The Penteuach
Outline the stages of development that led to the final form of the five books of the Pentateuch.
The Pentateuch refers to the first five books of the Bible. These five books form the theological foundation of the Bible. The books of the Pentateuch introduce “readers to God 's divine purposes and plans, and explain how sin entered the world”. In the Pentateuch we also see “God 's response to sin, his relationship with mankind, and we gain insight into the character and nature of God”. Although each book is a unit, together they form a larger unit and unity.
In order to have stories to be read or written, stories must have started from somewhere. Most stories begin at an oral stage. This goes the same for The Pentateuch, which too began at an oral stage. Through telling stories and passing them down to generations after, it allows individuals to reflect their beliefs; thus for The Pentateuch’s case the belief in God. So oral tradition develops as the community looks for a recreation of memory in community life.
Even though, stories can be kept alive through the word of mouth and the passed down, stories consequently need to be written down in order to provides individuals a document that helps them to adhere to the same beliefs and traditions.
Therefore, the Pentateuch was written down and documented. During this stage, the “primary alphabet of the Pentateuch was Sumerian pictographic cuneiform”. By writing it down it allows the stories to be communicated from one community to the other. The only way in which “different Christian communities who had contact with each other could assure that their traditions were uniform and could be shared was by writing them down” and by thus exchanging those stories.
Editing stage this stage of development occurred between 700 and 500 B.C. During this stage saw certain texts in the Pentateuch being deleted, rearranged and added.
The final product of The Pentateuch was in 400 B.C. this stage deemed to be a very
The Pentateuch refers to the first five books of the Bible. These five books form the theological foundation of the Bible. The books of the Pentateuch introduce “readers to God 's divine purposes and plans, and explain how sin entered the world”. In the Pentateuch we also see “God 's response to sin, his relationship with mankind, and we gain insight into the character and nature of God”. Although each book is a unit, together they form a larger unit and unity.
In order to have stories to be read or written, stories must have started from somewhere. Most stories begin at an oral stage. This goes the same for The Pentateuch, which too began at an oral stage. Through telling stories and passing them down to generations after, it allows individuals to reflect their beliefs; thus for The Pentateuch’s case the belief in God. So oral tradition develops as the community looks for a recreation of memory in community life.
Even though, stories can be kept alive through the word of mouth and the passed down, stories consequently need to be written down in order to provides individuals a document that helps them to adhere to the same beliefs and traditions.
Therefore, the Pentateuch was written down and documented. During this stage, the “primary alphabet of the Pentateuch was Sumerian pictographic cuneiform”. By writing it down it allows the stories to be communicated from one community to the other. The only way in which “different Christian communities who had contact with each other could assure that their traditions were uniform and could be shared was by writing them down” and by thus exchanging those stories.
Editing stage this stage of development occurred between 700 and 500 B.C. During this stage saw certain texts in the Pentateuch being deleted, rearranged and added.
The final product of The Pentateuch was in 400 B.C. this stage deemed to be a very
Bibliography: Bausch, William J. “In the Beginning There Were Stories.” Mystic: Twenty Third Publications, 2004, 199-201. Christensen, Duane L “The Pentateuch Principal within the Canonical Process.” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society. (1996): 39:4. Meyers, Eric M, & John W. Rogerson. “The Old Testament World” in The Cambridge Companion to the Bible, edited by Howard Clark Kee et al., 32-42. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997. Sailhame, John J. “Rediscovering the Compostion of the Petateuch.” In The Meaning of the Pentateuch: Revelation, Composition and Interpretation., 271-275. Intervarsity Press, 2009. -------------------------------------------- [ 1 ]. John H. Sailhame, “Rediscovering the Composition of the Pentateuch,” in The Meaning of the Pentateuch: Revelation, Composition and Interpretation. (Intervarsity Press, 2009), 271. [ 2 ]. John, The Meaning of the Pentateuch: Revelation, Composition and Interpretation, 272. [ 3 ]. Bausch, J. William, “In the Beginning There were Stories.” Mystics: Twenty Third Publications, 2004, 199-201. [ 4 ]. Eric M. Meyers and John J. Rogerson, “The Old Testament World,” in The Cambridge Companion to the Bible, ed. Howard Clark Kee et al. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997), 33. [ 5 ]. Duane L. Christensen, “The Pentateuch Principal within the Canonical Process.” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society. (1996): 39:4