Much of the Old Testament reached the page through prophets and the scribes who recorded them. Jeremiah dictates to Baruch, who writes it on a scroll (Jeremiah 36). The Psalms are gathered under David's name, though many are anonymous or ascribed to others (the sons of Korah, Asaph). Wisdom books are linked to Solomon. The Book of Isaiah is a classic case: one eighth-century prophet, or a tradition carried on by later hands ('Second' and 'Third' Isaiah)?
- Jeremiah 36 depicts the scribe Baruch writing the prophet's words to dictation.
- The 150 Psalms carry varied headings — David, the sons of Korah, Asaph, Moses, and many none at all.
- Isaiah's composition is debated: chapters 40–66 are widely read as later than chapters 1–39.
What the evidence showsThe texts themselves describe how they were made — dictated, collected, edited — an unusually self-aware account of its own composition for ancient literature.
Where it stopsThe neat single-author ascriptions (all Psalms to David, all Proverbs to Solomon, one Isaiah) are widely questioned; dating and unity are argued book by book, not settled once for all.
Sources & further reading