I've been grading a lot of position papers recently on the authorship of the Pentateuch (first five books of the Old Testament). It seems that the argument for Mosaic authorship runs thus:
The "giving" of the contents of the Pentateuch is associated with Moses, who is also described as writing specific sections. It seems likely that he would have written all of it given his education in Egypt, previous access to ancient sources, his being an eye-witness of most of the events, and a prophet who received special revelation from God. This is supported by testimony from the rest of the Old Testament and New Testament that attributes "the law," the traditional way of referring to the Pentateuch, to Moses.
"In him all things hold together" (Colossians 1:17).
3 comments:
Hi Matt,
What about the 'Toledot' theory, in that each man had his part for his generation, written on scrolls that were passed down to reach Moses? (just for Genesis, aka Noah, Abraham, Jacob etc.) Similarly, what of the oral history of Genesis theory, when then Moses again would have compiled into Genesis?
Merry Christmas!
Michael B in Austin T
Dr.,
I recommend reading C. John Collins' commentary on Genesis 1-4 published by P&R. He covers this topic specifically, especially concerning the JEPD sources.
Jacob Hammack
Good comments both. I need to get Dr Collin's book!
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