Changes

The traditional view, still accepted by many Christians, is that the [[Pentateuch]] (Genesis to Deuteronomy) was written by Moses, possibly by direct revelation from God.  Jesus endorses this, referring to Moses' writings.<ref>For example, Mark 12:26 (ESV): ''And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God spoke to him, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'?'', a reference to the events of [[Exodus]] 3.</ref>

The traditional view, still accepted by many Christians, is that the [[Pentateuch]] (Genesis to Deuteronomy) was written by Moses, possibly by direct revelation from God.  Jesus endorses this, referring to Moses' writings.<ref>For example, Mark 12:26 (ESV): ''And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God spoke to him, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'?'', a reference to the events of [[Exodus]] 3.</ref>

Citing Moses as the author does not preclude him using older documents as sources, and a related view is that Genesis was compiled by Moses from documents that dated back to the persons who's history they describe.  In this view, Genesis 1:1 to 2:3 could have been written by God Himself (as there were no other eyewitnesses), and Genesis 2:4 to the end of chapter 4 would have been written by Adam.  These documents would have been handed down generation after generation, until coming into the possession of Moses as leader of the Israelites at his time.

Citing Moses as the author does not preclude him using older documents as sources, and a related view is that Genesis was compiled by Moses from documents that dated back to the persons whose history they describe.  In this view, Genesis 1:1 to 2:3 could have been written by God Himself (as there were no other eyewitnesses), and Genesis 2:4 to the end of chapter 4 would have been written by Adam.  These documents would have been handed down generation after generation, until coming into the possession of Moses as leader of the Israelites at his time.

In 1886 [[Julius Wellhausen]] promoted the idea that the the Pentateuch was written by a number of different but unknown authors at a later time than Moses.  This "[[Documentary Hypothesis]]", as it has become known, is widely accepted and taught, particularly by more-liberal colleges.

In 1886 [[Julius Wellhausen]] promoted the idea that the the Pentateuch was written by a number of different but unknown authors at a later time than Moses.  This "[[Documentary Hypothesis]]", as it has become known, is widely accepted and taught, particularly by more-liberal colleges.