The first five books of the Bible make up the Torah:
- Genesis
- Exodus
- Leviticus
- Numbers
- Deuteronomy
They are considered to be writings collected under the authority of Moses. However, one thing I’ve learned is that we shouldn’t think of Moses as being the only author of these books. Upon inspection of the texts themselves, it’s obvious that the authors/compilers of the scrolls didn’t try to hide this. Consider Deuteronomy 34:5-6 which recounts the death of Moses:
So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord, and he buried him in the valley in the land of Moab opposite Beth-peor; but no one knows the place of his burial to this day.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. 2016. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
Who is doing the writing here? It’s obviously not Moses. Furthermore, the narrator doesn’t hide the fact that he’s writing some time after the event when he comments “no one knows the place of his burial to this day.”
At some time in my past, I might have brushed aside the implications of such a passage. But now I’m finding things like this fascinating. I’m learning to approach the text of the Hebrew Scriptures on their own terms. Along the way, I’m gaining a greater respect for the ways in which God has used human authors to produce a rich collection of literature that imparts a divinely inspired message.