Who wrote the book of Genesis?

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Topic, tyia

I guess to elaborate, I was watching that new tv series “the Bible” and it makes it look like Noah started it orally. So, just wondering ^^;
 
minion said:
Topic, tyia

I guess to elaborate, I was watching that new tv series “the Bible” and it makes it look like Noah started it orally. So, just wondering ^^;
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Genesis was written by many authors. It had it’s last revision that we would recognize as “Genesis” around 600BCE after the return from Exile.
 
Moses wrote the about creation and the first parts I believe. Moses would talk to god in the temple during the exile in the desert.
 
Nobody really knows, although the tradition is that it dates back - orally, at least - to Moses. However, it also seems to have been heavily redacted until just before or after the Exile.
 
:hmmm:

So…probably Moses, but no one really knows? That’s a bit disconcerting. Can someone explain to me how & why the Jews held Genesis as “authentic” if they were uncertain of the author(s)?
 
^^^^^

Well, I can’t afford a $134.95, 25-disc set to purchase, so I looked at the other links, skimming the PDF.

So essentially:

On Genesis being assembled by different authors “post-Moses” - incorrect

On Moses writing Genesis, or dictating his words to scribes/secretaries - no :eek:

On Moses being divinely inspired to conceive Genesis, entrusting writing of it to another, and “stamping it with his approval” - yes

On Moses employing existing documents and oral traditions to form Genesis - yes

On people possibly modifying it after Moses death, due to faulty translation, elaboration, etc. -** yes, pending Church approval**

Is this about right? If Moses was raised Egyptian, I’m guessing he knew little of his Jewish roots, so he learned of Jewish history from the people he freed from Egypt?
 
minion said:
^^^^^

Well, I can’t afford a $134.95, 25-disc set to purchase, so I looked at the other links, skimming the PDF.

So essentially:

On Genesis being assembled by different authors “post-Moses” - incorrect

On Moses writing Genesis, or dictating his words to scribes/secretaries - no :eek:

On Moses being divinely inspired to conceive Genesis, entrusting writing of it to another, and “stamping it with his approval” - yes

On Moses employing existing documents and oral traditions to form Genesis - yes

On people possibly modifying it after Moses death, due to faulty translation, elaboration, etc. -** yes, pending Church approval**
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Pretty much. The Church has affirmed Mosaic authorship though the Pontifical Biblical Commission in 1905. This has never been rejected on the part of the Churc. Other theories of authorship arrived after that time, which really don’t have much in the way of evidence to support them. In the CD’s, Dr. Pitre goes into detail, great detail, on the authorship issue. Essentially, it is his semester long class that he teaches in seminary on the topic. Incredible set of books and if you ever have means, they are well worth it. In fact, there are tons of great CD’s on there on various aspects of Biblical scholarship that are well worth picking up.

Peace,
 
minion said:
:hmmm:

So…probably Moses, but no one really knows? That’s a bit disconcerting. Can someone explain to me how & why the Jews held Genesis as “authentic” if they were uncertain of the author(s)?
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I don’t think it’s disconcerting. Nobody really knows who wrote the Book of Hebrews or Revelation (apart from some fellow named John, who may or may not have been the Apostle). It’s only disconcerting if your trust in it depends on the authorship. But it doesn’t. Our trust in it is ultimately dependent upon God, who entrusted His Spirit-inspired Church to confirm a canon of authentic Scripture.

As to how and why the Jews held Genesis as “authentic”, that’s more debatable. Its probably due to the long history of oral transmission and how this transmission coincided with other stories from Israel’s past. I’m sure there would have been many stories about Abraham or Noah or Jacob and his sons. There is the tradition that Moses wrote the book but, as I said before, I think he is more likely to have been the voice behind the oral transmission to a great degree.
 
jonathan_hili said:
There is the tradition that Moses wrote the book but, as I said before, I think he is more likely to have been the voice behind the oral transmission to a great degree.
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And seeing how Moses was the lawgiver it would be natural to put the authority of his authorship behind it.
 
Genesis clearly draws upon several sources, though I would take any specific modern theory (like the one linked to above) with more than a grain of salt.

Moses is the traditional author, and it would not surprise me if he had more influence over it than he is commonly given credit for today. It seems clear though that it draws on cultural roots even older than Moses and that it was probably not put into its final form until long after.
 
My theology told me that Moses was supposedly the author. But who cares it is the inerrant Word of God.
 
To me, this is a very Protestant argument - who wrote such and such a book. Okay, I understand that authorship lends credibility to the text, especially when used in apologetics, and certainly authorship was a big deal in the early centuries. But I think it is an open question and something that can be fruitfully debated and discussed by Catholics. Did Paul write Ephesians or the epistles to Timothy and Titus? Did John write Revelation? Who wrote Hebrews?

Ultimately, as Catholics, we put our faith in Christ’s Church. If the Church sanctioned these texts as Scripture, it doesn’t really matter who wrote them because they can be trusted to reveal God’s word.
 
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