3. The Pentateuch was written in the Hebrew language. The Hebrew of
the Bible did not exist in the time of Moses. Language is a growth. It
takes centuries to develop it. It took a thousand years to develop the
English language. The Hebrew of the Bible was not brought from Egypt,
but grew in Palestine. Referring to this language, De Wette says:
"Without doubt it originated in the land [Canaan] or was still further
developed therein after the Hebrew and other Canaanitish people had
migrated thither from the Northern country" (Old Testament, Part
II.). Gesenius says that the Hebrew language scarcely antedates the
time of David.
4. Not only is it true that the Hebrew language did not exist, but
it is urged by critics that no written language, as we understand it,
existed in Western Asia in the time of Moses. Prof. Andrew Norton says:
"For a long time after the supposed date of the Pentateuch we find
no proof of the existence of a book or even an inscription in proper
alphabetical characters among the nations by whom the Hebrews were
surrounded" (The Pentateuch, p. 44). Hieroglyphics were then in use,
and it is not to be supposed that a work as large as the Pentateuch
was written or engraved in hieroglyphics and carried about by this
wandering tribe of ignorant Israelites.
5. Much of the Pentateuch is devoted to the history of Moses; but
excepting a few brief compositions attributed to him and quoted by the
author he is always referred to in the third person. The Pentateuch
contains a biography, not an autobiography of Moses.
6. It contains an account of the death and burial of Moses which he
could not have written:
"So Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there in the land of
Moab.... And he buried him in a valley of the land of Moab"
(Deut. xxxiv, 5, 6).
"And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab
thirty days" (8).
Orthodox commentators attempt to remove this difficulty by supposing
that the last chapter of Deuteronomy belongs to the book of Joshua,
and that Joshua recorded the death of Moses. The same writer,
referring to the appointment of Joshua as the successor of Moses,
says: "And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom"
(Deut. xxxiv, 9). If Joshua wrote this, however full of the spirit
of wisdom he may have been, he certainly was not full of the spirit
of modesty. Joshua did not write this chapter.
7. "No man knoweth of his [Moses'] sepulchre unto this day"
(Deut. xxxiv, 6).
That the authorship of this chapter should ever have been attributed
to either Moses or Joshua is incomprehensible. The language plainly
shows that not merely one but many generations had elapsed between
the time of Moses and the time that it was written.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account