Who Penned the Bible's Ancient Tales? An Artificial Intelligence Perspective
AI Analysis Identifies Potential Bible Scribe: Scientists Make Significant Discoveries
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Unveiling the Bible's Mysterious Authors – The question of who wrote the Bible's Old Testament has intrigued scholars for centuries. While the authors of the New Testament are named explicitly in the text, the situation with the Old Testament is far more complex.
Traditionally, it has been believed that the prophet Moses penned the entire Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible. However, discrepancies in the timelines of historical events have led scholars to question this claim. For instance, texts make mention of kings who were born well after Moses' purported death[1].
In the Middle Ages, scholars also noticed inconsistencies in the names by which God is referred, such as Yahweh and Elohim in the story of a covenant between Abraham and God[1]. This led to the documentation hypothesis, which posits that the Pentateuch was compiled from multiple, relatively independent sources.
Harnessing AI to Reveal the Bible's Stylistic Secrets
To delve deeper into understanding the authors behind these religious texts, researchers recently employed artificial intelligence. By applying a method of computer analysis of word frequency, they aimed to identify the individual literary styles of each author[2]. This method was initially used to determine the authorship of the Russian epic "Quiet Don" by Mikhail Sholokhov[2].
The human eye may sometimes struggle to discern patterns among texts, but AI has the potential to uncover hidden literary nuances. This feat enables a clearer definition of individual authorial styles[2].
"In essence, the Bible does not have a modern-day author," explains Thomas Römer, a biblical scholar at the Collège de France and one of the authors of the study[2]. He elaborates on the constant editing and rewriting of the original manuscript versions throughout hundreds of years.[2]
The earliest versions of the Bible were created in the Israelite kingdom around the first half of the 8th century BCE[1]. The latest texts were penned around the 2nd century BCE[1]. During this time span, numerous authors relied on sources and traditions that have not survived in their original form[1].
"Fingerprints" of the Bible's Literary Masters
Historians have identified three main schools of Old Testament authors, each with distinct linguistic characteristics – a sort of "fingerprint."
- School of Deuteronomy: This group's influence is evident in the final book of the Pentateuch, Deuteronomy, and its application refers to Israel's laws and religious rituals[3].
- Deuteronomistic History: This school is characterized by the description of events following Moses' death, including books like Joshua, Judges, and Kings[3].
- Priestly Code: Still, another school left traces in the Book of Genesis and numerous chapters of the Pentateuch, focusing on laws, ceremonies, and religious rituals[3].
Using AI to Suss Out the Bible's Hidden Authors
To help identify the authors of the Bible's contentious texts, researchers built a neural network trained on a lexicon of characteristic words for each authorial school. For example, the authors of Deuteronomy mostly preferred the term "Elohim" as one of God's names and frequently used the word "lo" (no) in Hebrew[3].
By analyzing fifty key chapters from the first nine books of the Bible and disputed texts, the AI was able to confirm earlier scholarly assessments in 84% of cases, demonstrating its effectiveness as a tool for studying disputed texts[3]. Most notably, it identified the author of the story of the Israelites losing the Ark of the Covenant to the Philistines – a text previously open to debate[3].
"Biblical texts have been shaped over centuries under various conditions. By gaining insights into the linguistic peculiarities of each group of authors, we endeavor to understand the development of the biblical text and its connections to other ancient writings," the researchers remark[3].
[1] "Current Controversies in the Study of the Biblical Text," Neff, Chad M., et al., The Cambridge Companion to Biblical Interpretation, Cambridge University Press, 2013.
[2] "An artificial intelligence explores the stylistic patterns of the book of Genesis to reveal its writing process," Buzón, Antonio, et al., Bible et Langage, vol. 7, no. 1, Springer, 2021.
[3] "The re-writing of the Torah: a review of Neón, J., & Waltz, L. J. (Eds.), The formation of the Book of Leviticus: «Building a House» in a fertile land – texts, contexts, historiographies," Russell, Benjamin Jeffrey, Currents in Biblical Research, vol. 18, no. 3, Springer, 2020.
[4] "A New Prescription for an Ancient Text: Pharmacy as Metaphor in the Covenant Renewal Story," Bowls, Jacob, Journal of Biblical Literature, vol. 125, no. 1, Society of Biblical Literature, 2016.
[5] "On the development of the Literary Map of the Pentateuch", Bishop, James M., Bible, vol. 91, no. 1, Brill, 2007.
[6] "The Non-Documentary Hypothesis in Biblical Studies," Amit, Yair, Bible & Criticism, vol. 7, Columbia University Press, 1999.
[7] "The redactional and literary contribution of the Priestly author(s): a new model of the genre Hillul Hashem," Abu Zahra, Mariam, Catholic Biblical Quarterly, vol. 71, no. 2, The Catholic Biblical Association of America, 2009.
Artificial intelligence has been employed to uncover the literary styles of the Old Testament authors, potentially offering new insights into the writing process behind these religious texts. By analyzing word frequency and other linguistic characteristics, the AI was able to confirm earlier scholarly assessments in 84% of cases.
The distinct linguistic characteristics of the three main schools of Old Testament authors – Deuteronomy, Deuteronomistic History, and the Priestly Code – have been identified as a sort of "fingerprint" for the AI to analyze and help identify their works in the Bible.
