The Choice: Islam and Christianity

The Genealogy O f Jesus 139

AUTHORS IN A NUTSHELL

Let me conclude this “authorship” search with the verdict of those

32 scholars, backed by their 50 co-operating denominations. God
had been eliminated from this authorship race long ago. In the
RSV by “Collins,” invaluable notes* on “ The Books o f the
Bible” are to be found at the back of their production. I am
reproducing only a bit of that information on page 140. We start
with "G EN ESIS” — the first book of the Bible. The scholars say
about its “AUTHOR”: “ One o f the ‘five books of Moses’.” Note
the words “ five books o f Moses” are written in inverted
commas — “ ” This is a subtle way of admitting that this is what
people say — that it is the book of Moses, that Moses was its
author, but we (the 32 scholars) who are better informed, do not
subscribe to that tittle-tattle.

The next four books, “ EXO D U S, LEVITICUS, NUMBERS and

DEUTERONOMY” : AUTHOR? “ Generally credited to M oses.”

This is the same category as the book of Genesis.

Who is the author of the book of “ JU D G ES?” Answer:

“ Possibly Samuel.”

Who is the author of “ RUTH ?” Answer: “ Not definitely

known” AND

Who is the author of:

1ST SAMUEL? ............................. Answer: Author “ Unknown”

2ND SAMUEL? ............................ Answer: Author “ Unknown”

1ST KING? ................................... Answer: Author “ Unknown”

2ND KING? ................................... Answer: Author “ Unknown”

1ST CHRONICLES? .... Answer: Author “ Unknown,probably..."

2ND CHRONICLES? ... Answer: Author “ Likely collected..

And so the story goes. The authors of these anonymous books are

either “ UNKNOWN” or are “ PROBABLY” or “ LIKELY” or are

Its first page is preserved for posterity herein on page 85.