INTRODUCTION TO THE PENTATEUCH

The Jews divided the thirty-nine books of the OT into the Torah (Law), the Prophets and the Writings. The books in each division were written in ink on long scrolls (sheets of leather or papyrus stitched together to form a roll), which scribes carefully copied for reading in the temple and later in the synagogues. Priests were the authorities when it came to interpreting the text.

The first division, the Torah, contains the first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. It is called the Torah because this Hebrew word means “instruction, authoritative direction, teaching or law”. However, many scholars refer to this set of books as the “Pentateuch”, a title that comes from the Greek words penta (meaning “five”) and teuch (meaning “books”).

• Genesis (50 chapters) tells the story of creation and the fall of human beings and its consequences. It also contains the start of the redemptive plan of God as he calls Abraham and makes promises to him and to his descendants, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph.

• Exodus (40 chapters) tells of the Israelites’ slavery in Egypt and their deliverance by God through Moses. It tells of the covenant between the Israelites and Yahweh in the wilderness of Sinai, the giving of the Ten Commandments and God’s leading of the people through the wilderness towards the land of Canaan.

• Leviticus (27 chapters) focuses on the details of Israelite worship particularly the different sacrifices and offerings; the selection, ordination and ministry of priests; clean and unclean foods; and the laws and regulations regarding purity and sexual relations. It also contains statements about justice and the laws governing the Sabbath, feasts, festivals and the Jubilee Year. It sets out the rewards for obedience and the penalties for disobedience.

• Numbers (36 chapters) begins with a census of the tribes, clans and families of Israel who were moving towards Canaan. It describes the arrangement of the tribal camps, the separation of the Levite tribe for ministry, and the duties of the various Levite families when it came to erecting or transporting the tent of meeting. It also deals with the distribution of land and the laws of inheritance. It describes the Israelites’ journey towards Canaan with the ark of the covenant and their conquest of the area in Transjordan where the tribes of Reuben, Gad and some families of Manasseh settled.

• Deuteronomy (34 chapters) contains Moses’ farewell speech to the people. He reminds them of their history of slavery, their deliverance and the covenant that was made at Sinai and he encourages them to obey the Lord and observe all his laws if they wish to enjoy the promised land.

The Pentateuch includes stories, reports, genealogies, legal codes, geographical notes, songs, speeches, prayers, visions and dreams.

These different literary genres or styles add richness to the reading of the texts, but the variations have led some scholars to question whether everything in these books was written by Moses. However, the books themselves say that he was primarily responsible for writing down the law and history of the people of Israel (Exod 17:14; 24:4; 34:27; Num 33:1-2; Deut 31:9). Other biblical writers speak of Moses as the author of the Torah (Josh 1:7-8; 2 Chr 25:4; 35:12; Ezra 6:18; Neh 13:1). Jesus refers to the Pentateuch as “the Book of Moses” (Mark 12:26), speaks of “the Law of Moses” (Luke 24:44) and says that “Moses wrote about me” (John 5:46-47).

The Pentateuch’s Place in the Bible

Christians see a unity in the five books of the Pentateuch. There is an ongoing theme of promise and fulfilment from Genesis to Deuteronomy. The sin of Adam and Eve is followed by God’s launching of his plan for the salvation of fallen humanity. This plan, which begins near the start of Genesis, continues to unfold in the calling of Abraham and Sarah, God’s covenant with them and their descendants to make them into a great nation, and his leading of the Israelites to the promised land.

Not only is there an internal unity in the Pentateuch, but these books are also united with the rest of the Bible. The creation of the world and of human beings, the history of Adam and Eve, Abraham and his descendants, the making of the covenant, the giving of the laws, festivals and sacrifices, and the need to live with justice and righteousness as God’s community in the promised land are referre to often in the historical and prophetic books of the OT, and in those known as the Writings. They are also often referenced in the Gospels and Letters in the NT. The NT refers to the Pentateuch using designations such as “the Book of the Law” (Gal 3:10), “the Book of Moses” (Mark 12:26), “the Law” (Matt 12:5; Luke 16:16), “the Law of Moses” (Luke 2:22; John 7:23) and “the Law of the Lord” (Luke 2:23-24). The Pentateuch thus functions as a point of reference for the rest of the books in the Bible.

The five books of the Pentateuch came to be accepted as the Torah and as authoritative for the faith and life of the Jewish community during the time of Ezra and Nehemiah (around the 5th century BC).

Jewish scholars have written many commentaries on the Pentateuch. The ancient commentaries are known as midrashim, the word coming from the root midrash, meaning “to interpret”. There is also an ancient document recording how Jewish rabbis applied the laws of Moses in later times, which is known as the Mishnah.

Theology of the Pentateuch

The Pentateuch introduces a number of theological concepts. It states that God created this universe and that the entire creation belongs to him. This belief that Yahweh is the one and only one God, who has revealed himself in nature and in the history of humanity, is encapsulated in the first commandment, with its stress on monotheism and the supremacy of God.

God is presented as eternal and powerful, concepts that are expressed in the very name by which he reveals himself, Yahweh (“I am who I am”) (Exod 3:14-15). However, this name is seldom used in our Bible because later Jews became very concerned about the possibility of breaking the third commandment by misusing the personal name Yahweh. Thus they began to read “Adonai”, meaning “Lord”, whenever they came to the name Yahweh in the text. In keeping with this practice, our English translations use LORD in capital letters to signal the occurrence of the personal name Yahweh in the Hebrew text.

In the Pentateuch, God is presented as holy, righteous and faithful and as showing love and concern for human beings. The choice of Abraham and his descendants, the promise of land, and the covenant are all part of his plan to redeem us. This plan is needed because God created human beings with freedom and dignity and even though they used that freedom to sin, he does not want them to become oppressed slaves.

God’s commitment to the liberation of human beings shines through the Pentateuch. As part of it, he requires his people to lead righteous lives, show love and act justly. Blessings flow from obedience to God and keeping the law.

To sum up, the Pentateuch teaches us, first, that the world is created by God. Secondly, it informs us about the history of humankind, how sin entered into our lives, and the consequences of sin. Thirdly, we learn about God’s plan to save fallen humanity through his revelation to Abraham and his descendants. Finally, the way in which God establishes a relationship with Israel by choosing them, entering into a covenant with them, giving them his law and teaching them how to worship him is a model that we can follow as we do mission today. Israel’s relationship with God is still relevant for our understanding of the NT and of how we should live.

Jesudason Baskar Jeyaraj