Who wrote the Bible? TB Baba Batra 15

 Starting with yesterday’s daf and continuing on today’s daf TB Baba Batra 15, the Gemara  discusses the various views who wrote different books of the Bible.

“The baraita now considers the authors of the biblical books: And who wrote the books of the Bible? Moses wrote his own book, i.e., the Torah, and the portion of Balaam in the Torah, and the book of Job. Joshua wrote his own book and eight verses in the Torah, which describe the death of Moses. Samuel wrote his own book, the book of Judges, and the book of Ruth. David wrote the book of Psalms by means of ten elders of previous generations, assembling a collection that included compositions of others along with his own. He included psalms authored by Adam the first man, by Melchizedek king of Salem, and by Abraham, and by Moses, and by Heman, and by Jeduthun, and by Asaph, Jeremiah wrote his own book, and the book of Kings, and Lamentations. Hezekiah and his colleagues wrote the following, and a mnemonic to remember which books they wrote is yod, mem, shin, kuf: Isaiah [Yeshaya], Proverbs [Mishlei], Song of Songs [Shir HaShirim], and Ecclesiastes [Kohelet]. The members of the Great Assembly wrote the following, and a mnemonic to remember these books is kuf, nun, dalet, gimmel: Ezekiel [Yeḥezkel ], and the Twelve Prophets [Sheneim Asar], Daniel [Daniel ], and the Scroll of Esther [Megillat Ester]. Ezra wrote his own book and the genealogy of the book of Chronicles until his period.” (Sefaria.org translation)

Sometimes this list of authorships differs from other accepted traditions. For example, ask any Rabbi and he/she will tell you that King Solomon wrote Proverbs [Mishlei], Song of Songs [Shir HaShirim], and Ecclesiastes [Kohelet].

The last eight verses of the Torah opens up the possibility that Moses did not write the entire Torah from beginning to end because it describes his death and burial. “So Moses the servant of YHVH died there, in the land of Moab, at the command of YHVH. [God] buried him in the valley in the land of Moab, near Beth-peor; and no one knows his burial place to this day. Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died; his eyes were undimmed and his vigor unabated. And the Israelites bewailed Moses in the steppes of Moab for thirty days. The period of wailing and mourning for Moses came to an end.  Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands upon him; and the Israelites heeded him, doing as YHVH had commanded Moses. Never again did there arise in Israel a prophet like Moses—whom YHVH singled out, face to face, for the various signs and portents that YHVH sent him to display in the land of Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his courtiers and his whole country, and for all the great might and awesome power that Moses displayed before all Israel.” (Dt. 34:5-12)

Joshua wrote the last eight verses is one possible view shared by the Gemara. “The Master said above that Joshua wrote his own book and eight verses of the Torah. The Gemara comments: This baraita is taught in accordance with the one who says that it was Joshua who wrote the last eight verses in the Torah. This point is subject to a tannaitic dispute, as it is taught in another baraita: “And Moses the servant of the Lord died there” (Deuteronomy 34:5); is it possible that after Moses died, he himself wrote “And Moses died there”? Rather, Moses wrote the entire Torah until this point, and Joshua wrote from this point forward; this is the statement of Rabbi Yehuda. And some say that Rabbi Neḥemya stated this opinion.” (Sefaria.org translation)

Since Moses was a prophet he could have foretold his own future no matter how heartbreaking it is, is the alternative view shared by the Gemara. “Rabbi Shimon said to him: Is it possible that the Torah scroll was missing a single letter? But it is written: “Take this Torah scroll” (Deuteronomy 31:26), indicating that the Torah was complete as is and that nothing further would be added to it. Rather, until this point the Holy One, Blessed be He, dictated and Moses repeated after Him and wrote the text. From this point forward, with respect to Moses’ death, the Holy One, Blessed be He, dictated and Moses wrote with tears. The fact that the Torah was written by way of dictation can be seen later, as it is stated concerning the writing of the Prophets: “And Baruch said to them: He dictated all these words to me, and I wrote them with ink in the scroll” (Jeremiah 36:18).” (Sefaria.org translation)

Modern scholarship expands the authorship of the Torah beyond Moses and Joshua. Biblical scholars accept the Torah is comprised of four different sources, J (Jehovah), E (Elohim), P (the priestly code), and D (Deuteronomist). Each source has its own style, interest, and point of view. Most scholars believe that the Torah was compiled and edited by priestly redactors in Babylonia between 600 and 400 BCE. The redactor did a wonderful job but sometimes the sources contradict each other.

For further study I recommend the following books. Who Wrote the Bible by Richard Elliott Friedman. He draws upon biblical and archaeological evidence to make a convincing argument for the identities of the authors. In the process he paints a vivid picture the world of the Bible-is politics, history, and personalities.

Two books help the modern person understand how and why observe the commandments even if they were not handed down by God from upon Mount Sinai.

Revelation and Authority by Benjamin D. Sommer demonstrates that the Torah presents different models of Revelation beyond Mount Sinai. Different poskin of Jewish law throughout Jewish history have based their decisions on a different model of Revelation.

Shattered Fragments: Recovering Theology for the Modern Jew by Neil Gillman. The modern Jew who can no longer believe in the divinity of Torah as understood by Rabbi Shimon is often confronted with questions of faith. Sacred Fragments helps the individual create his personal theology that answers his questions of faith by clarifying various Jewish theologies.