What do you think?
Rate this book
Writing the Bible: Origins of the Old Testament
Who wrote Great Expectations? That’s easy: Charles Dickens. Who’s the author of Beloved? Toni Morrison, of course. Now how about the Old Testament?
You’d think for a book as widely known, studied, and distributed as the Bible, the question of authorship would have been sorted out by now. But the question is more complex (and fascinating) than it seems. Why? Because asking it is to challenge everything we might assume about the Bible’s identity as a book, about what “writing” and “authorship” really mean, and about how a written text could become sacred to Jews and Christians, both in the ancient world and today.
In Writing the Bible: Origins of the Old Testament, work through these fascinating questions (and their related assumptions) in the company of biblical expert Martien A. Halvorson-Taylor of the University of Virginia. As you chase down answers, you’ll travel back in time to explore how oral traditions — ancient songs and stories — shaped the identity of an emerging nation, Israel, and how those traditions came to be written down, reinterpreted, and gathered into a collection of books that resonate with us even now.
The Old Testament reflects the profundity and timelessness of human experience. It has the power to shape our sense of our own lives, to frame our fears, and to inspire our ultimate hopes. What could be more interesting than finding out who, exactly, we should thank for that?
©2021 Audible Originals, LLC (P)2021 Audible Originals, LLC.
You’d think for a book as widely known, studied, and distributed as the Bible, the question of authorship would have been sorted out by now. But the question is more complex (and fascinating) than it seems. Why? Because asking it is to challenge everything we might assume about the Bible’s identity as a book, about what “writing” and “authorship” really mean, and about how a written text could become sacred to Jews and Christians, both in the ancient world and today.
In Writing the Bible: Origins of the Old Testament, work through these fascinating questions (and their related assumptions) in the company of biblical expert Martien A. Halvorson-Taylor of the University of Virginia. As you chase down answers, you’ll travel back in time to explore how oral traditions — ancient songs and stories — shaped the identity of an emerging nation, Israel, and how those traditions came to be written down, reinterpreted, and gathered into a collection of books that resonate with us even now.
The Old Testament reflects the profundity and timelessness of human experience. It has the power to shape our sense of our own lives, to frame our fears, and to inspire our ultimate hopes. What could be more interesting than finding out who, exactly, we should thank for that?
©2021 Audible Originals, LLC (P)2021 Audible Originals, LLC.
Audible Audio
Published December 7, 2021
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
July 23, 2024
Martien Halvorson-Taylor weaves a tale that spans thousands of years, using what we know about the ancient history of the Near East to piece together the who's, how's, and why's of the texts we call the Old Testament.
The stories make sense when you step back and look at them through a historical lens, and I've been looking for a lecture that covered it this way for quite some time.
Her love of the history of the Old Testament is evident in the way she explains the stories behind the stories in the Bible. You can tell she's very aware that she is dealing with a religious text that means a great deal to people around the world and is respectful of that, while still giving a secular lecture about the origins of the scriptures.
She not only goes into the history of the Bible but also goes into the history of the scholars throughout the ages who have tried to figure out the origins of the stories in the Bible.
For example, the Documentary Hypothesis is something that anyone who has looked into this subject will have heard a lot about, and she does an excellent job explaining what it is, how it came about, and why it is generally thought of as flawed in some ways.
The little oddities in translation that gave us stories like Joseph's coat of many colors, instead of a long-sleeved tunic, is just one of the ways that the text has changed and morphed and become something for new generations of readers. Regardless of how it came to be, it has become part of our own lore and new authors have taken the core story and made it into something present-day people find recognizable and perhaps relatable.
I was particularly interested in the origins of the Septuagint, having just listened to a lecture on ancient Egypt.
I didn't realize that it was so different from the Masoretic Text that is (mostly) used in English translations of the Christian Bible. Very cool.
I found the parts about King Josiah far more interesting than I originally anticipated. The idea that the written word was possibly considered sketchy at first was a new concept to me. The prophet Jeremiah seems to be saying that perhaps the word of God should not be written down but only spoken through prophets like himself. This might have been a reflection of a turning point when the oral traditions were starting to become written traditions.
Jeremiah 8:8
New Revised Standard Version
How can you say, “We are wise, and the law of the LORD is with us,” when, in fact, the false pen of the scribes has made it into a lie?
It's a fascinating lecture on a misunderstood and sometimes maligned ancient text.
Check it out.
The stories make sense when you step back and look at them through a historical lens, and I've been looking for a lecture that covered it this way for quite some time.
Her love of the history of the Old Testament is evident in the way she explains the stories behind the stories in the Bible. You can tell she's very aware that she is dealing with a religious text that means a great deal to people around the world and is respectful of that, while still giving a secular lecture about the origins of the scriptures.
She not only goes into the history of the Bible but also goes into the history of the scholars throughout the ages who have tried to figure out the origins of the stories in the Bible.
For example, the Documentary Hypothesis is something that anyone who has looked into this subject will have heard a lot about, and she does an excellent job explaining what it is, how it came about, and why it is generally thought of as flawed in some ways.
The little oddities in translation that gave us stories like Joseph's coat of many colors, instead of a long-sleeved tunic, is just one of the ways that the text has changed and morphed and become something for new generations of readers. Regardless of how it came to be, it has become part of our own lore and new authors have taken the core story and made it into something present-day people find recognizable and perhaps relatable.
I was particularly interested in the origins of the Septuagint, having just listened to a lecture on ancient Egypt.
I didn't realize that it was so different from the Masoretic Text that is (mostly) used in English translations of the Christian Bible. Very cool.
I found the parts about King Josiah far more interesting than I originally anticipated. The idea that the written word was possibly considered sketchy at first was a new concept to me. The prophet Jeremiah seems to be saying that perhaps the word of God should not be written down but only spoken through prophets like himself. This might have been a reflection of a turning point when the oral traditions were starting to become written traditions.
Jeremiah 8:8
New Revised Standard Version
How can you say, “We are wise, and the law of the LORD is with us,” when, in fact, the false pen of the scribes has made it into a lie?
It's a fascinating lecture on a misunderstood and sometimes maligned ancient text.
Check it out.
August 23, 2024
این مدت که در حال خواندن عهد عتیق هستم، این سوال که واقعاً این متن توسط چه کسانی نوشته شده برام بزرگ و بزرگتر شده. اگر معتقد نباشی که این متن مقدسه و توسط موسی نوشته شده، حتی با نگاه غیر موشکافانه و غیرتخصصی هم میشه تکرارها، تفاوت نگاهها و تکهتکه بودنش رو دید
این مجموعه لکچر بسیار خوب، همین مسئله رو کامل اما مختصر و مفید بررسی میکنه و نظریههای موجود در مورد منابع مختلف عهد عتیق رو توضیح میده. بر اساس این نظریهها، نویسندگان اول تورات کاتبان درباری هستند که داستانهای معروف قبایل اسراییل رو به مرور زمان مکتوب کردند. این ده لکچر، درس تاریخ خوبی هم در مورد قوم اسرائیل و شروع نگارشه و اطلاعات تاریخی رو در مقایسه با متن تورات قرار میده
فکر میکنم زمان درست گوش دادن بهش بعد از خواندن عهد عتیقه که بشه ارجاعات رو کاملاً متوجه شد، اما به من هم برای درک بهتر آنچه قراره بخونم کمک کرد. دوست دارم بعداً که بیشتر در این مورد میخونم، توضیحاتی در مورد نویسندگان تورات بنویسم که به نظرم خیلی جالب میاد
مجموعه لکچر رو میتونید از اینجا دانلود کنید
Maede's Books
۱۴۰۳/۶/۲
این مجموعه لکچر بسیار خوب، همین مسئله رو کامل اما مختصر و مفید بررسی میکنه و نظریههای موجود در مورد منابع مختلف عهد عتیق رو توضیح میده. بر اساس این نظریهها، نویسندگان اول تورات کاتبان درباری هستند که داستانهای معروف قبایل اسراییل رو به مرور زمان مکتوب کردند. این ده لکچر، درس تاریخ خوبی هم در مورد قوم اسرائیل و شروع نگارشه و اطلاعات تاریخی رو در مقایسه با متن تورات قرار میده
فکر میکنم زمان درست گوش دادن بهش بعد از خواندن عهد عتیقه که بشه ارجاعات رو کاملاً متوجه شد، اما به من هم برای درک بهتر آنچه قراره بخونم کمک کرد. دوست دارم بعداً که بیشتر در این مورد میخونم، توضیحاتی در مورد نویسندگان تورات بنویسم که به نظرم خیلی جالب میاد
مجموعه لکچر رو میتونید از اینجا دانلود کنید
Maede's Books
۱۴۰۳/۶/۲
March 18, 2023
Writing the Bible is an excellent, introductory course, suitable for complete novices. Biblical scholarship surrounding the Bible’s composition is explained starting with the most basic concept — that the Bible is a collection of works — more a library than a single volume. From there, in a series of clear, concise, and engaging lectures, the author goes on to explore and explain the fundamentals of the scholarship involved.
The author starts with the Documentary Hypothesis. She explains how it was revolutionary in thinking about Biblical composition, and how it was widely accepted through most of the 20th century. She concludes this lecture explaining the issues and problems now seen in the Documentary Hypothesis, and how much of it has been rethought or rejected.
From Josiah’s Reform, to the scribe Ezra, from discussing The Septuagint to the shock of The Dead Sea Scrolls, each following lecture deals with important pieces of the topic. The author provides web addresses where material for additional study is available
There’s nothing new here if you are already reasonably well versed in this subject. But this is a great place to begin if the subject interests you and you are new to the scholarship. This work lives up to its advertising as a Great Course.
The author starts with the Documentary Hypothesis. She explains how it was revolutionary in thinking about Biblical composition, and how it was widely accepted through most of the 20th century. She concludes this lecture explaining the issues and problems now seen in the Documentary Hypothesis, and how much of it has been rethought or rejected.
From Josiah’s Reform, to the scribe Ezra, from discussing The Septuagint to the shock of The Dead Sea Scrolls, each following lecture deals with important pieces of the topic. The author provides web addresses where material for additional study is available
There’s nothing new here if you are already reasonably well versed in this subject. But this is a great place to begin if the subject interests you and you are new to the scholarship. This work lives up to its advertising as a Great Course.
December 16, 2021
This is what a Great Courses book is supposed to be. Rather than get bogged down in faith stories as so many historical books looking at the bible do, Halvorson-Taylor jumps right into the problems of discerning where and how the books of the Old Testament were written and compiled and in doing so teaches us a lot about the history of the regions.
People tend to think that the great religions of the world began in their present forms rather than evolved over time. The thing I liked most about Writing the Bible was how Halvorson-Taylor shows again and again how the interests of the people writing about periods that happened centuries earlier put their own worldview on to the historical actors. A really interesting example was King Solomon, who is presented in the Old Testament as having abandoned his monotheism and worshipped other gods. However, those accounts were written centuries after his death. It is much more likely, based on an analysis of the texts and when they were written, that Solomon ruled at a time when the Jews were not yet staunchly monotheistic—something that later authors either didn’t know or couldn’t accept.
Another fascinating insight conveyed by Halvorson-Taylor was how the written word did not originally appear to be given the same trustworthiness as the spoken word, but that over time with the literate gaining in influence, the written word became viewed as much more dependable.
All in all, this is a wonderful book. I hope she does a sequel on the New Testament.
If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
People tend to think that the great religions of the world began in their present forms rather than evolved over time. The thing I liked most about Writing the Bible was how Halvorson-Taylor shows again and again how the interests of the people writing about periods that happened centuries earlier put their own worldview on to the historical actors. A really interesting example was King Solomon, who is presented in the Old Testament as having abandoned his monotheism and worshipped other gods. However, those accounts were written centuries after his death. It is much more likely, based on an analysis of the texts and when they were written, that Solomon ruled at a time when the Jews were not yet staunchly monotheistic—something that later authors either didn’t know or couldn’t accept.
Another fascinating insight conveyed by Halvorson-Taylor was how the written word did not originally appear to be given the same trustworthiness as the spoken word, but that over time with the literate gaining in influence, the written word became viewed as much more dependable.
All in all, this is a wonderful book. I hope she does a sequel on the New Testament.
If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
December 28, 2021
Writing the Bible: Origins of the Old Testament by Martien Halvorson-Taylor is a fairly good survey on the subject. It feels like an actual Great Course, which is a big improvement on the usual fare. As for this one in particular, I chose it at random. Audible gives these out for free, and every now and again I get curious about religious themes. You'll walk away from it knowing more about how the Old Testament was pieced together, knock down a couple of myths, and you'll even get a surprise sort-of defense of the Septuagint. I'm torn between saying this course doesn't give enough time to really get into its subject, and questioning just how much time needs to be spent on the authorship of the old testament. The author gives frequent reference to her website if anyone wants to know more. I probably won't, but the option will probably satisfy some of those who feel like some debates were glossed over. Taylor has a deindividualistic notion of authorship, and tends to support gradual changes and writing over time. I find that fine, but others might take issue with that approach.
You probably won't touch this course unless you're really into religious topics. If you are, then this book is just about "fine."
80/100
You probably won't touch this course unless you're really into religious topics. If you are, then this book is just about "fine."
80/100
August 1, 2022
I think I'm pretty persuadable on a lot of the questions that the author deals with, and interested in learning more. But as I've dug into this field, I'm struck by how often biblical scholars make huge theories based on relatively little evidence. Perhaps that's just because I'm a layperson and haven't dug into the more technical writing in this area. But the author is either not interested in giving evidence for many of her claims, or else doesn't have such evidence. Disappointing.
January 13, 2024
5h 9m.
Our ignorance is often based on assumptions that current ideologies have always been so. Contexts around “authorship” are seen differently in illiterate communities than modern conceptions of intellectual property. The purpose and expectations of genre and form are not lost to us, but we don’t think to reference that knowledge and instead splice modern connotations onto older, inequitable forms.
This is a fascinating, well formed history of the role of literature and literacy in early Jewish history, during the origins of the Israelite people group, and how the perspective of written stories has changed over the evolution of the religion.
Our ignorance is often based on assumptions that current ideologies have always been so. Contexts around “authorship” are seen differently in illiterate communities than modern conceptions of intellectual property. The purpose and expectations of genre and form are not lost to us, but we don’t think to reference that knowledge and instead splice modern connotations onto older, inequitable forms.
This is a fascinating, well formed history of the role of literature and literacy in early Jewish history, during the origins of the Israelite people group, and how the perspective of written stories has changed over the evolution of the religion.
January 16, 2022
This course, taken from The Great Courses, is an examination of the Torah (Christianity's Old Testament) from an historic point of view...where did it come from?; who wrote it? How did it become one of the most important works in the history of man?
These lectures are presented is a clear, scholarly manner, albeit a bit dry, without many references to the obviously spiritual aspects that some readers might expect.
If your looking for a high-level survey of the HISTORY of the Torah (specifically, Pentateuch) this is a good place to start.
Recommended
These lectures are presented is a clear, scholarly manner, albeit a bit dry, without many references to the obviously spiritual aspects that some readers might expect.
If your looking for a high-level survey of the HISTORY of the Torah (specifically, Pentateuch) this is a good place to start.
Recommended
June 24, 2022
In a Great Course of ten short lectures, Martien Halvorson-Taylor explains current thought on how the Old Testament was written and compiled and the role of storytellers, editors, and translators. Her presentation was clearly and logically laid out and encourages me to read more on the topic.
Further information for the course can be found at writingthebible.org. Halvorson-Taylor is a professor of religious studies at the University of Virginia.
I listened to the audio book which was well narrated by the author.
Further information for the course can be found at writingthebible.org. Halvorson-Taylor is a professor of religious studies at the University of Virginia.
I listened to the audio book which was well narrated by the author.
December 26, 2021
It’s becoming quite obvious now which books I’m listening to on Audible for free! I wouldn’t usually pick up something like this but it was only 5 hours long and I do like history so I thought I’d try it.
Whether your faith is rooted in the Bible or not, this is still an interesting listen. It looks at how early story telling progressed on to writing, comparing excerpts from Bibles translated in different locations. It reminded me of a National Geographic history documentary!
Whether your faith is rooted in the Bible or not, this is still an interesting listen. It looks at how early story telling progressed on to writing, comparing excerpts from Bibles translated in different locations. It reminded me of a National Geographic history documentary!
March 17, 2022
I really enjoyed the tidbits of ancient history. Overall, the lecture was pretty good. I just was less interested than I expected. I don't know if I had the wrong expectation of this lecture, or perhaps the content just isn't as fascinating, or else the lecture may not have been presented the best it could've. I honestly couldn't specify.
August 12, 2022
An interesting look into the history of how the bible was written while discussing the concept of authorship, culture, and what is and isn't considered "sacred." The middle of the book I found to be quite boring, but after the dip halfway through it picks back up and becomes interesting again. I would reccomend this to anyone interested in history and religion, regardless of the reader's faith.
December 13, 2021
Another great biblical history author along with by Elaine Pagels and F.E. Peters.
January 20, 2022
Well there is no easy answer to who wrote the bible but this was an interesting lecture series on the subject. It definitely got me thinking more about "the" bible since there are many different versions of this same book.
December 11, 2021
I grew up a Christian, and although I'm not a religious person now, I found this book fascinating. I will be listening to it again.
December 20, 2021
Very enviable audiobook. I learned a bit, which is what I wanted, and I appreciated to writer’s tone.
December 30, 2021
Answers to some of the questions that I’ve had for a long time, and gave voice to some questions I couldn’t articulate. Also, just solid history in general.
January 20, 2022
Tuebingen theories, some nice history
October 27, 2022
Interesting look at how the Bible came together as a book from oral tradition through different languages and translations.
November 23, 2022
I feel like I’ve been updated on the Bible study I’ve been doing for the last five decades. A welcome experience.
December 15, 2022
Great academic account of the origins of the Bible, specifically the old testament.
March 28, 2023
Interesting to have an historical perspective!
April 1, 2023
Interesting summary of the known and unknown.
April 14, 2023
If you are looking for a simple introduction to the long history of the Old Testament, this is it.
September 11, 2023
Good overview of textual criticism of the old testament, and some historical context for early judaism as well as the earliest textual sources.
May 5, 2022
I got this book from audible. It was read by a monotonic voice. It stuck to the topic. It covered the whole history of the texts of ancient Judaism. It was a good listen. There is not much more to say about it. I have found several facts about the book interesting. However, I remember so little of it now, though I have listened to it recently. It's a good book. I don't think I like it much, though.
March 13, 2023
I just happened to add this from Audible Plus (again) without realizing that I had already listened to it. I can't believe I forgot in such a short time (a little over a year), because I found it absolutely fascinating this time around, especially the reconstruction of the way these texts probably actually were put together by scribes and the ways in which they were updated to address changing situations, like the Babylonian exile, and give the people hope and encouragement.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews