was given wisdom from God after asking for a “discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong” (1 Kings 3). He expanded his kingdom through marriages, acquiring seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines. His writings outline the wisdom he gained and ignored, while also capturing the poetry and psalms of his heart.

JEREMIAH. Jeremiah was a prophet and priest who prophesied from around 626 to 586 BC and his writings capture prophecies from God during his lifetime. He was commanded by God not to marry or have children, with the anticipated exile of the Israelites and it’s negative impact on the next generation. Known as the “weeping prophet,” we understand why as we see Jeremiah spend most of his time warning the Israelites of God’s judgment for continually turning away from God.

EZEKIEL. Ezekiel was born into a priestly family and was taken captive along with the other Israelites exiled to Babylon. He became a prophet of God in the year he was to become a priest and was tasked by God as a “watchman” for the people of Israel. The Lord’s messages and visions through him were warnings for the Israelites moral depravity, but also alluded to the day God would return them to Jerusalem and the temple would be restored. Ezekiel’s writings reflected his heart for his expected priestly duties as he captured details of the temple, sacrifices, and rituals of the Jewish people.

HOSEA. Hosea was a prophet to the Israelites prior to their captivity in Babylon. He was asked by God to marry a promiscuous woman and have children with her. Through the symmetry of Hosea’s faithfulness to an unfaithful wife, God reveals the unfaithfulness of Israel and His unending forgiveness and love for His people in Hosea’s prophetic writings.

AMOS. Amos was a prophet, who didn’t consider himself one, but instead identified as “a herdsman” (Amos 7:14). God used an unlikely man like Amos to prophesy an unlikely and confrontational message of justice as the people in Israel were into affluent living, idolatry, immorality, and the corruption of the judicial system.

JONAH. While the author isn’t identified, many scholars attribute Jonah as the one telling his own story and the author of this book. Jonah was a prophet around 800 to 750 BC who, after being told by God to preach repentance to his enemies in the pagan city of Nineveh, ran in the opposite direction. Jonah finally obeyed God, after a wild turn of events, and the Ninevites received God’s message and repented. At the heart of it, this prophet’s story showcases God’s compassion and forgiveness for anyone willing to repent and follow Him.

NAHUM. Nahum was a prophet to Judah around 660 to 610 BC. Taking place after Nineveh’s repentance during Jonah’s time, there was new leadership in the Assyrian capital and once again, they had turned away from God. Nahum’s prophetic writings warned of the destruction of Nineveh, and also included a message of hope to the Israelites of God’s care for them and rescue from the Ninevites' oppression.

ZEPHANIAH. A prophet with likely royal lineage, Zephaniah’s genealogy at the start of the book indicates he was a descendent of King Hezekiah, a God-honoring leader of the Israelites. During Zephaniah’s lifetime the monarchy experienced wicked king after wicked king who turned to other gods. Zephaniah’s prophetic writings warned the people of Judah of God’s judgment, urged them to seek God only, and foretold of God’s mercy for His people.

ZECHARIAH. Zechariah was a prophet and priest at the same time as Haggai, during the Israelites' return from exile to Jerusalem. With a similar mission to encourage the rebuild of the temple in Jerusalem, Zechariah’s prophetic writings included vivid visions that go beyond the completion of the temple rebuild and challenged the Israelites to return to the Lord and be sincere in their relationship with Him.

MATTHEW. While the author is not identified, Matthew, also called Levi, is the one attributed as the author of this gospel, which outlines the life of Jesus from the time period around 5 BC to 30 AD. Born a Jew, who turned away from his people to be a tax collector for Rome, Matthew was likely despised by his own people for his dishonest and greedy trade. As soon as Jesus met him, Matthew walked away from his tax collector life and followed Jesus as one of His twelve disciples. Appealing to a Jewish audience, Matthew’s gospel account focused on Jesus as the Jewish King and the promised Messiah of the Old Testament.

LUKE. While the author is not identified, Luke is commonly affirmed as the author of Luke and Acts, as both books are addressed to Theophilus. He was the only Gentile (non-Jew) to author a book of the Bible. While not an eyewitness to Jesus’ life, Luke was one of Paul’s missionary companions and had access to eyewitness testimonies concerning Jesus. Luke was a physician and his gospel writings showcased his meticulous research in compiling the reports of Jesus’ life and tended to outline specific details that provided evidence of Jesus - His humanity and deity - for future readers. Being 60% unique to the other gospel accounts, the book of Luke outlined the life of Jesus with a specific focus on Jesus coming to bring salvation for all people, both Jews and Gentiles.

LUKE. See Luke. The book of Acts outlines the history of the early church, with specific focus on the missionary journeys of Paul. Given that Luke was a companion of Paul during portions of his ministry, the authorship of Acts is attributed to Luke.

UNKNOWN. While the author of this letter is not identified, scholars suggest many different possibilities, including Paul, Luke, Barnabas, Apollos, or Silas - the latter three being close companions and partners in ministry with Paul. What we do know is that the author received the messages of Christ from “those who heard” directly from Jesus (Heb 2:3). The author was well-versed in the Old Testament and quoted it regularly throughout the letter. The author was close with Timothy, to whom two of Paul’s letters were addressed. With a desire to return to his audience soon (Heb 13:19), the author wrote to Jewish Christians, who were likely considering returning to certain practices of Judaism. At the heart of the message of this letter, is that Jesus is all we need to have right-standing with God and believers should rest in God’s grace given through His Son instead of ceremonies and rituals.

PETER. The author of these letters was Peter, one of Jesus’ twelve disciples. Jesus chose Peter (originally known as Simon) and He gave him a new name, Cephas (translated as Peter), which means “a stone” or “rock” (John 1:42). Peter became one of three disciples in Jesus’ inner circle and spent three years in close fellowship and being trained by Jesus. An uneducated fisherman (Acts 4:13), whose impulsiveness often caused him to stumble, he became a leader in the early church who through his letters encouraged Christians to stand firm during hard times.

JUDE. The author of this short letter was Jude (aka Judas), who was the brother of Jesus and James. Likely addressed to Jewish Christians, his message was applicable for Christians everywhere and focused on defending one’s faith and resisting false teachings.

JOHN MARK. While the author is not identified, early church history attributes John Mark (also known as Mark) as the author. A close confidant and writer for the apostle Peter, Mark captured Peter’s reports of Jesus in this gospel. While Mark never met Jesus, he was close to those who were part of the early church, including Peter, Paul, his cousin Barnabas, and his mother Mary, whose house was used by Christ followers. The accounts Mark captured in this gospel outlined the life of Jesus with a specific focus on Jesus as a servant.

JOHN. It’s widely accepted that the apostle John, son of Zebedee and one of the twelve disciples, wrote the gospel of John. Jesus asked John to follow Him early in His ministry, while John was mending fishing nets along the sea. Known as the “disciple whom Jesus loved,” John became a part of the inner circle of Jesus’ ministry, getting close exposure to the life of Jesus. Unlike the other three gospel accounts, John takes a simple and unique approach to his gospel writings, with a specific focus on Jesus being God and that eternal life comes from knowing and believing in Jesus.

PAUL. The author of a majority of the letters found in the New Testament is the apostle Paul. Originally introduced as Saul, Paul was born as a Roman citizen into a Jewish family, and was well-versed in Greek culture and well-educated in Jewish law. He climbed the “corporate ladder” of religious success becoming a Pharisee, which was one of the prestigious religious positions that carried out Jewish law. He was so zealous that he even persecuted early Christ-followers, some to the point of death. Yet, when Paul met Christ on the road to Damascus, his life changed. While inwardly he was renewed in his identity through Christ and lived a life of freedom, joy, and hope–outwardly he lived a life of hardship as he preached the gospel of Jesus Christ and was persecuted every step of the way. Most of the letters were written to address a specific situation in a specific area, such as a misunderstanding, poor behavior, or incorrect doctrine and also addressed broader themes of Christianity for the church as a whole.

JAMES. The author of this letter is known as James the Just, or James the half brother of Jesus. James wasn’t a believer during Jesus’ ministry, but after he encountered the resurrected Jesus he became a devout follower. He later became a leader of the church of Jerusalem. His writings addressed the characteristics of living a Christian life and were likely directed to the Jewish Christians that had scattered throughout the world.

JOHN. See John. Given the similar writing styles to the gospel of John, it is commonly accepted that John is the author of these three books. As a key pillar in the early church, John was an old man when writing these letters and the only one of the twelve disciples still alive. Likely written as an elder within the church of Ephesus, John continued to capture Jesus’ teachings with specific letters that encouraged Christ followers on how to live, love, and handle opposition.