The Bible itself tells us that God is the ultimate author of Scripture:
All Scripture is breathed out by God… (2Tim.3:16)
God caused people to write it down for him, probably in much the same way that he caused the prophets to speak for him:
…no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (2Peter 1:21)
We can’t be sure of all the people that God inspired to speak or write the Scripture down (notably the earlier books, like Genesis), but here’s one possible list of “authors” that God spoke through:1
Old Testament
- Moses: Genesis; Exodus; Leviticus; Numbers; Deuteronomy; Job; some of Psalms
- Joshua: Joshua
- Samuel: Judges; 1&2Samuel (with Nathan and Gad)
- Ezra: 1&2Chronicles; Ezra
- Nehemiah: Nehemiah
- David: some of Psalms
- Asaph: some of Psalms
- The sons of Korah: some of Psalms
- Solomon: Proverbs (with others); Ecclesiastes; Song of Songs
- Isaiah: Isaiah
- Jeremiah: Jeremiah (with Baruch); Lamentations
- Ezekiel: Ezekiel
- Daniel: Daniel
- Hosea: Hosea
- Joel: Joel
- Amos: Amos
- Obadiah: Obadiah
- Jonah: Jonah
- Micah: Micah
- Nahum: Nahum
- Habakkuk: Habakkuk
- Zephaniah: Zephaniah
- Haggai: Haggai
- Zechariah: Zechariah
- Malachi: Malachi
- Unknown: Ruth, 1&2Kings; Esther, some of Psalms.
New Testament
- Matthew: Matthew
- Mark: Mark
- Luke: Luke; Acts of the Apostles
- John: John; 1,2&3John; Revelation
- Paul: Romans; 1&2Corinthians; Galatians; Ephesians; Philippians; Colossians; 1&2Thessalonians; 1&2Timothy; Titus; Philemon
- James: James
- Peter: 1&2Peter
- Jude: Jude
- Unknown: Hebrews
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References
1. Rob J Hyndman, ‘Section F: Books of the Bible‘ in The Bible Readers’ Handbook (2004), p. 32-104