As noted on the back cover, the book tells “the story of how the writing of the Bible began at Ziklag, a small village in the Negev desert three thousand years ago.” The occasion, according to author Fred Glynn, was
As noted on the back cover, the book tells “the story of how the writing of the Bible began at Ziklag, a small village in the Negev desert three thousand years ago.” The occasion, according to author Fred Glynn, was David’s composing an elegy to lament the deaths of Israel’s first king, Saul, and his sons at Mount Gilboa circa 1005 BCE. Soon thereafter, more material was added — at David’s request — to David’s elegy and it grew into the now long-lost Book of Jashar. The Book of Jashar is referred to twice in the Hebrew Bible, once in the Second Book of Samuel, and again, in the Book of Joshua at 10:12-13.
Glynn suggests that David created the Book of Jashar as his own political spin-piece. Part of it was designed to distance himself from any blame for the dozen murders that would eventually put him on Saul’s throne. Another part, designed to flatter the vanity of the elders of the dozen or so tribes over which David sought to rule, contained stories of the brave deeds of their legendary heroes. “Authors Of The Bible” contains a handy appendix describing where some of the material from David’s original book can still be found.
Glynn credits the late German novelist Stefan Heym, author of “The King David Report,” for the idea that the writing of the original Book of Samuel was the work of a court historian hired by David’s successor, Solomon, to legitimize Solomon’s ascension to David’s throne.
Glynn dismisses as improbable the notion that David seduced Bathsheba, pointing out that since Bathsheba was the daughter of one of his top 30 generals and the wife of another, he would have known her from infancy. Thus, when he saw her bathing where she could be seen by others, he would have called her over to scold her for her behavior rather than to seduce her — an idea that Glynn credits Bible scholar Baruch Halpern for having originated.
When, after Solomon’s death, Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, antagonized the leaders of the 10 northern tribes by refusing to heed their request for a relaxation in taxes and forced labor, they refused to anoint him as their king and brought back one of his former officials, Jeroboam, who had been living in exile in Egypt. It was at this point, Glynn believes, that a protégé of Solomon’s court historian, a woman known to Bible scholars as “J,” became the third biblical author.
Her contribution was the writing of the original Genesis and Exodus as a prequel to the original Book of Samuel, then still contained on a single scroll. Glynn suggests that “J” may have also written the material attributed to an author referred to by Bible scholars as “E” who expressed the various points of view held by the elders of the northern tribes ruled by Jeroboam I. Glynn argues that J’s motive would have been to try to bring about a reconciliation of the two kingdoms under the rule of the House of David.
It would be spoiling the story to recount, here, the way in which the Bible continued to evolve. However, it can be said that “Authors Of The Bible” contains a number of fascinating items — a provocative discussion of the man on whom the character of the biblical Moses was based, the dramatic events leading to the origin of the worship of Yahweh circa 1141 BCE following Rameses VI’s withdrawal of Egyptian troops from the copper mines at Timnah in Midian (as well as from Canaan and Midian in general), a time-line describing, date by date, how the Bible was written, a bibliography of over a hundred books and articles describing various aspects of biblical scholarship, a description of how Ecclesiastes, Job, and the Song of Songs were written in Alexandria around 250 BCE, a reconstruction of the original Song of Songs as a drama intended for performance, an appendix describing the evolution of the Book of Psalms through its completion by a member of the temple choir in Jerusalem around 140 BCE.
Even Lawrence of Arabia makes a cameo appearance, as a British intelligence agent posing as an archaeologist in 1914 looking for the site of the biblical Kadesh-Barnea where the Israelites were supposed to have stayed for 38 years during their legendary exodus.
“Authors Of The Bible” is thoroughly footnoted so that anyone interested in the subject can go to the various sources and judge, for himself or herself, which of the various accounts — and there are thousands — makes the most sense.
Glynn will be having a book signing at Border’s Books & Music in Lihu‘e Thursday, at 7 p.m. A new copy of a four-color map showing the route that an American evangelist believed Hebrew slaves took during the Exodus will be raffled off after the book-signing.
The paperback book published by SFRG Press is 266 pages and retails for $17.95 and is available at Borders and Talk Story Bookstore in Hanapepe, as well as stores throughout California.
• This review was submitted for print by author and Kaua‘i resident Fred Glynn.
