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Who Wrote the Bible? Paperback – January 1, 2019

by Richard Friedman (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 1,188 ratings
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A much anticipated reissue of Who Wrote the Bible?—the contemporary classic the New York Times Book Review called “a thought-provoking [and] perceptive guide” that identifies the individual writers of the Pentateuch and explains what they can teach us about the origins of the Bible.

For thousands of years, the prophet Moses was regarded as the sole author of the first five books of the Bible, known as the Pentateuch. According to tradition, Moses was divinely directed to write down foundational events in the history of the world: the creation of humans, the worldwide flood, the laws as they were handed down at Mt. Sinai, and the cycle of Israel’s enslavement and liberation from Egypt.

However, these stories—and their frequent discrepancies—provoke questions: why does the first chapter in Genesis say that man and woman were made in God’s image, while the second says that woman was made from man’s rib? Why does one account of the flood say it lasted forty days, while another records no less than one hundred? And why do some stories reflect the history of southern Judah, while others seem sourced from northern Israel?

Originally published in 1987, Richard Friedman’s Who Wrote the Bible? joins a host of modern scholars who show that the Pentateuch was written by at least four distinct voices—separated by borders, political alliances, and particular moments in history—then connected by brilliant editors. Rather than cast doubt onto the legitimacy of the Bible, Friedman uses these divergent accounts to illuminate a text that was written by real people. Friedman’s seminal and bestselling text is a comprehensive and authoritative answer to the question: just who exactly wrote the Bible?
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  1. Print length
    304 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    January 1, 2019
  4. Dimensions
    5.5 x 0.7 x 8.38 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    150119240X
  6. ISBN-13
    978-1501192401
  7. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“A thought-provoking [and] perceptive guide” —New York Times Book Review

"Brilliantly presented: there is no other book like this one. It may well be unique.” —Los Angeles Times

"Remarkable. Friedman has written that most rare of books: a legitimate intellectual contribution that is also a good read. The field of biblical studies will be enriched by this book." —Dallas Times Herald

About the Author

Richard Elliott Friedman is one of the premier bible scholars in the country. He is the Ann & Jay Davis Professor of Jewish Studies at the University of Georgia and the Katzin Professor of Jewish Civilization Emeritus of the University of California, San Diego. He is the author of Commentary on the Torah, The Disappearance of God, The Hidden Book in the Bible, The Bible with Sources Revealed, The Bible Now, The Exile and Biblical Narrative, the bestselling Who Wrote the Bible?, and his newest book, The Exodus. He was an American Council of Learned Societies Fellow and was elected to membership in The Biblical Colloquium. His books have been translated into fourteen languages.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Simon & Schuster (January 1, 2019)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 150119240X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1501192401
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.7 x 8.38 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 1,188 ratings

About the author

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Richard Elliott Friedman

Richard Elliott Friedman

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RICHARD ELLIOTT FRIEDMAN is one of the premier bible scholars in the country. He earned his doctorate at Harvard and was a visiting fellow at Oxford and Cambridge, a Senior Fellow of the American Schools of Oriental Research in Jerusalem, and a Visiting Professor at the University of Haifa. He is the Ann & Jay Davis Professor of Jewish Studies at the University of Georgia and the Katzin Professor of Jewish Civilization Emeritus of the University of California, San Diego. He is the author of Commentary on the Torah, The Disappearance of God, The Hidden Book in the Bible, The Bible with Sources Revealed, The Bible Now, The Exile and Biblical Narrative, the bestselling Who Wrote the Bible?, and his newest book, The Exodus. He was an American Council of Learned Societies Fellow and was elected to membership in The Biblical Colloquium. His books have been translated into Hebrew, German, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Japanese, Polish, Hungarian, Dutch, Portuguese, Czech, Turkish, Korean, and French. He was a consultant for the Dreamworks film "The Prince of Egypt," for Alice Hoffman's The Dovekeepers, and for NBC, A&E, PBS, and Nova.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
1,188 global ratings
Blasphemous and Excellent!
5 Stars
Blasphemous and Excellent!
Brilliant! Well written and easy to read. Gives lots of examples in each chapter. If your planning on purchasing his book, The Bible with sources. Buy this book first. This book is written for critical study, not the traditional view. Does not claim that the author(s) were committing religious fraud and is not an attack on Judaism or Christianity. You must have an open mind if you plan to read this.
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Top reviews from the United States

Darcy
5.0 out of 5 stars Kindle version
Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2024
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I thought it would be interesting to dive into various perspectives regarding history of the Bible and Friendman did not disappoint. I found the correlating of, and sharing differently of, same stories fascinating, as well as taken back by the eye openers when verifying their accuracy. I will probably read a few others like this, and then read this one again.
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Richard Gabriel
5.0 out of 5 stars A very thought provoking book.
Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2024
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This book on the authors of the Bible has given his readers reason to look more deeply into what we read and put much more time studying and analysis each story.
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ABDUL HAMID ABDUL AZIZ
4.0 out of 5 stars The book arrived on time
Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2024
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Overall it is readable however it is full of underline and notes.
Good service from Amazon in sending the book but the quality of the book is below average.
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John J. Kim
5.0 out of 5 stars Must read for all Jews and Christians.
Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2024
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Mr. Friedman eloquently explains the first five books of the Bible. After reading this book, it opens your eyes and minds and helps you understand the hidden meaning behind many of the biblical stories. I highly recommend this book for anyone who was confused by some of the stories in the Bible.
6 people found this helpful
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Dr. M. W. Alexander
5.0 out of 5 stars A well documented book by an authority.
Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2024
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The book provides a highly educated scholar's analysis of the authorship of the Bible. It is a very credible take on a topic fraught with fictitious explanations.
One person found this helpful
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Vigilant
5.0 out of 5 stars A BRAVE Analysis of the Pentateuch which will Open Up the Bible even more For You
Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2017
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Ok, I have read some of the negative reviews posted on Amazon about this book and I understand to a certain extent why they would reject this book. It can easily be perceived that the Bible is a mish mosh of writings from unknown or suspected authors other than whom the book is said to be written by. I suppose the author's humanistic and intellectual approach to breaking down the Bible and its authors lends itself to some of these perceived rejections. But careful study and examination of the what the author is saying does not as a whole negate the truth or inspiration of God's Word by his (author) summations. In fact, for me, as an evangelical Christian and Bible Study student, it opens up the Bible even more. It answers some questions I had in my thoughts and clarifies certain things. I think Mr Friedman did a great job however there were few parts (and I mean few) that I disagreed with such as where the author surmises that Moses hitting the rock in Exodus and again in Numbers is a record of the same event in two different and contradictory places (Mt Sinai and Meribah) that was placed by the Bible "writer ". I believe what the Bible says...period. If it records it as two separate events, then its two separate events. Nevertheless, I do suggest true students of the Word read this book in order to obtain some amazing insight. I already have so many "rabbit trails" I want to explore and study because of this book...such as why the Bible separates at times the two terms, Levites and Priests...I used to think they were one and the same. However, after reading this book it has brought me to the new awareness that it (the Bible) may be referring to priests that originated or stem from the Mushite (Moses) line and those of the Aaronic Line, hence the distinction between Levites and Priests. I did read in one review that this book may not be for "baby" Christians to which I do I agree. This book is certainly "steak" and not "milk"! And the assumption (by the author) that Moses was not the author or more precisely the final scribe of the books we have now in the Bible maybe true, however, what was noticeably absent from the book was that Moses WAS and IS the first original scribe (the author is God of course) from which these Bible scribes obtained their texts from. One only has to search two words in the Bible to confirm what I mean: "MOSES WROTE..." Exodus 24:4 Moses wrote..., Numbers 33:2 Moses wrote..., Deuteronomy 31:9 Moses wrote..., Deuteronomy 31:22 Moses therefore wrote..., Joshua 8:32, Mark 12:19, Luke 20:28, and John 5:46. You get the idea. At the end, Friedman wraps it up nicely though through quote from a christian writer which I wholeheartedly agree with: (From Christian writer Andreas von Maes) - "But in truth there is no great need for contending concerning the writer (of the Bible books) as long as we believe that God is the author, both of the events themselves and of the words wherewith they have been communicated to us..." AGREED!!! To that end, I do like the work Friedman did in this book. I do not feel it takes away from the Bible except in the few parts I disagree with and really there aren't many. After all no one is perfect besides Yeshua :-) Keep an open mind and see for yourself and I expect it will open up the Bible even more for you if you let it.
13 people found this helpful
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Dave_42
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Exploration Of Key Question
Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2012
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For those who are interested in a scholarly discussion of a question which most people (at least most have wondered at some point or another) "Who Wrote The Bible?" by Richard Elliott Friedman is a book you should read. Friedman uses history as well as uses the contact to first build the case for multiple authors of the Books of Moses, and then put forward a plausible hypothesis for the authorship for the different sections. Of course, he is not attempting to name specific authors, but rather focused on where the authors were from, and what their position was in the society.

The core of the book is less than 250 pages, but the appendices, bibliography and notes bring it closer to 300 pages. That being said, while Friedman does an excellent job of presenting his subject in a concise matter, it is his references that make "Who Wrote The Bible?" such a great work by itself, as well as be a tremendous reference to do further reading on the subject.

Friedman opens with a discussion of the traditional authors of the Bible and why those were clearly not accurate, and then moves into an overview of the world which produced the first books of the Bible. He then goes into the two different authors of the events and how their accounts are different, and how they are the same. The authors are given the names J and E based on the words they use to refer to God. Friedman then goes into more detail on who these writers were, i.e. where they were from, when did they live, and what were their roles in society. Note that Friedman doesn't rule out the possibility that J and E each have multiple writers, but rather than whether they do or not doesn't have an impact on the overall viewpoint of the texts.

Of course, the authorship doesn't end with J and E. Next up is D, the author of Deuteronomy and the next 6 books, and this is followed by a discussion of the author referred to as P. Friedman also discusses the importance of the redactor or editor who put all these works together and the obvious control this person had over the current work. While controversial in some respects, this book is certainly not a case of science and religion in conflict. The difficulties were not a scientific discovery, but rather this has been an area of religious debate and discussion. Certainly some of the evidence that Friedman presents is scientific, but this is not a book discussing the validity of the work, but rather the authorship, so unless one's faith is dependent on the specific author of these works, it should not be one which fans the flames between religion and reason.
12 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Nathan Ward
5.0 out of 5 stars A liberating read
Reviewed in Canada on February 10, 2018
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I grew up in a very conservative Christian home. Bible stories were more familiar to me than even Saturday morning cartoons. Friedman’s book rekindled my interest and dare I say love for the Bible. He in no way denigrates it.

Friedman shows that the writing of the Bible was very human with all of humanity’s glories and blemishes. There was nothing magical or inerrant in the writing of the Bible. Instead it’s a story of people seeking to be in relationship with God. It’s a story that has shaped us more than any other.

Friedman has enriched my belief in the Incarnation. The Word revealed in flesh. And what intriguing and messy flesh it is.

A must read for anyone wanting more than what they were taught in Sunday school or Bible College.
2 people found this helpful
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Joseph M
5.0 out of 5 stars Great presentation of the Importance of bible authourship
Reviewed in India on August 2, 2018
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the complete analysis, he tore it done and put it back beautifully
One person found this helpful
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Ricardo Meneghelli
4.0 out of 5 stars Coerente e compreensível
Reviewed in Brazil on December 22, 2016
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O livro apresenta uma abordagem coerente e compreensível quanto ao processo de formação da Bíblia Hebraica (Antigo Testamento), ajustando a tradicional e antiga Hipótese Documentária. O problema é que, atualmente, quase nenhum estudioso do tema considera a hipótese documentária um solução adequada para explicar a composição do pentateuco.
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678551742
5.0 out of 5 stars Claridad y solidez académica
Reviewed in Spain on February 5, 2017
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Una obra seria desde el punto de vista académico, pero lo suficientemente clara para que pueda seguirlo cualquier persona con una base de cultura general. Explica la complicada historia del origen de los 11 primeros libros de la Biblia Hebrea -no toda la Biblia, como da a entender el título-. Por supuesto, como cualquier otra teoría sobre el origen de los textos bíblicos, está basada en una serie de hipótesis, pero lo que propone no sólo resulta creíble, es una de las mejores aproximaciones a uno de los grandes enigmas de la historia. Muy recomendable para cualquiera que quiera conocer la Biblia desde las investigaciones de la historia
One person found this helpful
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一領具足
5.0 out of 5 stars このヤハウェの姿は、エホバにも、アッラーにも、共通して窺える姿
Reviewed in Japan on March 27, 2020
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　20世紀まで積み上げられた、聖書学の成果が切り拓いた「知的な旅路」をワクワクしながら、辿っていました。
　古代ユダヤ教を、宗教社会学を学ぶ題材とした、約半世紀前から、旧約聖書の読み難さの理由や、背景を知りたい、と思い続けてきました。
　この本のおかげで、その読み難さの由来を理解する様々な科学的方法論や、その研究成果に交わることが出来、序章から第14章まで、次々と疑問が解き明かされていく過程に、惹き込まれ、腑に落ちてくるものを味わい続けていました。
　信仰内容を一旦脇に置いて、聖書を、科学的な研究の対象に置き、理性や知性の問いかけてくる疑問に、科学的に答えていく作業には、中世の神学者たちの成果にまで遡る、長い先行研究の道程があることも、更に明らかになりました。
　第14章では、この旅路の末に辿り着いた高みから、ユダヤ教とキリスト教に共通するものを概観します。近寄ることを俊絶する絶対的な姿と、赦し慈しみ身近にいる姿と、相矛盾するヤハウェの姿が、浮かび上がって、改めてまた信仰内容の中身に戻る路が、啓けてくるかのようです。
　このヤハウェの姿は、エホバにも、アッラーにも、共通して窺える姿でもあり、一神教の生成過程に理解を進めることにもなります。
　21世紀に入って、仏教学の成果も一般に広く知られるようになり、例えば、NHKのEテレの「100分de名著」で、佐々木閑さんの「大乗仏教」の解説が聞かれるようになりました。（中村元先生に私淑するものとしても、嬉しく思います。）
　聖書学も仏教学も、その信仰内容を豊かにし、点検し、味わい直すうえで、疎かには出来ないなぁ、と再認識しています。
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