If you see God at work, you see Jesus at work. Ibid., p. 6364. Some scholars rearrange these letters as JEPD, based on the order they believe the sections were written. 35 He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. So when John says about the Scriptures in 5:39, It is they that bear witness about me, he means that God knew Jesus perfectly and fullyas it were face to faceand that he inspired these Scriptures, and through the Scriptures revealed Jesus. . Moses wrote about me, and if you had believed Moses, you would have believed me. They were implicitly Deistic or atheistic in their thinking. First, consider what the Bible itself says about the authorship of the Pentateuch. As noted before, my position is that "law of Moses" is an appropriate designation for the Torah/Pentateuch despite sound evidence that Moses did not write all or even most of it (see here).This position is akin to the phrase "Psalm of David" (le-dawid) very . JESUS: THE GOD WHOM MOSES WROTE ABOUT. Genesis 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me (John 13:18=Psalm 41:9). Initially, in his 1780 Introduction to the Old Testament, Eichhorn said that Moses copied previous texts. Not necessarily. Abraham was promised by God that his seed would bless all nations. Second, as mentioned in the Answers in Genesis article, not only does the Pentateuch confirm Moses authorship, but the rest of the Bible, including the New Testament does as well. Check out her books at hopebolinger.comfor clean books in most genres, great for adults and kids. The death of Moses is recorded in Deuteronomy 34:512. From ekei; that one (neuter) thing); often intensified by the article prefixed. Genesis comprises narratives of historical events that occurred before Moses was born. Christians who believe Moses wrote the Pentateuch do not need to feel intellectually intimidated. No. We think it very likely that Moses was working with written documents because the second toledoth (Genesis 5:1) reads "this is the book of the generations of Adam" where "book" is a translation of the normal Hebrew word meaning a written document. . And then in John 5:46, 47 Jesus says, "For if you believed Moses you would believe me, for he wrote of me. He doesnt argue that something happened. Therefore, an oral history of the world could have been passed down from Adam to Moses through Noah's family. There is a literary invention of Moses 700 years after he supposedly lived. Scripture was divinely inspired. Also, the account of the Flood after the third toledoth (Genesis 6:9) reads like a ship's log. On the other extreme are those who say that Moses wrote none of the Pentateuch, but rather the Pentateuch was composed much later than the time the Bible purported that he lived (if, in the minds of some, he lived at all). For example, one translation of the Bible we surveyed said this in its introduction to the Pentateuch: Despite its unity of plan and purpose, the book is a complex work, not to be attributed to a single original author. He answers for himself, and reproves them, showing by the testimony of his Father, Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers, NT Gospels: John 5:46 For if you believed Moses you would (Jhn Jo Jn). This will refute any attempt of claiming that Muhammad was the prophet that Moses predicted. The editorial comment would in no way deny the Mosaic authorship of the book of Genesis. The Bible says that Jesus, God the Son, has been with the Father for all eternity. Ye build the tombs of the prophets, wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves that ye are children of them that killed the prophets. Wellhausen put dates to the alleged four sources and none were earlier than around 900 BC.10 As noted Old Testament scholar, Gleason Archer remarks, "Although Wellhausen contributed no innovations to speak of, he restated the documentary theory with great skill and persuasiveness, supporting the JEDP sequence upon an evolutionary basis."11. And note that, in this case, we're using the terms "letters" and "books" interchangeably.) We call it the Old Testament, or Old Covenant, because we believe that the Jewish Messiah has comenamely, Jesusand by his death and resurrection has inaugurated a New Testament, that is, a New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31; Luke 22:20; Hebrews 8:13; 12:24; 13:20). You're almost done! He also consistently demonstrated an outsider's view of Canaan (from the perspective of Egypt or Sinai).12 And as a prophet of God he was the appropriate recipient of the written records or oral traditions of the patriarchs from Adam to his own day, which the Holy Spirit could use to guide Moses to write the inerrant text of Genesis. The Book of Jasher is nearly an exact account of what Moses wrote in Genesis, except with more details. 103:7). Their subjective bias led them to illegitimately assume that any biblical statement was unreliable until proven reliable (though they would not do this with any other ancient or modern text) and when they found any disagreement between the Bible and ancient pagan literature, the latter was automatically given preference and trusted as a historical witness. In John 1:34, John the Baptist says, "I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.". But the other objections are just as flawed in terms of logic and a failure to pay careful attention to the biblical text. Because of the strong oral tradition and duty of the Jewish people to preserve their roots, not much could have changed in the accounts throughout that time. Answer (1 of 13): There is no doubt that early Jewish and Christian tradition, is virtually unanimous in ascribing Genesis through Deuteronomy to Moses. Second, as mentioned in the Biblical Science Institute article, we can also find archaeological evidence that confirms the events that happen in the Pentateuch, such as the walls of Jericho. By David P. Diaz, Ed.D. 44 How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? There also appears to be evidence (Genesis 5:1) that Moses had used other documents to compile his book, such as the genealogies. The attack on the Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch is nothing less than an attack on the veracity, reliability, and authority of the Word of Almighty God. You are also ignoring archaeological . A primary verb; to 'grave', especially to write; figuratively, to describe. And if they did not, that would have taken a great deal of divine intervention. They remembered details better, had a stronger oral tradition, had longer attention spans. These are stellar confirmations by Jesus that Moses is the true and only writer of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Answer. So it is perfectly reasonable to think that Moses wrote Genesis from pre-existing, well-preserved oral tradition and/or written documents from the patriarchs. These postmosaica establish a principle that later inspired editors/redactors can contribute to the writing of the Pentateuch. Salem Media Group. - King James Version (1611) - View 1611 Bible Scan "For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me. Were on a mission to change that. We are still an immigrant people journeying somewhere better. Look at John 5:39, You search the Scriptures, Jesus says, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me. The word Scriptures here refers to the Jewish Scriptures, what we call the Old Testament, which is another word for Old Covenant. The Mosaic Law: A Preparatory Gospel Answer (1 of 6): Ok so we have seen that Moses could have written Exodus through Deuteronomy based upon his own eyewitness . Let's look at eight things about Moses - who he was in the Bible and some details regarding his life. Who Wrote the Books of Moses? Not one of his bones will be broken (John 19:36=Psalm 34:20). And verse 46 says it again a little differently: If you believed Moses [the author of the first five books of the Old Testament] you would believe me; for he wrote of me. So verse 46 says that Moses wrote about Jesus, and verse 39 says that the Scriptures witness about Jesus. Matthew 16:21 indicates that Jesus knew . Not only was there a J-document, E-document and D-document, but then it was argued that Leviticus and some other portions of the Pentateuch were the work of Jewish priests, hence the P-documents. In this paper we will present simple evidence from 20 th century archeological findings that leads us to the conclusion that Moses wrote Genesis, as asserted by all the Fathers. According to Jesus, that sixth day of creation was "from the beginning," a phrase we hear a number of times in the New Testament. Getting a story is about more than merely enjoying it. Instead of moving on to chapter 6, I thought we should pause once more in John 5 and focus on something that is massively important for John and the other New Testament writers, namely, the way they viewed the Old Testament Scriptures and how those Scriptures relate to Jesus, and what difference it makes for us. However, Dan in this context is not the region of Dan, that Israelite tribe's inheritance given when the Jews took the Promised Land, but a specific ancient town of Dan, north of the Sea of Galilee that was in existence long before the Israelites entered the land. Our English Bibles translate toledoth variously as "this is the account" or "these are the generations" of Adam, Noah, Shem, etc. If these passages were added later, how do we know what Moses did and didnt write? In 1802, Johann Vater insisted that Genesis was made from at least 39 fragments. Did Moses have little or nothing to do with the writing of the book of Genesis or the rest of the Pentateuch? The former violates the well-accepted concept known as Aristotle's dictum, which advises that the benefit of the doubt should be given to the document itself, rather than the critic. They hated me without a cause (John 15:25=Psalm 35:19). In the following discussion, whatever we say about the Pentateuch pertains to the book of Genesis, though we will also on occasion refer specifically to the book of Genesis. The introduction to the Old Testament in another Bible translation says that the J document was written by someone much later than Moses in the Southern Kingdom of Judah and the E document was written by someone in the Northern Kingdom of Israel.2 Let's evaluate the arguments put forth in defense of this hypothesis. "He . In this case, Lot was Abraham's brother's son, i.e., Abraham's nephew. For more on this topic, see Henry Morris, The record of Esau's descendants contains a. Two things can be said in response. Scholars disagree about whether each toledoth follows or precedes the text with which it is associated, though we are inclined to agree with those scholars who conclude the former. It seems Rachel viewed this as the Lord finally turning the tide in judgment and permitting her a son. My thoughts were: And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel. And because he saw, he could witness. However, most JEDP advocates would say that Moses had nothing to do with writing Genesis or the rest of the Pentateuch, which were written much later by many authors and editors. Dr. Tremper Longman III, How to Read the Gospel of Mark in the Context of Second Temple Judaism. "You've heard it said, . John 1:45 Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. It could be today. Again, this entirely depends on which Pharaoh was in place when the ten plagues swept Egypt, and scholars have not solidly placed the contender for the throne. The assumption is that, the God of the Old Testament and the person of Jesus are revealed in Scripture as such a unity (when Isaiah saw the glory of God, he saw the glory of Jesus) that what one makes of either can be tested by what one makes of the other. Every culture, no matter how "primitive" (by our arrogant Western standards), teaches history to their children (how accurate that history may be is a separate question). Ponder for a moment the implications of saying that the Scriptures witness about Jesus. We are told that he was trained in all the wisdom and knowledge of Egypt. . I said earlier that the implications of this for ourselves and for people of other religions are huge. They are also called the Torah (Hebrew, "instruction," "law") and the Pentateuch (from . In. Jesus Himself confirmed the fact that He is in the Old Testament. . Several other books of the Pentateuch include passages that mention Moses recording events and writing down what God says. They assumed that the Bible is not a supernatural revelation from God and then manipulated the biblical text to arrive at that conclusion. Books and articles that equip you for deeply biblical thinking and ministry. And today, several variant views of documentary hypothesis exist, but perhaps the most popular is that of Julius Wellhausen proposed in 1895. See Kenneth E. Bailey, "Informal Controlled Oral Tradition and the Synoptic Gospels,". He was the youngest of three children, with a sister named Miriam and a brother named Aaron. Specifically, he thought that Genesis 1:12:3 was one creation account and Genesis 2:424 was a different creation account. Genesis 1:12:4a is the fir Genesis 6:4 reads: The Nephilim were on the earth in those daysand also afterwardwhen the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. If we know God as he really is in the Old Testament, we know Jesus. And these references are just a sample of a number of other passages that could be cited (see also Exodus 24:12; 34:28; Deuteronomy 27:3, 8; 31:19). and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. And then Paul shows us that this promise is fulfilled in the gospel of Jesus, the Messiah. Moses is saying to his people, "As you go into a godless culture that will have many temptations, including the temptation to make progress without God, be careful! He says, I know it happened, I saw it. Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth., Genesis 1:27 So God created human beings in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them., Genesis 1:31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. Nevertheless, it is credited to Moses because it was recorded in his writings. Earlier this year, we released another volume in the landmark The Story of God Bible Commentary series, written by none other than venerable Old Testament scholar Tremper Longman III. All of them. When Moses came on the scene, God revealed to him what really happened, and this is what Moses wrote down. Reared by his faithful parents in his earliest days, Moses was eventually brought to the court of Pharaoh. If you have any questions, please review our. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. This was essentially a divine research project and history book. A. And Jesus said to him, "See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them." (see Leviticus 14:1-32) . He saw him as his Son in heaven eternally (John 1:13), and he saw what his Son would be in history when he came. We can answer this question in a number of ways. The cultural material is far more in line with the Mesopotamian world of about 1800 BC than Egypt in around 1400 BC. Pursue a deeper knowledge of God through self-paced college- and seminary-level online courses in Old and New Testament studies, theology, biblical Greek, and more. Hence, we have the Elohim and Jehovah sections (or E and J documents).8 Thus, the first assumption of the documentary hypothesis became established: the use of different divine names means different authors of the text. The chart below shows that the Pentateuch states that Moses wrote these books: We also have the witness of the rest of the Old Testament: The New Testament is also clear in its testimony: They assumed their conclusion. But this does bring forth the question: how would Moses know all of these things? Who wrote Genesis? But to say that the composition, even the origins, of the Pentateuch is to be associated with Moses certainly does not mean he wrote every word. But what about the first book of the Bible? Unlike those who affirm Mosaic authorship of Genesis and divide the text by the toledoths, JEDP adherents divide the text on the basis of the names of God that were used and say that, at best, Moses simply wove these texts together, often in contradictory ways. Along with other documentation mentioned in the book, such as the account of Terah, the account of Noah, etc. But what about Genesis? Then Jesus said to them, "You foolish people! Long-age geology, big bang cosmology, secular archaeology, liberal theology, and philosophical attacks on miracles in the Bible have deceived many people to believe that the Bible is not true and therefore cannot be trusted. St. From there, and after hundreds of years of slavery, we pick up the story in Exodus.