The Meaning of the Pentateuch: Revelation, Composition and Interpretation

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In constructing a chronology for the Pentateuch is important to understand that for the time period before the Patriarchs (Gen 1-11), OT data are very limited and concise and there exists the possibility of gaps in the genealogical biblical records recorded in Genesis 5 and 11 (Archer 1979:361-365) as such genealogies were not intended to serve a narrow chronological purpose as is the case in the modern sense. Rather, like those in Matthew 1 or Luke 3, their main purpose was theological (see Kitchen 1966:37-38; and Archer 1979:361). Events took a disastrous and tragic turn when Satan appeared on the scene. Adam and Eve chose to reject God’s clear instructions and, instead, partook of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This meant they rejected God’s laws and His way of life, which defines the right and wrong way of living. Since then, mankind has followed in the footsteps of Adam and Eve, which has led to greed, strife, violence, rebellion, wars and other evils.

The Meaning of the Pentateuch: Revelation, Composition and The Meaning of the Pentateuch: Revelation, Composition and

James 2:12 makes the statement that we shall be judged by the “law of liberty.” By obedience to these laws, we are showing God that we love and respect Him. “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3). The Hebrew Scriptures name the book from its first words, “In the wilderness” ( Numbers 1:1); but its English name originates from the Septuagint. Numbers is so named because a census of Israel is taken twice: first at Sinai, then at the end of the years of wandering in the wilderness (Numbers 1 and 26). Since the people were well acquainted with God’s law, the major emphasis is to remember His instructions and obey them. They were to “carefully observe” the commandments ( Deuteronomy 4:1, 5-6, 9, 14; 5:1), including the Sabbath ( Deuteronomy 5:13-15). The Meaning of the Pentateuch: Revelation, Composition and Interpretation Written by John H. Sailhamer But this isn’t the kind of law that we’re used to thinking of today. When the writers of the Bible mention “the law,” they’re usually referring to one of two things: 1. The partnership between God and IsraelThat covenant agreement is known throughout the rest of the Bible as “the law.” 2. The specific terms of that covenant In a similar fashion, God himself assumes the role of the suzerain in the Torah. He rescues the nation of Israel from Egypt, and offers to partner with them in a covenant. If Israel keeps God’s rules (his law), they will enjoy his guidance and protection in a land of their own. If they don’t, God will remove his protection, and Israel won’t be able to keep their land. Israel agrees to these terms, and the covenant of the law is enacted. This is a clear reference to the three divisions of the Old Testament. The first section, the Law, made up of the first five books of the Old Testament, became known as the Pentateuch. The five books of the Pentateuch (the Law) Love and devotion for God. Israelites couldn’t worship other deities, and because God’s temple was in their midst, the people maintained a degree of ritualistic purity. Moses spoke to Israel on the East bank of the Jordan (the plains of Moab) on the 1 st day of the 11 th month of the 40 th year after the Exodus;

Pentateuch - The Society for Old Testament Study Pentateuch - The Society for Old Testament Study

Caleb was 85 years old at the time of the division of the Land (45 years from the time Moses spoke to him about his inheritance); the five-fold volume, consisting of the first five books of the Old Testament. This word does not occur in Scripture, nor is it certainly known when the roll was thus divided into five portions Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. Probably that was done by the LXX. translators. Some modern critics speak of a Hexateuch, introducing the Book of Joshua as one of the group. But this book is of an entirely different character from the other books, and has a different author. It stands by itself as the first of a series of historical books beginning with the entrance of the Israelites into Canaan. (See JOSHUA .)A reading of the Old Testament, however, gives the impression that the Pentateuch was written by Moses. Add to this the testimony of the New Testament, and considerations of the Pentateuch's unity of composition, a case can be made for Mosaic authorship of the first five books of the Old Testament.

Pentateuch? First 5 Books of the OT - Christianity What is the Pentateuch? First 5 Books of the OT - Christianity

The Torah is a five-book work, each book serving its purpose to make the whole. Here’s the primary contents of each book, and how each contributes to the overall work of the Law of Moses. 1. GenesisAlso referencing the Sothic cycle, Archer (1979:360) observes that it is possible to establish that the ninth year of Amenhotep I was 1545 B.C. In the ninth year of Amenhotep I, a heliacal rise of Sothis was observed on the ninth day of the third month of summer. Modern astronomers have calculated that, if the observation was made from Memphis or Heliopolis, such an observation could only have been made on that day in 1537 BC. If the observation was made in Thebes, however, it could only have taken place in 1517. The latter choice is usually accepted as correct since Thebes was the capital of early 18th dynasty Egypt; hence, Amenhotep I is given an accession date in 1526 BC, although the possibility of 1546 BC is not entirely dismissed. This is significant from a biblical perspective because if, as argued for below, the Exodus took place in 1446 BC (the early date) then it took place in the reign of the Egyptian Pharaoh Amenhotep II (1450-1425) who followed Amenhotep I. Chronological framework of the Pentateuch—Genesis through Deuteronomy The five books of the Bible that make up the Pentateuch are the beginning of God’s progressive revelation to man. In Genesis we find the beginning of creation, the fall of man, the promise of redemption, the beginning of human civilization, and the beginning of God’s covenant relationship with His chosen nation, Israel. Granting that in the time of Moses there existed certain oral traditions or written records and documents which he was divinely led to make use of in his history, and that his writing was revised by inspired successors, this will fully account for certain peculiarities of expression which critics have called "anachronisms" and "contradictions," but in no way militates against the doctrine that Moses was the original author of the whole of the Pentateuch. It is not necessary for us to affirm that the whole is an original composition; but we affirm that the evidences clearly demonstrate that Moses was the author of those books which have come down to us bearing his name. The Pentateuch is certainly the basis and necessary preliminary of the whole of the Old Testament history and literature. (See DEUTERONOMY .) John Sailhamer is an evangelical Old Testament Professor at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary in Brea, CA. He was president of the Evangelical Theological Society in 2000, and he authored over a dozen books on biblical theology and the Pentateuch. The current work, The Meaning of The Pentateuch, covers the gamut of biblical studies. Not only does it deal with the meaning of the Pentateuch; it also interacts with hermeneutics, biblical theology, OT theology, and covenant theology and dispensationalism.