RLGB 203 Old Testament Survey 1: Law and Writings CPAC 1st d Sem.

2014

Introduction to the Pentateuch/Law

by Rafael J Carado, MAR

WHY STUDY THE OLD TESTAMENT

A. It was the only Scripture that Jesus and the Apostles had. They quoted from it often.
1. John 10:35—Scripture cannot be broken
2. Luke 24:44—scripture must be fulfilled
3. Matt 22:29—ignornce of the OT is the source of error
B. It is God’s self revelation. It is inspired.
1. Matthew 5:17ff 5. I Peter 1:23-25
2. II Timothy 3:15-17 6. II Peter 1:20-21
3. I Corinthians 2:9-13 7. II Peter 3:15-16
4. I Thessalonians 2:13
C. It was written for us.
1. Romans 4:23-24; 15:4
2. I Corinthians 9:9-10; 10:6, 11
Basic Terminology
1. TaNaKh (Acronym for 3 sections of Jewish Bible: Torah, Neviim, Ketubim1)
Old Testament (Term for first section of Christian Bibles)
2. Torah (Hebrew term = “T” of TaNaKh; another term used is Chumash [“five”], esp. when
referring to separate books as opposed to a scroll containing all five)
3. Pentateuch (Term of Greek derivation; five cases) comes from the Greek term pent teuchos
meaning "five-volumed (book) after the Jewish designation, "the five-fifths of the law". The
Jews called it "Torah" (instruction) which is often rendered in English by "Law" (Matt 5:17;
Luke 16:17; Acts 7:53).
Four Basic Topical sections of the OT

OT Fourfold Division Christocentric View Relationship to Israel

The Law (Gen.-Deut.) the foundation is laid for Christ -their moral life
History (Josh-Esther) preparation for Christ -their national life

Poetry (Job-Song of Sol.) aspiration for Christ is expressed -their spiritual life
Prophecy (Isa.—Mal.) the expectation of Christ -their messianic (and future) life

Law—the Foundation is laid for Christ

Genesis—the election of the nation
Exodus—the redemption of the nation
Leviticus—the sanctification of the nation
Numbers—the direction of the nation
Deuteronomy—the instruction of the nation
Why the first five books of Moses are called “The law”?
---In the later Scriptures they are frequently comprehended under the general designation, The
Law, The Book of the Law, since, to give a detailed account of the preparations for, and the

1
Kitubim or Writings include the book of Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes,
Esther, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, 1-2 Chronicles.
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RLGB 203 Old Testament Survey 1: Law and Writings CPAC 1st d Sem. 2014
delivery of, the divine code, with all the civil and sacred institutions that were peculiar to the
ancient economy, is the object to which they are exclusively devoted.
---These five books form a backbone for the rest of the OT and NT theologically (Deut 26:5-10;
Josh 24:2-13; Acts 13:17-41).
---At the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, the five books of Moses were mentioned under names like
“book of Moses,” “Law of Yahweh,” “book of the Law of Yahweh,” etc., “seven times in 1 and
2 Chronicles , 17 times in Ezra and Nehemiah, and once in Malachi” (SDABC 1:37-38).2
Names of the five books
Hebrew titles English titles (adopted from Septuagint &Vulgate)
Bereshit (“In the beginning…”) Genesis (lit. origin)
Shemot (“The names…”) Exodus (lit. departure)
Vayiqra (“And he called…”) Leviticus (lit. about Levites)
Bamidbar (“In the wilderness…”) Numbers (from the Greek name, Arithmoi)
Devarim (“The words…”) Deuteronomy (lit. second law)
The Form and Content of the Pentateuch
Original Language: Hebrew3 and a portion of Aramaic
Voice: Third-person narration
Genre: Hebrew narrative, Hebrew poetry (wisdom literature, psalm), Hebrew prophecy (prose, poetry),
Law codes
Hebrew as a Semitic Language
 The Hebrew language has been in use from the time of Moses (the archaeological era known as
the Late Bronze Age II, 1400-1200 B.C.E.) to the present.
 Belongs to the Semitic language family, the predominant language group of southwestern Asia,
the region usually known as the Near East or Middle East.
 Two branches of Semitic:
a. east Semitic—Akkadian (Babylon and Assyria )
b. west Semitic—northwest Semitic (Canaanite, Hebrew, Aramaic), Arabic, and South
Semitic (South Arabian and Ethiopian languages).
 In Gen 11:1—all the descendants of Noah used one and the same language (Semitic language).
 The language of the tower builders in Shinar was confused (Gen 11:2).
Authorship of the Pentateuch
Traditionally, Moses has been understood as the author of the Torah/Pentateuch (the first five
books of the Bible). The Books do give indications of Moses as its writer: He was ordered to write
historical facts (Ex 17:14; Num 33:1-2), laws (Ex 24:4, 7; 34:27ff) and one poem (Deut31:9, 22).
Moses is affirmed as author in the rest of the OT:
(Joshua 1:7-8; 8:32, 34; 22:5; 1 Ki 2:3; 2 Ki 14:6; 21:8; Ezra 6:18; Dan 9:11-13; Mal 4:4)
The NT referred to Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (Matt 19:18; Mark 12:26; Luke 2:22; 16:29;
24:27; John 5:46-47; 7:19; Acts 13:39; Rom 10:5). Moses is testified to be the author of the whole
Pentateuch in a unanimous way in the Talmud and the Church Fathers such as Philo, Josephus, Junilius,
Augustine, etc.!
MOSES' QUALIFICATIONS
That Moses was pre-eminently prepared to author a work such as the Pentateuch is witnessed by the
following qualifications:

2
The book of the law was considered inspired and “canonical” in the 5th century B.C. is shown by the great
reverence the people demonstrated when that book was opened (Neh 8:5-6). SDABC 1:38.
3
The word Hebrew probably derived from the name rb,[eEber in Genesis 10:21. Hebrew means Eberite or the
descendants of Eber. Old testament Hebrew was “Canaanite language” (Isa 19:18), but it was also “the language of Judah”
(2 Kings 18:26).
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RLGB 203 Old Testament Survey 1: Law and Writings CPAC 1st d Sem. 2014
1. Education - he was trained in the royal Egyptian court in their highly developed academic
disciplines. This without a doubt included a knowledge of writing, for even the women's toilet
articles of the time were inscribed.
2. Tradition - he undoubtedly received the Hebrew traditions of their early history and encounters
with God.

3. Geographical familiarity - Moses possessed an intimate knowledge of the climate and geography
of Egypt and Sinai as displayed in the Pentateuch.

4. Motivation - as the founder of the Commonwealth of Israel, he had more than adequate incentive
to provide the nation with concrete moral and religious foundations.

5. Time - 40 long years of wandering in the Sinai wilderness easily allowed ample opportunity to
write this work.

Five books of Moses - Chumash

GENESIS - BERESHIT
 Creation, Adam and Eve, Noah and the Flood, the Patriarchs and the Matriarchs, and ends with
the descent of Jacob and his family to Egypt.
 The commandment of circumcision, the promise to Abraham that he would receive the Land of
Israel and that his descendants would be a blessing to the rest of the world.
EXODUS - SHMOT
 The Hebrew title of this Book refers to the names of the Jews who entered Egypt.
 The exile, the gradual enslavement and suffering. The birth of Moses and his initial prophecies,
the ten plagues and the Exodus from Egypt.
 The Revelation at Mt.Sinai, where the Jewish people received the Written and the Oral Torah.
 The building of the Mishkan, a portable Temple which housed the two tablets of stone on which
the Ten Commandments were inscribed.
LEVITICUS - VAYIKRA
 G-d calls to Moses and teaches him the laws of the Priests, the Temple, the sacrifices and the
Festivals.
 Much of the Jewish code of morality and ethics appears in Vayikra, including the famous
statement "Love your neighbor as yourself."
NUMBERS - BAMIDBAR
 The travels, battles and struggles of the Jewish People during their 40 year sojourn in the desert
after the Exodus from Egypt.
 Begins with a census of the 12 tribes and describes the formation of their camp.
 The rebellion of Korach, his demise, and the sending of 12 spies into Israel.
 The capture of the East Bank of the Jordan river and the subsequent settlement there of the
Tribes of Reuven, Gad and half of Menashe.
DEUTERONOMY - DEVARIM
 Final address of Moses to the Jewish People before his death. This prophetic farewell includes
rebuke, encouragement and warnings for their future.
 Commandments that apply only in Israel.
 Commandments that govern the interaction with other nations.
 Moses writes 13 copies of the complete Torah, giving one to each tribe and placing one in the
Holy Ark.
 The Five Books of Moses close with the death of "the greatest of all prophets" and "the most
humble of all men," Moses.
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RLGB 203 Old Testament Survey 1: Law and Writings CPAC 1st d Sem. 2014