Who Wrote the Bible? Searching for Its Origins and Authors

by Joel S. Baden, The Great Courses

From the first centuries CE to the present, the question of who wrote the Bible has fascinated readers, theologians, and scholars. While countless viewpoints have circulated, the matter of who wrote the Bible remains a compelling issue.

In these 24 eye-opening lectures, Professor Baden takes you deeply into the history of both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, as you explore essential topics such

The Foundations of the Torah. Discover that the Bible’s first five books contain four independent and contrasting texts woven together and honoring multiple perspectives on Israel’s relationship with God. The Writing of the Prophets. Learn that the book of Isaiah is composed of two distinct prophetic texts; in Jeremiah, learn about the writing of the book by Baruch, Jeremiah’s scribe. Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. Investigate their attribution to Solomon and note that the books’ wholly divergent worldviews (spiritual wisdom vs. pessimism) demonstrate that the Bible holds disparate and contrasting perspectives at the same time. Chronicles. In this second biblical telling of the history of the Israelites, observe how the writing whitewashes events of the reigns of Israel’s kings, as Chronicles tells Israel’s history from its own vantage point, for its own time. Luke and the Book of Acts. Trace the connections between the writing of the Gospel of Luke and Acts; grasp how the texts recount historical events to communicate something larger—a call for the founding of the Christian church. Revelation. Investigate the identity of “John,” whose name appears as the author of the book. Note the ways in which Revelation offers a vision of divine victory to Christians suffering brutal oppression by Rome. In shedding light on core questions about the Bible’s writing, Who Wrote the Bible? Searching for Its Origins and Authors offers you a provocative and enlightening look at the creation of this beloved book—a foundational document of our culture and civilization.

PLEASE When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

Genres: History, Religion

Audible Audio

Published November 21, 2025

About the author

Joel S. Baden is professor of Hebrew Bible at Yale Divinity School. He is the coauthor, with Candida R. Moss, of Bible Nation: The United States of Hobby Lobby and Reconceiving Infertility: Biblical Perspectives on Procreation and Childlessness (both Princeton). He lives in New Haven, Connecticut.

Reviews

[AttackGirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes another Great Course filled with information in this case always overlooked and rarely discussed. Informative for those with basic or no understanding of the bible. Presented in a... why dont we ask these questions... I have extensive knowledge of this topic and still enjoyed the course. It could have been much longer and I would have appreciated the Apocrophia and .... well all the other text found at Nag Hammadi. Have you ever seen the text fragments that has caused such death and destruction.

Today President Trump spoke in China and discussed how we have honored the Great Confucius and that he is on the Supreme Court building in DC.

[Y M · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m reading Fatal Discord, so I wanted to listen to this book as a supplemental knowledge source. What the Bible is is a library / collection of select stories that were read and thus survived, then refined and editorialized (heavily, sometimes), per the lecturer. I was left a bit confused when he said some texts were not included in the Bible because they were not Biblical enough, and now it is circular.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first dive into the great courses and I like the format. I'm not interested in fighting over whether these count as “reading” they are on goodreads and audible and I don't care they are going towards my count.
I really enjoy learning about religion from an academic perspective and this series did that very well. I feel like I gained a good perspective on the old testament especially.

[Jerry Levit · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a terrific lecture. The professor is engaging and presented the material with wit and respect. There is a lot to absorb and probably deserves a second listen before too long.