who wrote the first five books of moses
many authors over many centuries
title: Mosaic authorship text: Mosaic authorship Mosaic authorship is the Jewish, Christian and Muslim tradition that Moses was the author of the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. The books do not name any author, as authorship was not considered important by the society that produced them, and it was only after Jews came into contact with author-centric Hellenistic culture in the late Second Temple period that the rabbis began to find authors for their scriptures. The tradition that Moses was this author probably began with the law-code of Deuteronomy, and was then gradually extended until Moses, as the central title: Damascus Pentateuch text: Damascus Pentateuch The Damascus Pentateuch ( Keter Dameseq or Crown of Damascus) is a 10th century Hebrew Bible codex (Pentateuch), containing the first Five Books of Moses. The codex was copied by an unknown scribe, replete with Masoretic annotations. The manuscript is defective in its beginning, as it starts with Genesis 9:26 (Exodus 18:1–23 is also missing). It was acquired by the Jewish National and University Library in 1975, and published in a large, two-volume facsimile edition in 1978 (not to be confused with another Damascus Keter, of medieval Spanish origin). The Damascus Pentateuch came to renown owing largely to title: Law of Moses text: Law of Moses The Law of Moses ( ), also called the Mosaic Law, refers primarily to the Torah or first five books of the Hebrew Bible. Traditionally believed to have been written by Moses, some academics now believe they had many authors. The Law of Moses or Torah of Moses (Hebrew: , "Torat Moshe", Septuagint , "nómos Mōusē", or in some translations the "Teachings of Moses" ) is a biblical term first found in the Book of Joshua , where Joshua writes the Hebrew words of "Torat Moshe " on an altar of stones at Mount Ebal. The text title: Biblical criticism text: and function. According to tradition, Moses was the author of the first five books of the Bible, including the book of Genesis. Philosophers and theologians such as Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679), Benedict Spinoza (1632–1677), and Richard Simon (1638–1712) questioned Mosaic authorship. Spinoza said Moses could not have written the preface to Deuteronomy, since he never crossed the Jordan; he points out that Deuteronomy 31:9 references Moses in the third person; and he lists multiple other inconsistencies and anomalies that led him to conclude "it was plain" these Pentateuchal books were not written by Moses himself. Jean Astruc (1684–1766), a French physician, title: Mosaic authorship text: the majority of contemporary Evangelicals, while accepting that some or much of the Pentateuch can be traced to Moses or traditions about him, pay little attention to the question of authorship. Mosaic authorship Mosaic authorship is the Jewish, Christian and Muslim tradition that Moses was the author of the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. The books do not name any author, as authorship was not considered important by the society that produced them, and it was only after Jews came into contact with author-centric Hellenistic culture in the late Second Temple period that the rabbis