Experts have used cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) to uncover hidden linguistic patterns and identify the likely authors of some of the Bible's most ancient texts.
An international team of researchers led by Duke University in the United States has used artificial intelligence technology to destroy centuries of biblical history.
Scientists examined the first nine books of the Hebrew Bible, called the Ennebook, using sophisticated linguistic analysis and a specially developed artificial intelligence model.
They discovered three very different writing styles. These distinctive patterns suggest that different authors or groups of scribes were responsible for the scriptures, providing new evidence in the centuries-old debate over the authorship of the Bible.
“We found that each group of writers had a different style—surprisingly, even for simple and common words like “no,” “which,” or “king.” Our method accurately detects these differences,” said Thomas Römer, professor at the College de France.
The innovative project was initiated by mathematician Shira Faygenbaum-Golovina, who initially began this research in 2010 by studying handwriting on ancient ceramic shards dating back to 600 BC.
“We concluded that the findings in these inscriptions could provide valuable clues for dating Old Testament texts,” Fajgenbaum-Golovin said. “That’s when we began to assemble our current team to help us analyze these biblical texts.”
Fajgenbaum-Golovin now leads a team of mathematicians, archaeologists, linguists and computer scientists in an ambitious attempt to combine scientific analysis with biblical studies.
The artificial intelligence model identified three different writing styles in the text: a priestly source, a Deuteronomistic story, and the book of Deuteronomy itself.
Although some chapters clearly fit one of these categories, researchers were stunned to discover that parts of the Ark narrative in 1 Samuel did not fit any of the three styles, hinting at another mystery surrounding the composition of the Bible.
The team believes this method could prove invaluable for authenticating other historical documents in the future.
“If you're looking at fragments of documents to see if they were written by Abraham Lincoln, for example, this technique can help determine whether they're real or just a forgery,” Fajgenbaum-Golovin explained.
The study authors state: “Our paper sheds new light on the issue of biblical text authorship by offering interpretable, statistically significant evidence for the existence of linguistic characteristics in the writing of biblical authors/editors that can be automatically identified.
“Our methodology thus provides a new tool for addressing controversial issues in biblical studies.”
The researchers are now exploring how the same approach could reveal new information about other ancient manuscripts. “This is such a unique collaboration between science and the humanities,” said Feigenbaum-Golovin.
“It’s an amazing symbiosis, and I’m lucky to work with people who use innovative research to push boundaries.”
