Moses' Authorship & Editors
- James Collazo
- Mar 7, 2021
- 7 min read
Updated: Jul 19
Introduction
Jews and Christians have long believed that Moses wrote the first five books of the Old Testament: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Jews call these books the Torah (H8451, "Law" or "Instruction"), and Christians call them the Pentateuch (Greek for "Five Scrolls"). Many conservative scholars study these books using the historical-grammatical method, which examines the text itself to understand what the original authors meant.
Many source critics take a different approach. They argue that four writers—Yahwist (J), Elohist (E), Deuteronomist (D), and the Priestly source (P)—edited the Pentateuch. Although the classic JEDP model has been widely revised, many contemporary scholars still argue that the Pentateuch developed through multiple stages of composition and editing. This view is known as the Documentary Hypothesis. These scholars use the historical-critical method, comparing the Bible with archaeology and ancient cultural records. This article looks at both approaches but supports the traditional view that Moses wrote the Pentateuch. It also recognizes that later editors may have added short notes or clarifying comments while preserving Moses' work.
Biblical Evidence of Moses' Authorship
The Pentateuch itself repeatedly says that Moses wrote these books under God's authority (Exod. 17:14; 24:3–4, 7; 32:7–10, 30–34, 34:27; Lev. 26:46; 27:34; Deut. 31:9, 24–25). Later Old Testament writers also affirmed Moses' authorship (Josh. 8:31–32; 1 Kings 2:3; Jer. 7:22; Ezra 6:18; Neh. 8:1; Mal. 4:4).
The historical books from Joshua to Ezra refer to the Torah as the "Book of the Law of Moses." Some skeptics question these statements, but these texts consistently show that the Israelites knew, preserved, and practiced the Law of Moses. They kept Passover during the days of Joshua, Hezekiah, Josiah, and Zerubbabel (Josh. 4:19; 5:10; 2 Chron. 30, 35; 2 Kings 23; Ezra 6:19–22). The Old Testament also mentions Passover (Hebrew: Pesach, H6453), the Feast of Tabernacles (Hebrew: Sukkot, H5521), and other yearly festivals (1 Kings 9:25; 2 Kings 23:22; 2 Chron. 8:13; 35:18). The phrase "Law of Moses" appears throughout the historical books (1 Kings 2:3; 2 Kings 14:6; 2 Chron. 23:18; 25:4; 34:14; Ezra 3:2; 7:6; Dan. 9:11, 13). Nevertheless, Moses likely wrote most of the Pentateuch during Israel's forty years in the wilderness, between 1446 and 1406 BC.
The New Testament also affirms Moses' authorship (Matt. 22:24; Acts 15:21). Jesus himself referred to Moses as the author of the Torah (Matt. 5:17–18; 19:8; 22:31–32; 23:2; Mark 10:9, 12:26; Luke 16:31; 20:37; 24:26–27, 44; John 3:14; 5:45–47; 6:32, 49; 7:19, 22). His identity as the Messiah rested on the divine authority of the Law given through Moses, including the promise: "The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him" (Deut. 18:15; cf. Acts 3:22). Almost all New Testament writers were Jewish, except Luke, and they saw themselves continuing the story that began in the Torah.
Biblical Evidence of Later Editors
We can recognize Moses as the principal author of the Pentateuch while also accepting that later editors added brief notes or clarifications. For example, Genesis 36:31 says: "These were the kings who reigned in Edom before any Israelite king reigned." Israel did not appoint a king until the elders asked Samuel for one, saying, "You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead us" (1 Sam. 8:5).
God appointed Saul around 1050 BC (1 Sam. 10:1). Moses, however, died before Israel entered the Promised Land around 1406 BC. This timeline means about 326 years passed between Moses' death and Saul's birth in 1080 BC. Moses still foretold that Israel would one day desire a king (Deut. 17:14–20), even using the same kind of language the elders later spoke: "Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us" (Deut. 17:14). This may show God guiding the unity of Scripture, or it may reflect a historical pattern. At the same time, an editor probably added the phrase "before any Israelite king reigned" (cf. 1 Chron. 1:43).
Scholars base these timelines on passages like 1 Kings 6:1, which says, "In the four hundred and eightieth year after the Israelites came out of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign . . . he began to build the temple of the LORD." Such verses help us understand the historical setting of the Pentateuch.
The clearest example of later editing appears in the account of Moses' death: "Moses the servant of the LORD died there in Moab, as the LORD had said. He buried him in Moab, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, but to this day no one knows where his grave is. Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone" (Deut. 34:5–7). These verses employ grammar Moses could not have used, since they describe events that occurred after his death. A later writer had to record this final section. However, the editor preserved the integrity of Moses' work, honored his leadership, and ensured that the Pentateuch ended with a respectful account of Moses' life and legacy.
Introducing the Documentary Hypothesis
Scholars who defend the Documentary Hypothesis believe the Pentateuch once existed as four separate written sources that later editors combined into one work:
J — Yahwist
The Yahwist source uses the divine name Yahweh (H3068 or H3069) early in Israel's story (e.g., Exod. 6:3). Scholars often place J in the southern Kingdom of Judah during Solomon's reign, around 950 BC. Julius Wellhausen, the nineteenth-century German biblical scholar who did much to popularize and shape the Documentary Hypothesis, used the German spelling Jahwe for "Yahweh."
E — Elohist
The Elohist source refers to God mainly as Elohim (H430) until God reveals his personal name to Moses (Exod. 3:13–15). Scholars date E to around 850 BC and connect it to the northern Kingdom of Israel.
D — Deuteronomist
The Deuteronomist source emphasizes covenant loyalty, moral commands, and the laws in Deuteronomy. Many scholars date D to the time of King Josiah, around 620 BC, when religious reforms emphasized exclusive worship of Yahweh.
P — Priestly Source
The Priestly source highlights ritual law, genealogy, and the holiness of the priesthood. Like the Elohist, P uses Elohim before God reveals his name, Yahweh (Exod. 6:3). Scholars usually place P in the Babylonian exile in the sixth century BC or shortly after, in the early fifth century BC.
This summary provides a brief explanation of the Documentary Hypothesis. As a ministry, First Century Christian Fellowship does not endorse this view. However, we fully and fairly consider and evaluate the data that textual critics use to support their arguments.
Assessing the Documentary Hypothesis
A Christian can believe that God inspired Moses to write the Pentateuch and that God also guided later editors who preserved and organized Moses' writings. Christians accept this same principle in the formation of the New Testament, which early church leaders recognized and arranged after the apostolic age. This view does not mean that the editors suggested by the Documentary Hypothesis—or any other scribes—changed the Pentateuch's message. Later Israelite and Jewish scholars likely worked under kings such as David, Solomon, and Josiah, much as contemporary Christian scholars work with academic publishers.
Critical scholars sometimes emphasize differences in vocabulary or style, even though writers commonly adjust their tone for different audiences. Conservative scholars sometimes overlook the historical and cultural contexts behind the text. To read the Bible literally is to read it in light of its historical, literary, and grammatical contexts.
The classic form of the Documentary Hypothesis has lost considerable support, even among many critical scholars, as archaeological discoveries and literary studies have prompted alternative models of Pentateuchal composition. Its defenders relied mainly on literary theory and did not consider evidence from ancient Near Eastern cultures. Egyptian texts mention Yahweh around 1400 BC under Amenhotep III and again around 1300 BC under Seti I. A hieroglyphic inscription also refers to the "Land of the Shasu of Yahweh." This evidence demonstrates that the divine name was already known centuries before the period traditionally assigned to the Yahwist source.
In the end, Moses used the names Elohim and Yahweh to highlight different aspects of the Lord's character. When he described creation, he chose Elohim to emphasize strength and unity (see "Trinity: Jewish & Gentile Views"). Later, when Moses asked for the divine name, the Lord revealed his personal and ongoing presence by saying, "I AM WHO I AM" (Exod. 3:14), a statement that points to the name Yahweh. Many conservative scholars understand these names to emphasize different aspects of God's character rather than different editors.
Bibliography
Monographs
Berman, Joshua. Ani Maamin: Biblical Criticism, Historical Truth and the Thirteen Principles of Faith. Jerusalem: Maggid, 2020.
Cassuto, Umberto. The Documentary Hypothesis and the Composition of the Pentateuch. Translated by Israel Abrahams. Jerusalem: Shalem, 2006.
Friedman, Richard Elliott. Who Wrote the Bible? Updated ed. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2019.
Sailhamer, John H. The Pentateuch as Narrative: A Biblical-Theological Commentary. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992.
Walton, John H. Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament. 2nd ed. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2018.
Reference Works
Attridge, Harold W., ed. The NRSV HarperCollins Study Bible, Revised and Updated with Apocryphal and Deuterocanonical Books. San Francisco: HarperOne, 2006.
Dobson, Kent. NIV First-Century Study Bible: Explore Scripture in Its Jewish and Early Christian Context. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2014.
Easton, M. G. "Pentateuch." In Illustrated Bible Dictionary and Treasury of Biblical History, Biography, Geography, Doctrine, and Literature with Numerous Illustrations and Important Chronological Tables and Maps. London: Nelson & Sons, 1893.
Kaiser, Walter C., Jr., and Duane Garrett, eds. NIV Archaeological Study Bible: An Illustrated Walk Through Biblical History and Culture. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006.
Keener, Craig S., and John H. Walton, eds. NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible: Bringing to Life the Ancient World of Scripture. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2016.
Journal Articles
Clines, D. J. A. "The Image of God in Man."↗ Tyndale Bulletin 19, no. 1 (1968): 53–103.
Online Resources
Berman, Joshua. "Addressing Biblical Criticism: A Critique of the Documentary Hypothesis."↗ Aish. February 2020.
Billington, Clyde E. "The Curious History of the 'Editor' in Biblical Criticism."↗ Associates for Biblical Research. July 1, 2010.
Davies, Philip. "Minimalism, 'Ancient Israel,' and Anti-Semitism."↗ The Bible and Interpretation. University of Arizona. January 2002.
Gilad, Elon. "Who Wrote the Torah?"↗ Haaretz. October 22, 2014.
Schwartz, Ethan. "Our Rabbis J, E, P, and D."↗ Jewish Review of Books. 2016.
Zelkowitz, Marvin V. "Documentary Hypothesis."↗ University of Maryland. 2006. PDF.