<P> The preservation of the Book of Joel indicates that it was accorded special status by its contemporaries as "the word of the Lord" (1: 1). Its history as part of the Jewish and Christian canons followed that of the entire scroll of the Minor Prophets . </P> <P> The Masoretic text places Joel between Hosea and Amos (the order inherited by the Tanakh and Old Testament), while the Septuagint order is Hosea--Amos--Micah--Joel--Obadiah--Jonah . The Hebrew text of Joel seems to have suffered little from scribal transmission, but is at a few points supplemented by the Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate versions, or by conjectural emendation . While the book purports to describe a plague of locusts, some ancient Jewish opinion saw the locusts as allegorical interpretations of Israel's enemies . This allegorical interpretation was applied to the church by many church fathers . Calvin took a literal interpretation of ch. 1, but allegorical view of chapter 2, a position echoed by some modern interpreters . Most modern interpreters, however, see Joel speaking of a literal locust plague given a prophetic / apocalyptic interpretation . </P> <P> The traditional ascription of the whole book to the prophet Joel was challenged in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries by a theory of a three - stage process of composition: 1: 1--2: 27 were from the hand of Joel, and dealt with a contemporary issue; 2: 28--3: 21 / 3: 1--4: 21 were ascribed to a continuator with an apocalyptic outlook . Mentions in the first half of the book to the day of the Lord were also ascribed to this continuator. 3: 4--8 / 4: 4--8 could be seen as even later . Details of exact ascriptions differed between scholars . </P> <P> This splitting of the book's composition began to be challenged in the mid-twentieth century, with scholars defending the unity of the book, the plausibility of the prophet combining a contemporary and apocalyptic outlook, and later additions by the prophet . The authenticity of 3: 4--8 has presented more challenges, although a number of scholars still defend it . </P>

Who wrote the book of joel in the bible