s ▁role ▁and ▁function . ▁ ▁History ▁ ▁Begin nings : ▁the ▁eigh teenth ▁century ▁▁▁ ▁Trad ition ▁port ray s ▁Mos es ▁as ▁the ▁author ▁of ▁the ▁first ▁five ▁books ▁of ▁the ▁Bible , ▁including ▁the ▁book ▁of ▁Gen esis . ▁Philosoph ers ▁and ▁the olog ians ▁such ▁as ▁Thomas ▁Hob bes ▁( 1 5 8 8 – 1 6 7 9 ), ▁Bened ict ▁Sp ino za ▁( 1 6 3 2 – 1 6 7 7 ), ▁and ▁Richard ▁Simon ▁( 1 6 3 8 – 1 7 1 2 ) ▁question ed ▁M osa ic ▁author ship . ▁Sp ino za ▁states ▁that ▁ ▁Mos es ▁could ▁not ▁have ▁written ▁the ▁pre face ▁to ▁De uter onomy , ▁since ▁he ▁never ▁crossed ▁the ▁ ▁Jordan ; ▁he ▁points ▁out ▁that ▁De uter onomy ▁ 3 1 : 9 ▁references ▁Mos es ▁in ▁the ▁third ▁person ; ▁and ▁he ▁lists ▁multiple ▁other ▁incons isten cies ▁and ▁anom al ies ▁that ▁led ▁him ▁to ▁conclude ▁that ▁" it ▁was ▁plain " ▁that ▁these ▁Pent ate uch al ▁books ▁were ▁not ▁written ▁by ▁Mos es ▁himself . ▁ ▁Jean ▁Ast ru c ▁( 1 6 8 4 – 1 7 6 6 ), ▁a ▁French ▁phys ician , ▁believed ▁these ▁critics ▁were ▁wrong ▁about ▁ ▁M osa ic ▁author ship . ▁According ▁to ▁Old ▁Testament ▁scholar ▁Edward ▁Young ▁( 1 9 0 7 - 1 9 6 8 ), ▁Ast ru c ▁believed ▁that ▁Mos es ▁used ▁her edit ary ▁accounts ▁of