6) I'm confused about when the books of the Old Testament were written

The other day one of our study group was talking to me about it was confusing for them to understand the order of the books in the Bible because the order that we have them in the bible isn't the order in which they were written. The processes that led to the Bible being in the form it is today are many and complex, and they extend over centuries. We come from a time in history when most people can read and write, but that was not true of the Ancient Near East. Many traditions circulated by word of mouth for decades or centuries before they were committed to writing.

From what we understand the writing of the traditions begins from around 1000 BCE with the establishment of the kingdoms of David and Solomon. At that time the monarchy itself started to commission official histories, and the building and maintenance of the Temple provides the impetus to put the psalms in written form. As the kingdom developed the role of the prophets as social and religious commentators also grew as kings, administrators and the people were prompted not to lose their way and to remember their values and beliefs. The crisis provided by the exile in 587 BCE was also a critical time for the writing down of the traditions of Israel. Without their land, king or Temple this crucible of suffering led them to preserve what they could of their traditions from creation to Abraham, from the entry and occupation of the land to their time in exile.

When we open the Old Testament today we see the fruit of those labours and it is always important to ask the question of when a book was written and its historical context, rather than look at where it comes in the present order of book in front of us. The traditional name that the Jewish people give the Old Testament is Tanach and it is an abbreviation for the three main collections of Torah (Teaching - the first five books), Nevi'im (Prophets) and Ketuvim (Writings - Psalms and Wisdom literature). These collections are all the product of prayer, reflection and discussion over centuries. It might make it more confusing initially, but it makes richer too.

For a presentation of the process by which the Old Testament came to be written Dr David Penchansky from St Thomas University follow the link below.

How the Bible was written