The Meaning of the Pentateuch: Revelation, Composition and Interpretation

Product Information

Throughout Numbers, we see a tension that builds for the rest of the Old Testament: God finding ways to keep his end of the deal even though Israel consistently doesn’t keep theirs. When the people rebel against Moses and God, the Lord punishes them—but there’s a always remnant of people whom God spares. 5. Deuteronomy The Dazzling Darkness of God’s Triune Love: Introducing Evangelicals to the Theology of Hans Urs von Balthasar by Stephen M. Garrett Exodus ( full summary here) tells the story of how Israel exits Egypt (hence the name) and enters a covenant with God. The descendants of Abraham multiplied in Egypt, and so Pharaoh (part of the Egyptian pantheon) puts them to work as slaves. God then rescues the Israelites from both the oppressive Egyptian humans and their oppressive Egyptian gods.

The Meaning of the Pentateuch - Google Books The Meaning of the Pentateuch - Google Books

The specific reasons why certain laws exist can be nebulous. Scholars have made all kinds of arguments for why the ancient Jews believed pork and mixed fabrics were off-limits. The important thing to remember is that they believed that these practices separated them from the surrounding nations of the ancient Near East and reflected how their God is separate from the gods of the other nations. 3. The part of Scripture that records that covenant Israel moved about in the desert forty years from the time they had left Egypt until the time they entered the land of Canaan; Demonstrating the literary unity of the Pentateuch does not prove Mosaic authorship. However if such unity can be shown for major portions of the Pentateuch an argument can be made for unity of authorship which can be used to support a claim for Mosaic authorship. Unity of composition for the Pentateuch is not argued for in detail here but only broadly from the perspective of continuity in the overall story, narrative structure, and grammatical features. Continuity/unity of narrative story Not only does “the law” refer to the stipulations of the covenant and the covenant itself, but it’s also used to refer to the work of the Bible that tells the story of the covenant. While the first five books of the Bible were individual scrolls themselves, they still constitute one general work—which the Jews and Christians call “the Torah.” Summary of the PentateuchJames 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). Also 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 Then He said to them [the disciples], ‘These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms [Writings] concerning Me’” (Luke 24:44). This is the book of origins--of the beginning of life and of ruin through sin. Its first word, "In the beginning God," contrasts with the end, "In a coffin in Egypt." The major event which occurred during the time period which is recorded in Exodus through Deuteronomy was, as noted above, the Exodus. The date which this event took place is critical for establishing a chronological framework as all other events after it are keyed to it. It is important, therefore, to establish this date in an absolute chronological framework (i.e., the Western calendrical system) so that correlation can be made with other nations with which Israel’s history intersected.

of the Pentateuch - OverviewBible The Torah: a Quick Overview of the Pentateuch - OverviewBible

The Pauline epistles use "Moses" in a similar manner as, for example, in Romans 10:5 where Paul says that "Moses describes . . . the righteousness that is by the law," and then goes on to quote Leviticus 18:5. In 2 Corinthians 3:15 Paul refers to the veil that covers the hearts of the Jews "when Moses is read." It would seem, that in these contexts "Moses" denotes the "Books of Moses," and thus the Pentateuch. Nowhere in the New Testament is there any hint that some individual authored the Pentateuch other than Moses. Unity of composition in support of unity of authorship These are the decrees, the laws and the regulations that the Lord established at Mount Sinai between himself and the Israelites through Moses. (Leviticus 26:46) The 10 Commandments: At Sinai, God gave the nation of Israel the 10 Commandments, His eternal spiritual law, as a blessing and a great benefit for all humanity. The 10 Commandments show the way to a right and proper relationship with God, leading to a life that is happy and fulfilled. 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: Revelation, Composition and Interpretation, 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.

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). This article is part of our Bible resource for understanding the significance and meaning of biblical phrases and ideas. Here are our most popular Bible articles to grow in your knowledge of God's Word:

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

Sacrificial system: God gave Israel the sacrificial system to teach them the habit of obedience. The animal sacrifices were added because of transgression ( Galatians 3:19) and were to be like a schoolmaster or tutor to teach and lead Israel to God ( verse 24). The sacrifices pointed forward to the ultimate, total and complete sacrifice of Jesus Christ.Second, as Hannah (1985:104) points out, archeological evidence from Egypt during this period corresponds with the biblical account of the Exodus (see Unger 1954:140-145; and Archer 1964: 215-216), particularly with respect to Amenhotep II. The Pentateuch comprises the first five books of the Old Testament. It depicts a series of beginnings—the beginning of the world, of humankind, and of God’s promise to the Israelites. Genesis, the first book, opens with God’s creation of the world. No matter who actually wrote the words that make up the books of the Pentateuch, the author of those words was God through His prophet Moses, and the inspiration of these five books of the Bible is still true. One of the most important evidences for Moses being the author of the Pentateuch is that Jesus Himself refers this section of the Old Testament as the “Law of Moses” (Luke 24:44). Traditionally, the Hebrew Bible has been divided into three parts, the Law (Torah), the Prophets and the Writings. Evidence for this can be found in the New Testament and, in particular, the teachings of Jesus Christ after His resurrection.