{"product":{"product_id":"0060630353","title":"Who Wrote the Bible?","price":"24.98","image_url":"https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51UO1S5iEpL._SL500_.jpg","url":"https://www.amazon.com/dp/0060630353"},"comments":[{"body":"Richard Friedman's *Who Wrote the Bible?* has a chart in the Appendix that lets you do just that, with your own book.\r\n\r\nTo see the Appendix, go [here to Amazon's US page](https://www.amazon.com/Wrote-Bible-Richard-Elliott-Friedman/dp/0060630353). Click the book cover picture to Look Inside. On the left, click the Search magnifying glass, then type *Appendix*. All of it is there from this preview, page 246-255.","subreddit_name":"AcademicBiblical","author":"ProllyPolly2"},{"body":"Who wrote the Bible?\r\nBook by Richard Elliott Friedman\r\nIs exactly what you are looking for. It deals with the Hebrew (old) testament the historical conditions under which it was written. \r\n\r\n\r\nhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Wrote-Bible-Richard-Elliott-Friedman/dp/0060630353","subreddit_name":"suggestmeabook","author":"JosBenson"},{"body":"Richard Friedman's \"Who Wrote the Bible\" (a secular bible scholar) helped me understand what shaped much of the bible stories and perspectives. I'd recommend it if you are seeking answers and understanding, rather than mere reassurance. \r\n\r\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Wrote-Bible-Richard-Elliott-Friedman/dp/0060630353","subreddit_name":"Christianity","author":"witchdoc86"},{"body":"What do you think about the height of pillars one. Or baths of the sea.\r\n\r\nIts pretty easy to be unconsciously biased, or self deceive by confirmation bias - that is why  an objective set of discrepancies was taken. \r\n\r\nI think your chariot explanation is looking a bit too deep. It literally says 7000 parash and 700 parash.\r\n\r\nSame with the killed by spear vs not - do you think a single spear could kill 300 people at one time? Killed three hundred people by his spear was a phrase. Of the culture at the time. It seems a bit weird (at least, to me) that they would count, oh you killed 300 many with this weapon, and this many with another. \r\n\r\nYeah its ok I already have many Christian books about the Quran. Back when I was trying to bring them to Christianity. [Edit - I actually have that book - I bought it back in 2014!] \r\n\r\nYou sound like you really like to read? \r\n\r\nRichard Friedman's \"Who Wrote the Bible\" is my favorite book about Christianity (well, at least, the OT). The Truth should be able to stand up under scrutiny.  (If you're keen but poor, but have a kindle, I'd be willing to gift you a kindle ebook). One warning though - for me, it was kind of like the red pill from The Matrix. I knew my bible stories well. But not WELL until I could see the ancient people and politics. It will make you understand the OT like I had previously but seen through a glass dimly. \r\n\r\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Wrote-Bible-Richard-Elliott-Friedman/dp/0060630353","subreddit_name":"CreationEvolution","author":"witchdoc86"},{"body":"Right before I left the church, I was Gospel Doctrine teacher. It was my favorite calling. I loved teaching.\r\n\r\nNot sure what I can add to the list of pharisaical things Mormons do, but I will throw this out there if you're teaching about the OT. I just got finished reading [\"Who Wrote the Bible?\"](https://www.amazon.com/Wrote-Bible-Richard-Elliott-Friedman/dp/0060630353), and it was very enlightening. Helped the OT make more sense: the short version (which I hadn't gotten from other sources) is that the Torah was a compilation of two different sources, one pro-Judah and one pro-Israel that got written after Israel was divided after Solomon died. They cut and pasted each story side by side. The compilation likely happened after the Babylonian Exile, which would have been after Lehi btw.\r\n\r\nOh wait, if you're in UT, you could mention the on one hand anal way people drive (never let people in because they should have seen the yellow line) combined with utter social cluelessness (I know I'm where I'm supposed to be, so even if I'm doing 50 in the fast lane, not my problem).","subreddit_name":"exmormon","author":"PwntEFX"},{"body":"\u0026gt; \"Who Wrote the Bible?\" by Richard Elliot Friedman beforehand\r\n\r\nI did not do this, but by the time I'd read \"The Early History of God\", I was already well aware of the multiple pagan origins of [edit] much of the bible, the two creation stories in the book of Genesis, the astrological significance of the \"12\" tribes of Israel, the volcanic origins of some of the Israelites' god's characteristics \u0026amp; rituals, and more.\r\n\r\nI'm going to check that book out, though - here's a readable preview of it:\r\n\r\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Wrote-Bible-Richard-Elliott-Friedman/dp/0060630353\r\n\r\nKeeping in mind that amazon likes to sell books...  I assume you buy used books whenever possible?","subreddit_name":"exjw","author":"ziddina"},{"body":"Some of it is political, yes. Not all of it, but more than most people realize. I'm not an expert so o have to be careful with what I state is true!\r\n\r\nMy info above mostly came from this really interesting book [Who Wrote The Bible](http://www.amazon.com/Wrote-Bible-Richard-Elliott-Friedman/dp/0060630353) by Richard Friedman. The four authors theory is pretty well known and widely accepted. This book lays it all out in a great overview. ","subreddit_name":"news","author":"iamadogand"},{"body":"This is an excellent post.  Very well informed, and well written!  I like the analogy too, didn't feel too strained to me.\r\n\r\nTo piggyback on this, a great book i highly recommend to anyone interested in the history of the bible (history of the book itself) is [Who Wrote The Bible? by Dr. Richard Friedman](http://www.amazon.com/Wrote-Bible-Richard-Elliott-Friedman/dp/0060630353).  His book only discusses the Torah (the first five books of the Old Testament for anyone who is unfamiliar), and explains how we can draw conclusions, and what these conclusions are.\r\n\r\nFor example, he discusses the JEDP theory of writers, who might have pieced it all together (the big theory is that it was the prophet Jeremiah, if i recall correctly), WHY each writer wrote what they did, etc.  The why part explains some biblical contradictions, such as the two separate flood accounts, and the fact that one book says only a certain tribe can have priests, but another book says that priests can come from any tribe.","subreddit_name":"changemyview","author":"iamadogand"},{"body":" **So how did they merge?**\r\n\r\nThis is where I might ruffle some feathers.... It all depends on what you believe. But most scholars agree there were multiple authors of the Torah, (first 5 books of Old Testament). I coooouuuuuld spend another hour explaining J, E, P, D, \u0026amp; the revisionist... but I don't want to. It's really complicated and honestly I'd probably fumble the ball on a lot of it. Why is that important to your question? Well it answers a lot of the El / YHWY stuff pretty well due to Israel and Judah being 2 separate kingdoms during 8(ish) BC.  If you want to dive into all that I'd recommend **\"Who Wrote The Bible\"** by Richard Freidman followed by **\"The Bible Unearthed\"** by Israel Frankstein. If you choose to read these buy them off thriftbooks.com, You can buy them for like $5.  [https://www.thriftbooks.com/](https://www.thriftbooks.com/) \r\n\r\n[https://www.amazon.com/Wrote-Bible-Richard-Elliott-Friedman/dp/0060630353](https://www.amazon.com/Wrote-Bible-Richard-Elliott-Friedman/dp/0060630353) \r\n\r\n[https://www.amazon.com/Bible-Unearthed-Archaeologys-Vision-Ancient/dp/0684869136](https://www.amazon.com/Bible-Unearthed-Archaeologys-Vision-Ancient/dp/0684869136)","subreddit_name":"AcademicBiblical","author":"-TheFrizzbee-"},{"body":"Hello and welcome! Here are my recommendations for de-indoctrinating yourself:\r\n\r\nTake some time to learn about the history of the bible. For example, you can take the [Open Yale Courses on Religious Studies](https://oyc.yale.edu/religious-studies/rlst-145) for free.\r\n\r\nRead [Who Wrote the Bible](https://www.amazon.com/Wrote-Bible-Richard-Elliott-Friedman/dp/0060630353) by Richard Elliott Friedman\r\n\r\nAlso read [A History of God](https://www.amazon.com/History-God-000-Year-Judaism-Christianity/dp/B01CQ0Z4MK) by Karen Armstrong\r\n\r\nWatch [this talk from Sam Harris](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCofmZlC72g) where he explains why \"free will\" is likely an illusion, which debunks the entire premise of \"the fall of man\" as presented by most Christian religions.\r\n\r\nWatch [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-M1EyhcRS8) on the Cordial Curiosity channel that teaches how the \"Socratic Method\" works, which essentially is a way to question why we believe what we believe. Do we have good reasons to believe them? If not, should we believe them?\r\n\r\nWatch [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaUhR-tRkHY) by Theramin Trees that explains why we fall for the beliefs of manipulative groups in the first place.\r\n\r\n[This video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlbUw5hjeKI) explains why and how childhood indoctrination works, for those of us born-in to a high-control group.\r\n\r\nAnother great source is [this youtube series](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lt7KQgsvQ04\u0026amp;list=PLyNx0oM_bmgARlo4tOu8p5ffLCVztc0Yb) debunking 1914 being the start of the last days.\r\n\r\nNext, learn some science. For example - spoiler alert: evolution is true. Visit [Berkeley's excellent Understanding Evolution Website](https://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/home.php). Or, if you're pressed for time, watch [this cartoon](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOfRN0KihOU).\r\n\r\nRead [Why Evolution is True by](https://www.amazon.com/Why-Evolution-True-Jerry-Coyne/dp/0143116649) Jerry Coyne.\r\n\r\nRead [The Greatest Show on Earth](https://www.amazon.com/Greatest-Show-Earth-Evidence-Evolution/dp/1416594795) by Richard Dawkins.\r\n\r\n[Watch this series where Aron Ra](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXQP_R-yiuw\u0026amp;list=PLXJ4dsU0oGMLnubJLPuw0dzD0AvAHAotW) explains in great detail how all life is connected in a giant family tree.\r\n\r\nLearn about the origin of the universe. For example, you could read [A Briefer History of Time](https://www.amazon.com/Briefer-History-Time-Science-Accessible/dp/0553385461) by Stephen Hawking.\r\n\r\nLearn about critical thinking from people like [Michael Shermer] (http://www.ted.com/talks/michael_shermer_on_believing_strange_things?language=en), and how to spot [logical fallacies](https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/).\r\n\r\nFor good measure, use actual data and facts to learn the we are NOT living in some biblical \"last days\". Things have gotten remarkably better as man has progressed in knowledge. For example, watch [this cartoon](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbuUW9i-mHs) explaining how war is on the decline.\r\n\r\nRead [The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined](https://www.amazon.com/Better-Angels-Our-Nature-Violence/dp/0143122010) by Steven Pinker.\r\n\r\nWatch [this Ted Talk](https://www.ted.com/talks/hans_rosling_shows_the_best_stats_you_ve_ever_seen) by Hans Rosling, the late Swedish Statistician, where he shows more evidence that the world is indeed becoming a better place, and why we tend to wrongly convince ourselves otherwise.\r\n\r\nI wish you the best. There is a whole world of legitimate information out there based on actual evidence that we can use to become more knowledgeable people.\r\n\r\nYou may still wonder how you can be a good human without \"the truth.\" [Here is a good discussion on how one can be good without god](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaOVPaYf780). --Replace where he talks about hell with armageddon, and heaven with paradise--\r\n\r\nStart to help yourself begin to live a life where, as Matt Dillahunty puts it, you'll \"believe as many true things, and as few false things as possible.\"","subreddit_name":"exjw","author":"matthewdreeves"},{"body":"For those who find themselves in a similar predicament, where the indoctrination rears it's ugly head, I offer the following advice:\r\n\r\nTake some time, if you haven't had the chance, to learn about the history of the bible. For example, you can take the [Open Yale Courses on Religious Studies](https://oyc.yale.edu/religious-studies/rlst-145) for free.\r\n\r\nRead [Who Wrote the Bible](https://www.amazon.com/Wrote-Bible-Richard-Elliott-Friedman/dp/0060630353) by Richard Elliott Friedman\r\n\r\nAlso read [A History of God](https://www.amazon.com/History-God-000-Year-Judaism-Christianity/dp/B01CQ0Z4MK) by Karen Armstrong\r\n\r\nWatch [this talk from Sam Harris](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCofmZlC72g) where he explains why \"free will\" is likely an illusion, which debunks the entire premise of \"the fall of man\" as presented by most Christian religions.\r\n\r\nWatch [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-M1EyhcRS8) on the Cordial Curiosity channel that teaches how the \"Socratic Method\" works, which essentially is a way to question why we believe what we believe. Do we have good reasons to believe them? If not, should we believe them?\r\n\r\nWatch [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaUhR-tRkHY) by Theramin Trees that explains why we fall for the beliefs of manipulative groups in the first place.\r\n\r\n[This video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlbUw5hjeKI) explains why and how childhood indoctrination works, for those of us born-in to a high-control group.\r\n\r\nAnother great source is [this youtube series](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lt7KQgsvQ04\u0026amp;list=PLyNx0oM_bmgARlo4tOu8p5ffLCVztc0Yb) debunking 1914 being the start of the last days.\r\n\r\nNext, learn some science. For example - spoiler alert: evolution is true. Visit [Berkeley's excellent Understanding Evolution Website](https://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/home.php). Or, if you're pressed for time, watch [this cartoon](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOfRN0KihOU).\r\n\r\nRead [Why Evolution is True by](https://www.amazon.com/Why-Evolution-True-Jerry-Coyne/dp/0143116649) Jerry Coyne.\r\n\r\nRead [The Greatest Show on Earth](https://www.amazon.com/Greatest-Show-Earth-Evidence-Evolution/dp/1416594795) by Richard Dawkins.\r\n\r\n[Watch this series where Aron Ra](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXQP_R-yiuw\u0026amp;list=PLXJ4dsU0oGMLnubJLPuw0dzD0AvAHAotW) explains in great detail how all life is connected in a giant family tree.\r\n\r\nLearn about the origin of the universe. For example, you could read [A Briefer History of Time](https://www.amazon.com/Briefer-History-Time-Science-Accessible/dp/0553385461) by Stephen Hawking.\r\n\r\nLearn about critical thinking from people like [Michael Shermer] (http://www.ted.com/talks/michael_shermer_on_believing_strange_things?language=en), and how to spot [logical fallacies](https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/).\r\n\r\nFor good measure, use actual data and facts to learn the we are NOT living in some biblical \"last days\". Things have gotten remarkably better as man has progressed in knowledge. For example, watch [this cartoon](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbuUW9i-mHs) explaining how war is on the decline.\r\n\r\nRead [The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined](https://www.amazon.com/Better-Angels-Our-Nature-Violence/dp/0143122010) by Steven Pinker.\r\n\r\nWatch [this Ted Talk](https://www.ted.com/talks/hans_rosling_shows_the_best_stats_you_ve_ever_seen) by Hans Rosling, the late Swedish Statistician, where he shows more evidence that the world is indeed becoming a better place, and why we tend to wrongly convince ourselves otherwise.\r\n\r\nI wish you the best. There is a whole world of legitimate information out there based on actual evidence that you can use to become a more knowledgeable person.\r\n\r\nYou may still wonder how you can be a good human without \"the truth.\" [Here is a good discussion on how one can be good without god](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaOVPaYf780). --Replace where he talks about hell with armageddon, and heaven with paradise--\r\n\r\nStart to help yourself begin to live a life where, as Matt Dillahunty puts it, you'll \"believe as many true things, and as few false things as possible.\"","subreddit_name":"exjw","author":"matthewdreeves"},{"body":"There could very well be three or four broad layers of the Priestly School (\"Rabbi P\").\r\n\r\nPoetic P\r\n\r\nProsaic Pre-Exilic\r\n\r\nHoliness School\r\n\r\nPost-Exilic\r\n\r\nhttps://books.google.ca/books?id=pnHhCwAAQBAJ\r\n\r\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Wrote-Bible-Richard-Elliott-Friedman/dp/0060630353\r\n\r\nhttps://www.thetorah.com/article/the-animal-laws-before-kashrut-a-system-of-purity\r\n\r\nI am synthesizing what Gaines, Friedman, and Feinstein have argued.","subreddit_name":"AcademicBiblical","author":"Torlek1"},{"body":"This book is commonly recommended as an introduction to it.\r\n\r\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Wrote-Bible-Richard-Elliott-Friedman/dp/0060630353\r\n\r\nThis is another decent one:  https://www.amazon.com/Forged-Bart-D-Ehrman-audiobook/dp/B004T7AKUA\r\n\r\nThe second one is targetted to lay audiences.  Here's his academic version on a very similar topic:  https://www.amazon.com/Forgery-Counterforgery-Literary-Christian-Polemics/dp/B00HQ0SQ3U\r\n\r\nYou can also check out /r/AcademicBiblical - they talk about this stuff every day.  Same with /r/AskBibleScholars.\r\n\r\nThis blog has a lot of academically-inspired content on the history and text of the Bible.  https://isthatinthebible.wordpress.com/\r\n\r\nIf you prefer video, this channel is by a user of this subreddit, and he has very good content.  https://www.youtube.com/user/benwniu","subreddit_name":"Christianity","author":"Amaranthema"},{"body":"You can believe what you want to believe but i am quoting experts not pastors and apologetics. Even the gospel of John wasn't written in the first century. I don't know why you bring in the Muslims like they are the only ones who disagree with Christianity. The Bible has some serious errors and I wasn't talking about spelling mistakes. \r\nhttps://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0E6loeTlUNQ\r\nThe link above tells how a group of NT scholars concluded that 82% of what Jesus said according to the Bible is not true.\r\nThe Tanach is not so innocent either. It's actually worse according to this scholar who wrote about the Torah. \r\nhttps://www.amazon.ca/Wrote-Bible-Richard-Elliott-Friedman/dp/0060630353","subreddit_name":"Christianity","author":"AloneConnection8030"},{"body":"You can believe what you want to believe but i am quoting experts not pastors and apologetics. Even the gospel of John wasn't written in the first century. I don't know why you bring in the Muslims like they are the only ones who disagree with Christianity. The Bible has some serious errors and I wasn't talking about spelling mistakes. \r\nhttps://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0E6loeTlUNQ\r\nThe link above tells how a group of NT scholars concluded that 82% of what Jesus said according to the Bible is not true.\r\nThe Tanach is not so innocent either. It's actually worse according to this scholar who wrote about the Torah. \r\nhttps://www.amazon.ca/Wrote-Bible-Richard-Elliott-Friedman/dp/0060630353","subreddit_name":"Christianity","author":"AloneConnection8030"}]}