Who wrote Genesis.?

Question

Most so-called liberal theologians and commentators, along with not a few conservatives, have followed the theory that a number of unknown writers and editors, during the period of Israel’s history from about the time of King Hezekiah to that of Ezra the Scribe, compiled and edited several old legends and traditions, verbally transmitted not only by their own Israeli ancestors but also by the Egyptians, Babylonians, and others, into the Book of Genesis. Presumably they then allowed the story to be circulated that these had come down from Moses, in order to invest them with the authority of their great Lawgiver.


http://www.csinfo.org/Who_Wrote_Genesis.htm


In order to sell the story of Eve and the apple, the writers made the devil be a snake. Why?

Because snakes are creepy.

Cork, thanks for clarification. I'll take your word for it.

Answer 1

As a Christian living today there are a number of voices who claim to be speaking for all of us, they assail science and insist that we must literally accept every word in the Bible as true. In doing so they fail both themselves and others for much in the Bible is parable or metaphor. When we, as Christians, insist that parable must be accepted as literally true we put a stumbling block of, well, biblical proportions in the way of earnest seekers.

It is for such seekers that I write this article.

Should you happen to visit the Answers in Genesis site you will find, among other things the following comment,

"... We return to the question which forms the title of this article. Should Genesis be taken literally?

Answer: If we apply the normal principles of biblical exegesis (ignoring pressure to make the text conform to the evolutionary prejudices of our age), it is overwhelmingly obvious that Genesis was meant to be taken in a straightforward, obvious sense as an authentic, literal, historical record of what actually happened..."

But are they right?

Modern science shows that the earth is billions of years in age, it comes to this conclusion in a number of ways and I recommend the following site for information even a non-scientist can understand, http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/faq-age-of-earth.html .

Is there then a meeting place between science and the Book of Genesis? Yes, there is and it comes from the understanding that Genesis is not a science text-book, that it was written in order to understand, not HOW the world came to be but WHY.

Genesis 1 & 2 are parables, they are parables about why there is an earth, why humans and animals and plants share it in common and why there is pain and suffering in the world. Parables are stories which may or may not be literally true but which imparts to us an important spiritual truth. In the New Testament we have parables such as the Good Samaritan, the evil vine-dressers; the parable of the prodigal son.

None of those New Testament stories are literal fact but they are true in a deeper, more meaningful way. So it is with the parables of Genesis 1 & 2. In them we are not being told that the world was created in six days, six thousand years ago. We are, however, being told that the world was created by God's intention, that human beings are made in the image and likeness of God and that God is a close to us as a friend who walks and talks with us in the cool of the day.

Adam and Eve, the Fall, the Serpent, Noah and his Ark may or may not be literal truth but they are markers of ultimate truth, of truth which can be held only in the imagination, of truth which can only be shown in images and symbols.

Genesis can only be understood in that it is our story, each of us is Adam, each of us is Eve, we misunderstand the Genesis parables when we fail to realize that they are addressed to US. Genesis, then, is our unique, individual story told as parable it is not some pre-scientific attempt to explain how all things came to be but rather a profound series of meditations on why things should be in the first place.

Once we realize this, we can see there are no contradictions, can be no contradictions between the findings of science and God's word to us in Genesis. Let us happily give up our insistence on a literal Genesis and seek the deeper, religious truths that await us there.

Ray McIntyre is a Priest and Theologian living in New Zealand.

Answer 2

The Orthodox Rabbis tell me that the first 5 books of the Hebrew Bible were committed to writing ("Written Torah") by Moses (a figure who looms large in the 4 books which follow Genesis). They also tell me that G-d did not allow Moses the room to be personally creative with it as with later Hebrew prophets; they say Moses had to write it down precisely as G-d dictated it to him. These same rabbis also teach that Moses taught "Oral Torah" which was not committed to writing until many centuries later.

There are other people who tell me that Moses is a fictitious character. I'm am no great Torah scholar -- not by a long shot; I barely know the Hebrew language, but I know of no reason off the top of my head to doubt that the figure of Moses might be at least based on a real life original, and that such a person might have spoken and / or written at least parts of it.

I think I heard one rabbi suggest that Moses spoke and / or wrote all the laws, but that maybe later scribes filled in the narrative to make it more readable, entertaining, and to communicate the morals more effectively.

Rabbi J. H. Hertz was chief rabbi of Great Britain in the 1930s. I recommend his commentaries on Genesis. Amongst other interesting issues, he does a good job of explaining why the "e, j, d, p, and redactor" theory doesn't hold up well to analytical scrutiny.

Even amongst those who are convinced that Moses wrote the book of Deuteronomy, there is debate about whether it was finished by Moses, or by his successor Joshua since the final passages describe Moses' death.

Answer 3

G-d wrote the books of the Torah, from Genesis all the way to Dueteronomy. Itwasdoneinonelongwordthatdidnotmakeanysenseatall.
G-d showed Moses where to put the breaks in the sentence...I know this sounds crazy to you, but it should be better than "I don't know".

Answer 4

Satan was never a literal snake, but it's symbolic description given him because of his fall. He was once son of light, a child of God just as we are, but he went against Hevenly Father in the great war in Heaven over the issue of free-agency on Earth and he wanted all the glory of forcing us to live one way to be his. Christ said I will do they will Father and the Glory be thin. Christ chose to lead by God's plan of free agency. 1/3 of all the hosts of Heaven followed Satan and were cast out of Heaven with Satan to tempt us to do evil. They are forever cast out.

The snake or serpent as is the correct word, is just a symbol of His fallen state.

The book of Genisus is a history of God's children here on earth, just as is all the bible, the history of a people of God on that side of the world and other scriptures tell of his dealings here in the Americas, the USA, South America and North America.

Several of God's prophets as they were called wrote a portion of Genesis, starting with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Issac, and finally Jacob. It covers hundreds of years in just the book of Genesis. Genesis means beginning.

Answer 5

The Holy Spirit propagated the truth in oral tradition until Genesis was written by the hand of a person unnamed, inspired to do so by God.

Answer 6

odd...

old scripture was aval before Ezra....
Since Isaiah and Ezekial were both quoting them all and they also quoted King david and such...............
before Ezra came on the scene...

Also odd....not one word in the enite Bible about Eve and any Apple....nor snake...

Its say fruit and serpent......

Quote accuracy......

one does not know that serpent meant snake--since this serpent had legs????

and not one apple tree was spoken of as being in the garden of Eden...

5 trees mentioned by name --prob other yes .....no apple tree..................named.

Answer 7

the serpent mentioned in the bible is afr more of a sexual innuendo--hebrew slang refers to the penis as "anathor" which is a heated rock and the vagina as "serpent" the cold blooded animal that was quite often found wrapped around their cooking rock. The serpent refers to Lilith, Adam's first wife who (aside from one notable mention in the bible) is considered a character in hebrew mythology

Answer 8

I was going to say the tradition is moses wrot them but honestly I have no idea.

Answer 9

MOSES. He wrote the first 5 book of the BIBLE

Answer 10

People who invented Judaism