Introduction to the Composition of the Pentateuch: No. 58 (Biblical Seminar S.)

This is an introduction for beginners in biblical studies and for those who want to learn what scholars are able to discover about the origins and history of the books of Genesis-Deuteronomy. It explains anew why the tradition of Mosaic authorship of the Torah is untenable, how the distinct documents of the Pentateuch were identified and dated, what flaws can be detected in the Documentary Hypothesis and what contribution is made by more recent methods in explaining the history of the Torah. The book does not merely present the conclusions of modern research, but endeavours to demonstrate the validity of historical-literary criticism.