propheticdrama

The Torah, which means instruction, comprises the first five books of the Bible. Sometimes, the Torah is called the Pentateuch, the Greek word for the five scrolls.

Who wrote the Torah? Moses is credited with writing the Torah (Exodus 17:14; John 5:46-47). However, most of Genesis was compiled from earlier records and the last chapter of Deuteronomy was not written by Moses. However, those facts don’t negate that Moses authored the Torah. There are too many geographical details for Moses to have known about in Genesis, when he had not been to Israel. The genealogical details of Esau and the sons of Seir would not have been of importance for Moses to record for the Israelites. Besides the introduction (Genesis 1:2-2:3), which was written by Moses, there are 11 toledoth or headings dividing Genesis. Moses would have compiled these writings that were either on clay tablets or animal skins, into one book. A similar scenario would be if I compiled my own recipes along with some family recipes handed down to me, and had everything published with myself as the author. Knowing that Moses didn’t write about his own death, then it should be obvious that Joshua or a scribe wrote Deuteronomy 34. However, Moses is considered the author of the Torah.

How was the Torah first written? Someone, possibly Joseph, had borrowed 22 Egyptian hieroglyphics and converted them for an alphabet to be written and read in the Hebrew language.  They could be written on any medium, such as stone, pottery, or animal skins. Thus, Moses would have a Hebrew alphabet to record the Torah on animal skins, by which every Hebrew could learn to read. In fact, our own alphabet is derived from this ancient alphabet. The movie, The Moses Controversy, produced by Patterns of Evidence, explains the dating and archaeological findings of this unique alphabet that predates the Greek or Phoenician alphabet.

When and where was the Torah written? Genesis was written during a span of over 2000 years. Moses would have compiled the different accounts into one book along with writing the introductory chapter at Mount Sinai. Exodus, Leviticus, and the first part of Numbers were written during the first year at Mount Sinai. The rest of Numbers and Deuteronomy were written during the next forty years as they traveled east of the Jordan River.