It goes without saying that understanding a book requires knowing who wrote it. This is especially true of nonfiction, where the author’s background, political and religious views, and education help frame what we’re reading. Unfortunately, few ancient books, including the books of the Bible, specifically name their author.
Most of the authorship problem as it relates to the Bible concerns the Old Testament. For example, we have no idea who wrote books like Judges, 1–2 Kings, and 1–2 Chronicles. Those books never name an author. Even books that bear the names of people are uncertain—for the same reason. The books of 1–2 Samuel never claim that Samuel wrote them. The same goes for Ruth, Esther, and Joshua.
Some Old Testament books have partially known authorship, but that means that parts are problematic. Psalms is a good example. The psalms’ superscriptions were likely added long after the psalms were composed, so they aren’t reliable indicators. Phrases like “Psalm of David” are actually inconclusive since the Hebrew phrase (le-dawid) can mean “by David,” “for David,” or “about David.”
The New Testament is less anonymous. The author of the book of Hebrews is unknown. Scholars argue about a few of the books that claim authorship (e.g., 1–2 Peter), but arguments contesting Peter’s authorship are not at all conclusive. Since there are more than one James and John associated with the life of Jesus, there is some degree of ambiguity for books bearing those names.
Because authorship is uncertain, it is best in interpretation never to base an interpretation on a presumed author. Guessing at an author and then presuming that person’s background as part of interpretation is a shaky strategy.
Because of this lack of clarity, scholars have had to work hard to find clues in the books themselves that situate them in the flow of biblical history. Things like allusions to events outside Israel (e.g., a battle), an environmental catastrophe (e.g., a famine), or even a natural disaster (e.g., an earthquake) are important clues.
Even without an author, if scholars can situate a book in a specific historical context, that book can be coherently interpreted. For this reason, whenever you study a book of the Bible, it’s wise to read a serious academic introduction to it that deals with authorship, setting, and questions of circumstance. You can’t assume that you know how to situate a book just by its title.