Moses and the Pentateuch: Authorship Debate Explained

Introduction: Why Authorship Matters

According to Nelson's Complete Book of Bible Maps and Charts, the authorship of the first five books of the Bible is attributed to Moses. This is a view commonly held by modern conservative Jews and Christians alike. As Nelson's states: "There was general agreement regarding Moses' authorship until the 18th century. In the modern period, however, it has often been asserted that behind the Pentateuch are five separate documents, known as J, E, D, P, and R, that each stem from a variety of periods of Israel's history and which were pieced together late in the Old Testament era into what we know today as the Pentateuch. This theory is known as the Documentary Hypothesis" (p. 4).

While it may seem to be a minor doctrinal issue, the debate over the authorship of writings so widely recognized for their historical value — and for establishing the foundations of the Jewish people's identity — is more consequential than a casual dispute might suggest. The biblical writings are considered to be inspired, and a revelation of God's personal dealings with his people. As such, they hold a unique place in the religious traditions of both the Jewish and Christian faiths. If the authorship of these writings is in doubt, then the foundations of Jewish tradition and the Christian roots grounded in Judaism are similarly built on the shifting sand of socio-political evolution. This perspective is unacceptable to conservative Jews and Christians, making the authorship of these books a matter of tremendous scholarly and religious significance.

The Traditional Case for Mosaic Authorship

The firm belief that the books of the Pentateuch were authored by Moses arises chiefly from what the biblical text says about itself. Jewish practitioners and conservative Christians look first to the scriptures for answers to their questions, and rely primarily on what the scriptures say about themselves. Throughout the collection of biblical writings, the first five books of the Bible are consistently ascribed to Moses.

Biblical Testimony to Moses as Author

For example, in the Old Testament, the writer Daniel states:

"Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even turning aside, that they should not obey thy voice: therefore hath the curse been poured out upon us, and the oath that is written in the Law of Moses the servant of God; for we have sinned against him. And he hath confirmed his words, which he spake against us, and against our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil; for under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem. As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us." (Daniel 9:11–13)

In this passage, as in Joshua 1:7, God's law — another descriptor of the first five books of the Bible — is assigned to Moses' authorship. Similarly, in the New Testament, both the writings of the apostles and the recorded words of Jesus point to Moses as the author of the Pentateuch:

"But Abraham saith, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one go to them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, if one rise from the dead." (Luke 16:29–31; see also John 7:19 and Romans 10:19)

These passages support what is written in the Book of Exodus itself — that Moses was instructed to write down all the words of God's commands (Exodus 17:14) and that Moses did exactly that (Exodus 24:4).

The Documentary Hypothesis

According to the Documentary Hypothesis, the books of Moses contain time-sequence irregularities that Moses could not have known about. For example, according to Robinson (2002), the following irregularities arise if one takes a strictly literal view of Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch:

Genesis 11:31 describes Abraham as living in a city named Ur and identifies that location with the Chaldeans. However, the Chaldean empire did not exist as a tribe at the time of Abraham; the Chaldeans rose to power much later, in the first millennium BCE.

The first part of the story in Numbers 25 about the rebellion at Peor refers to Moabite women, while the second part of the same passage identifies them as Midianites. This inconsistency is said to suggest multiple authorship.

Moses is described as going to the Tabernacle in a passage where the ceremonial Tabernacle had not yet been built.

A list of Edomite kings includes some monarchs who were in power after Moses' death.

As a result of these and many other irregularities, liberal scholars argue that a single author would not have introduced such contradictions. These scholars, examining sections of the Pentateuch for internal consistency, have concluded that as many as five contributors composed the work now known as the Books of Moses. The Documentary Hypothesis asserts that the Pentateuch was written by a group of four authors from various locations in Palestine over a period of centuries (Laymon, 1971).

References

Nelson's Complete Book of Bible Maps and Charts: Old and New Testament. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1996.

Laymon, C. M. (Ed.). The Interpreter's One-Volume Commentary on the Bible. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1971, p. 122.

The Holy Bible, New American Standard Version. Electronic Edition STEP. Iowa: Parsons Technology, Inc., 1998.