Well, I'm a few chapters into Who Wrote the Bible, by Richard Elliot Friedman (thanks, Primate, for the suggestion!)...there's no way I could explain the book to you, but I can see exactly what it's saying. The author really puts it in layman's terms to show how many people/men wrote the Bible. He basically says the Bible was dissected and then put back together & shows examples of verses that had completely different writing styles (which could show that one man/Moses was not responsible for the first five books). What do YOU think? And what do JW's think? I haven't come to a conclusion yet, but I know which way I'm leaning
Do JW's believe that Moses wrote the 1st five books?
by homeschool 11 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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hamsterbait
Unfortunately YES -
In spite of the overwhelming evidence that it is a compilation.
The Gospels are also a compilation by different authors of extracts from different texts, making a collage of quotes. many passages are found word for word in other gospels not included in the Bible.
This is seen by non-believers as evidence that the Bible is not true. However I think this is not a very convincing argument.
Even if it is a compilation, somebody must have said the wise things to be found in it. I dont think love thy neighbour or thou shalt not kill should be thrown away because of this.
If you are an honest believer, and prepared to admit it is chopped up and edited, I dont think it makes everything it says untrustworthy.
After all there are many books such as encyclopedias and textbooks written by a group of people, who qoute other sources, editing the text with successive editions. We dont deny the accuracy then.
If you want to find the Bible unreliable and even a pack of lies, there are other avenues of enquiry to take which offer more convincing arguments.
HB
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Cadellin
As a follow-up, try Friedman's The Bible with Sources Revealed, where he uses different fonts for different sources within his own translation. It's very illuminating when you can literally see the variances. I highly recommend it.
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Leolaia
Cadellin....While I was a JW I actually did that with a large-sized 1971 edition of the NWT...I underlined different sections of Genesis with different colors (as I recall, blue ball-point pen was P, orange crayon was J, etc.), and it was quite revealing to see (even in English translation).
For a more advanced look at research into Pentateuchal origins in recent scholarship, check out this really cool outline that summarizes the many different views in scholarship:
http://hesedweemet.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/anderson-pentateuch-outline-longer.pdf
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homeschool
Interesting stuff, thank you for responding everybody!
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Doug Mason
The issue is not only about who wrote the Pentateuch (and other books of the Hebrew Scripture) but who edited the books during the ensuing centuries and the motives of these editors, as well as the accuracy of their understanding of events that had taken place some centuries before.
The Hebrew record of their history is influenced by their theological focus, rather than precision in the record; hence differences, for example between the books of Kings and Chronicles. As another example, whereas political reality said that Assyria defeated Israel because of its overwhelming might, the Hebrews wrote that Israel was destroyed because the nation did not listen to God's prophets and priests.
Unlike the record of their neighbours, whose records were intent on praising the reigning monarch of the time, the Hebrew Scriptures were a product of the religious elite endeavouring to promote and preserve their power and influence. We do not see the records of their opponents.
There is no doubt that the Babylonian exiles (who were the intelligentsia of the Hebrews) played a major role in the shape and content of the record we now have. Whether they wrote Deuteronomy or simply edited it, it is plain they had a great impact on the text we now have.
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homeschool
I guess JW's feel that 'somehow' Jah got in there and directed who should put what in there, eh?
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homeschool
Would a JW possibly explain that Moses wrote the first five books in 3rd person? I asked who was writing in the mid-end of Exodus...Moses or Jehooba & my sister hasn't gotten back to me with an answer. If they believe that Moses wrote the first five books, then they'd HAVE to say he was writing in 3rd person, right?