DID MOSES WRITE THE TORAH—Introduction
Authorship of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Old Testament) has traditionally been attributed to Moses. However for about the past century and a half, the Mosaic authorship has been seriously questioned. Is there good reason for this?
DID MOSES WRITE THE TORAH—Reasons to Believe
There are many good scriptural reasons for accepting the Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch. First, the Pentateuch happens to state that Moses was its author (Ex. 17:14; Num. 33:1-2; Deut. 31:9). This claim ought to be taken seriously unless it can be proven to be false. Secondly, several other books in the Old Testament also claim that Moses wrote the Pentateuch (Josh 1:7-8; 1 Kings 2:3; Ezra 6:18; Dan. 9:11-13; Mal. 4:4). Thirdly, the New Testament ascribes the authorship of the Pentateuch to Moses (Matt. 19:8; Mark 12:26; Rom. 10:5). In fact, Jesus himself (and this is probably the most important point of all) confirmed the Mosaic authorship on several occasions. For example, He’s dialoguing with the Pharisees and says: “If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?” If Jesus is the God-Man, the Messiah of Israel, then His confirmation of the Mosaic authorship should be the final word on the subject.
DID MOSES WRITE THE TORAH—Eyewitness Writer
In addition to the testimony of Scripture, there are other considerations which support the Mosaic authorship. The author is undoubtedly an eyewitness because he is knowledgeable about many specific details. For example, Egyptian names, words, customs and even geography. This knowledge would be very difficult to come by unless the author was, in fact, a participant in the historical events themselves which are described in the Pentateuch. Archaeology has provided support for believing that the writer of the Pentateuch actually lived during the time that Moses was to have lived. Ancient Jewish tradition also supports a Mosaic authorship as, for example, seen in the Talmud.
DID MOSES WRITE THE TORAH—Conclusion
Those who deny the Mosaic authorship are influenced more by their anti-supernatural bias than by any biblical or historical evidence. Never forget the importance of the book of Genesis: it is arguably the most referred to book in the Bible.On the authorship of the Pentateuch, that’s the CRI Perspective. I’m Hank Hanegraaff.