The Bible, a sacred text for millions, has long been a subject of curiosity regarding its authorship. Over centuries, it has undergone numerous transcriptions and edits, making it challenging to pinpoint a single author. Believers often accept the Bible as it stands, viewing it as a divine transmission through time. However, scholars are eager to delve deeper, seeking to understand whether the scriptures were penned by a single group or multiple contributors.

Researchers from various institutions developed an algorithm to analyze the writing styles of different books within the Bible. This technology can accurately determine if sections were written by the same author or different individuals. The findings align with existing theories about the Bible's authorship and can identify chapters likely added by various writers over time. This technology is not limited to the Bible; it can be applied to other ancient texts to explore shared authorship.

The AI study cannot identify the specific individuals who wrote the Bible. Experts like Thomas Römer from the Collège de France explain that the original scrolls were continuously revised by redactors, who added, altered, or omitted parts of the texts. The goal of the study was not to uncover original authors but to test theories about the authorship of specific chapters.

The research focused on three distinct writing schools found in the Bible's first five books: Deuteronomy, Deuteronomist History, and Priestly Writings. Each of these schools has a unique style, even in the use of common words. The scientists created dictionaries of terms specific to each school and used AI to analyze 50 chapters in the first nine books of the Hebrew Bible. The AI's attributions matched biblical scholarship assessments in 84% of the cases, with higher accuracy for longer texts.

The AI also provided explanations for its attributions, offering insights into the reasoning behind assigning specific sections to particular groups. In a test involving biblical texts with disputed origins, the AI supported the minority view that I Samuel and II Samuel have different authorship. This finding highlights the AI's potential to resolve authorship questions in both biblical and other ancient texts.

The study confirmed that some stories, like those about Abraham and the Book of Esther, do not fit into the three main writing schools, suggesting they were added later. While the research cannot identify individual authors, it offers a valuable tool for exploring the complex history of ancient texts.

ACADEMIC RESEARCH METHODS

Who Penned the Bible? AI Sheds Light on Ancient Texts

Continue reading...