Description
In this class, we won’t answer the title question. Sorry. But we will talk about the evidence and methods biblical scholars use when they try to answer the question. We’ll look at the issues surrounding who wrote the Pentateuch, the histories, and some of the most famous prophets. We’ll talk about some key evidence scholars use: big words like anachronisms, archaeology, and ideology. Along the way, we’ll sprinkle in a handful of comments concerning the New Testament, too, in case that’s your thing. Are any books of the Bible written by women? Probably not, but we’ll talk about the best argument you could make for it. If you’d like to consider the question/s of biblical authorship in a more informed and sophisticated way, then this class is for you!
Topics We’ll Cover:
- Where did the idea of Mosaic authorship come from and how’d we figure out it’s wrong?
- Who’s the Deuteronomistic historian and why are there so many syllables in his name?
- Timeout: Did women write anything in the Bible?
- Why didn’t Isaiah write Isaiah or Daniel write Daniel?
- Speed round: What about the New Testament’s authors?
This class includes:
- One-night live class
- Live Q+A session
- Link to class recording
- Downloadable class slides
Your Instructor:
Aaron Higashi is a Nerd-in-Residence for the Bible for Normal People and the author of both 1 & 2 Samuel for Normal People and the upcoming 1 & 2 Chronicles for Normal People. Aaron got his PhD in Bible, Culture, and Hermeneutics from Chicago Theological Seminary and spends some of his free time answering people’s questions about the Bible on TikTok @aaron.higashi. Aaron lives in Scottsdale, Arizona, with his internist wife and three young daughters. His main hobby is getting all his girls to their hobbies, but he also does jiu jitsu and writes sci-fi/fantasy books when no one’s looking.
