Unruffled - Session 3
AUTHOR IDENTIFICATION
Unruffled - Session 3
Grow deeper in your quiet time
How to use this Bible Study
If you are in a group: Complete the sections that have a white background together by reading outloud. The sections with a peach background should be completed individually. Then come back together and talk about what you have written.
If you are doing a solo devotional: Read through and complete the homework as usual, and use the discussion questions as an additional journaling prompt.
Opening Prayer
Dear Lord,
Please be present with us as we spend time in fellowship and reading Your Word. Thank you for this gift of church. Thank you for giving us this opportunity to connect with each other. Bless our time, and let us leave our time together filled to the brim and ready to serve Your plan.
In Your Name,
Amen
Homework Questions
What did you think of Cross Referencing scripture?
Which verse from your cross referencing homework did you find most interesting?
Do you think you will use this technique in the future?
Did you use the same translation for all of your cross referencing?
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It is easy to spend your entire discussion time on the questions above. Make sure you leave 20-25 minutes towards the end of your meeting time to complete the reading below and additional discussion questions.
If you have Bible reading guide books or other print resources, bring them to your meeting. While they are not necessary, they can offer enrichment to your meeting.
Author Identification
This week we will be learning how to identify who wrote the Bible passage we are reading. Gaining context to our reading can help give weight to God’s Word.
About the Authorship of the Bible
The ultimate author of the Bible is God. He used about 40 different men to record His Word. Church tradition says that the Holy Spirit guided the human authors of the Bible to record God’s message. This idea is supported through out the Bible. Peter, one of Jesus’ twelve disciples said this about scripture:
“Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” - 2 Peter 1:20-21 NIV
The earliest books, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy were written by Moses. These books are traditionally referred to as the Pentateuch. The Jewish people call these books the Torah. The earliest records we have of Genesis indicate that it was written around 950BC or earlier. The newest book in our Bible is Revelation, which was written around 95 AD by the Apostle John.
In between these two end caps are 64 other books with various authors. The Bible is a particularly unusual book, because it is actually a collection of writings of various categories, including: history, poetry, prophecy, letters, and biography. Doing research on the author will also help you to better understand the original goal of the writing, and what category it falls into.
Where to Learn About the Author
Where should we look to learn about the author?
The obvious answer, you can always Google it. However, there are some problems with turning only to Google for this information. The AI results at the top of the results page are not always accurate, or give a full picture. And not every source that shows up on the first page will be reliable.
Of course, if you are doing your reading on the fly, that might be your only option. If that is the case, Google-away. You should take full advantage of the incredible resource of having the internet in your pocket. Don’t ever let your ideal vision of quiet time take away from what you practically need to do in this season of life.
Your Own Bible
If you have the luxury of doing your quiet time at home, you might be surprised to learn that you probably already have a resource to answer these questions. Many Bibles have a “introduction” page in front of each book of the Bible. Depending on what kind of Bible you have, it might be a single paragraph, or several pages. You can use this as your entire study exercise, or you can use it as a launching off point to look at other resources.
Some books of the Bible start out with a paragraph in the scripture stating the author and the intent behind their writing. This is especially common in the New Testament.
Be sure to also check your table of contents for articles printed inside of your Bible. Many Bibles have extra information printed in the front or back of the book. You may be able to find your answers there.
Bible Guides
There are lots of Bible handbooks out there. A Bible handbook gives you “book overview” information that you might find in a study Bible, but in a separate book. Daily Grace Co. makes an excellent entry level book, which also includes really great charts and maps.
Commentaries
If you have access to Bible Commentaries, they may have overview information as well. If you are really excited to level up your Bible study, or find you have lots of questions, buying a basic Bible commentary would be a great addition to your quiet time. The Enduring Word Commentary is an excellent commentary, offered free online.
Bible Hub
Bible Hub is a website with a wide variety of free resources to aid in your Bible Study. For our purposes, we will be using the “Book by Book” feature that gives a summary of each book of the Bible, which includes a note about the author. The easiest way to use Bible Hub is to search for the passage you are reading in the search bar at the top. Then click on BBB, which stands for Book by Book.
This Seems Tedious
Just like last week, there will be times that you look up the author only to find that it did not add to your Bible study or quiet time. Maybe you found that there is no known author for the passage you are reading. Or you found yourself discovering Paul’s name as the author over and over. Be encouraged that your time is not lost. Keep seeking God and He will show Himself to you.
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” - Matthew 7:7-8
You may be wondering: “Am I supposed to research the author every single time I read? That seems tedious.” No, you do not need to research the author every time you open your Bible. Remember that the purpose of this study is to increase our options for reading the Bible. Researching the author falls into the category of a “sometimes” activity. And probably one you will only pull out a few times a year.
Read Aloud Together
Now we are going to practice identifying the author together. Ask one person to read the following passage aloud:
James 1:1-5 - NIV
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations:
Greetings.
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
➤ Work Together to Complete the Author Identification Worksheet
Ask each person who has a Bible with them to see what resources they have in their Bible to answer the questions on the worksheet.
If someone doesn’t have a Bible with them, assign them one of the websites to look up James.
If you have any additional books or references that were brought to group, assign someone to look in these too.
Go around the room and share what you found, filling in the worksheet as you learn new information.
Discussion Questions
How does knowing that James is the brother of Jesus change your understanding of James 1?
What did you learn about James that surprised you the most?
What resource do you plan on using this week to do your homework?
➤ Close in Prayer
Homework
Follow your reading plan. During one day this week, do some research on the author of the passage you are reading, before
In the PDF download for this post, there is a homework worksheet you can use as a guide.
Extra Resources
Who Wrote the Bible? - Overview Bible
Bible Hub - Book Summaries
Search for the passage you are reading, at the top of the page click on BBB for a summary of the book. Each book has a list of facts about the author or authors of the book.
English Standard Version - Free Online Study Bible
In the two column view, if you click on the “books icon” on the right hand side, you can use the ESV Global Study Bible completely free.
Commentaries
References
Stendahl, Krister , Flusser, David , Rylaarsdam, J. Coert , Faherty, Robert L. , Bruce, Frederick Fyvie , Sander, Emilie T. , Davis, H. Grady , Cain, Seymour , Grant, Robert M. , Sarna, Nahum M. and Fredericksen, Linwood. "biblical literature". Encyclopedia Britannica, 21 Nov. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/topic/biblical-literature. Accessed 27 January 2025.
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