By Rev. Malawin P. Cab-ad
These are Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The Jews call the Pentateuch ‘Torah’ which means it is an instruction relayed by the father or mother to their children. This is in connection to Proverbs 1:8, 4:1, and 6:20 showing the purpose of letting the children grow and live in the right way.
The Pentateuch according to Wellhousen
Julius Wellhousen, a Bible scholar says that the first five books were written in different ways in different time and places. For one is the Yahwist tradition written by the royal scribes at the court of King Solomon in Jerusalem
at 962-922 B.C. Another is in accordance to the book of Genesis chapter 2 that represents God as a human being. In verse 11 it emphasizes the sinfulness of the people and God’s forgiveness.Another tradition relates to the Elohis concept written by prophets. It talks about the holiness of God. His image has been manifested in the book of Exodus in which the Israelites were loved and freed from slavery.
The Deuteronomic tradition was written in the Northern Kingdom but it was completed by lay leaders in Judah. This covers the fact that God appointed the people of Israel as his chosen ones and that he alone is the one true God that they should worship. In the final part of writing, this tradition presents the final address of Moses to his people and the historical summary of the Pentateuch.
The last tradition is called the priestly tradition written by priests in the rule and exile of the Babylon. It was finished after their return to Judah in 550-460 B.C. The writings emphasized the divine holiness and the transcendence of
God plus the centrality of priesthood worship.The book of Genesis
The book of Genesis as most people understand is the beginning of everything. The understanding is true since the book was placed in the very first part of the Bible. It also means the origin. There are actually two types of beginnings in highlighted in the book. These are 1) the beginnings of the verses and all human bonds and 2) the beginnings of the history of Israel which can be found in Genesis 12-50. It focuses on the three forefathers of the Israelites like Abraham, Jacob and Isaac.
Genesis 1-11 tells about the earliest history of the universe and human bond. One highlight is in Genesis 1-2 which talks about “the creation story.” Another talks about the stories of sons and daughters and the genealogies from the first people of Israel (Gen. 5:10, 11:10-32).
The book of Exodus
The historical account of Israel as one nation starts in the book of Exodus. The term also denotes going forth or exit from Egypt and the freedom of Israelites. The time took place in the reign of the Pharaoh Rameses II (1290-1224 B.C.) where he ordered the establishment his own city.
The other books of the Pentateuch namely Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy are to be discussed in the next article- The Panoramic View of the Bible- The Pentateuch 2. Subscribe for more posts.
