Revision #11871
Pentateuch
Localized for English-speaking readers
Status: approved
Changes from the previous English revision
= ## Definition and Meaning
- The Pentateuch is the collective name for the first five books of the Old Testament: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. In Korean it is called *Moseo-gyeong*, "the Five Books of Moses," a name that reflects the traditional view that Moses wrote them; it is also shortened to *Ogyeong*, "the Five Books." In Judaism these books are called the **Torah**, a Hebrew word meaning "teaching" or "law." The English term *Pentateuch* comes from a Greek expression meaning "five books."
+ The Pentateuch is the collective name for the first five books of the Old Testament: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The books are also known as the Five Books of Moses, a name reflecting the traditional view that Moses wrote them. In Judaism they are called the **Torah**, a Hebrew word meaning "teaching" or "law." The English term *Pentateuch* comes from a Greek expression meaning "five books."
=
= ## Biblical and Historical Background
- The five books of the Pentateuch form a continuous narrative:
+ The five books of the Pentateuch follow one another in sequence:
= - Genesis: the creation of the heavens and the earth and the accounts of the patriarchs
= - Exodus: Israel's departure from Egypt and the covenant at Mount Sinai
…
= The Ten Commandments appear in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5. The New Testament sometimes refers to these books as "the law of Moses" (Luke 24:44).
=
- Views differ on the question of authorship. Judaism and Christianity have traditionally held that Moses wrote the Pentateuch. Since the nineteenth century, historical-critical scholarship has proposed the **Documentary Hypothesis**, which holds that several sources were combined over a long period. Julius Wellhausen is known as the scholar who systematized this theory. Some conservative scholars hold that Moses wrote the substance of the text and that certain portions, such as Deuteronomy 34, which records Moses' death, were added later.
+ Views differ on the question of authorship. Judaism and Christianity have traditionally held that Moses wrote the Pentateuch. Since the nineteenth century, historical-critical scholarship has proposed the **Documentary Hypothesis**, which holds that several sources were combined over a long period. Julius Wellhausen is known as the scholar who systematized this theory. Some conservative scholars hold that Moses recorded the substance of the text and that certain portions, such as Deuteronomy 34, which records Moses' death, were added later.
=
- ## Practice in the Korean Church
- In Korean churches the Pentateuch commonly serves as the starting point for reading through the Bible. Genesis and Exodus are frequently used in sermons and Sunday school curricula. By contrast, Leviticus and Numbers, with their many sacrificial regulations and census records, are often cited as the sections readers find most difficult during a read-through.
+ How the laws contained in the Pentateuch should be applied today depends on one's interpretive framework. Covenant theology and dispensationalism are examples of such frameworks.
=
- The question of authorship has also been a point of controversy in the history of Korean Presbyterianism. In the 1930s, a claim that Moses did not write Genesis reportedly became a matter of dispute at the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church. Later conflicts over how Scripture should be understood became one of the factors behind the divisions of Korean Presbyterianism.
+ ## Practice in Korean Churches
+ In Korean Protestant churches, the Pentateuch commonly serves as the starting point for reading through the Bible. Genesis and Exodus are frequently used in sermons and Sunday school materials. By contrast, Leviticus and Numbers, with their many sacrificial regulations and census records, are often cited as the most difficult sections during such a read-through.
=
- Teaching on the subject still varies by denomination today. Seminaries of conservative denominations such as the Presbyterian Church in Korea (HapDong) and the Presbyterian Church in Korea (Kosin) generally teach Mosaic authorship. Seminaries in traditions that accept historical-critical methods, such as the Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea, tend to cover scholarly theories, including the Documentary Hypothesis, as part of their instruction.
+ The question of authorship has also been a point of controversy in the history of Korean Presbyterianism. In the 1930s, a claim to the effect that Moses did not write Genesis reportedly became an issue at the Presbyterian General Assembly in Korea. Subsequent conflicts over how Scripture should be understood became one of the factors behind the divisions of Korean Presbyterianism.
=
- How the laws contained in the Pentateuch should be applied today also depends on one's interpretive framework. Covenant theology and dispensationalism are examples of such frameworks.
+ Teaching on the subject still varies by denomination in Korea today. Seminaries of conservative denominations such as the Presbyterian Church in Korea (HapDong) and the Presbyterian Church in Korea (Kosin) generally teach Mosaic authorship. Seminaries of bodies that accept historical-critical methods, such as the Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea, tend to cover scholarly theories, including the Documentary Hypothesis, as part of their instruction.
Full revision
The Pentateuch is the collective name for the first five books of the Old Testament: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. In Judaism it is called the Torah.
Definition and Meaning
The Pentateuch is the collective name for the first five books of the Old Testament: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The books are also known as the Five Books of Moses, a name reflecting the traditional view that Moses wrote them. In Judaism they are called the Torah, a Hebrew word meaning "teaching" or "law." The English term Pentateuch comes from a Greek expression meaning "five books."
Biblical and Historical Background
The five books of the Pentateuch follow one another in sequence:
- Genesis: the creation of the heavens and the earth and the accounts of the patriarchs
- Exodus: Israel's departure from Egypt and the covenant at Mount Sinai
- Leviticus: regulations concerning sacrifice and ritual purity
- Numbers: Israel's life in the wilderness
- Deuteronomy: Moses' farewell addresses, delivered before Israel entered the land of Canaan
The Ten Commandments appear in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5. The New Testament sometimes refers to these books as "the law of Moses" (Luke 24:44).
Views differ on the question of authorship. Judaism and Christianity have traditionally held that Moses wrote the Pentateuch. Since the nineteenth century, historical-critical scholarship has proposed the Documentary Hypothesis, which holds that several sources were combined over a long period. Julius Wellhausen is known as the scholar who systematized this theory. Some conservative scholars hold that Moses recorded the substance of the text and that certain portions, such as Deuteronomy 34, which records Moses' death, were added later.
How the laws contained in the Pentateuch should be applied today depends on one's interpretive framework. Covenant theology and dispensationalism are examples of such frameworks.
Practice in Korean Churches
In Korean Protestant churches, the Pentateuch commonly serves as the starting point for reading through the Bible. Genesis and Exodus are frequently used in sermons and Sunday school materials. By contrast, Leviticus and Numbers, with their many sacrificial regulations and census records, are often cited as the most difficult sections during such a read-through.
The question of authorship has also been a point of controversy in the history of Korean Presbyterianism. In the 1930s, a claim to the effect that Moses did not write Genesis reportedly became an issue at the Presbyterian General Assembly in Korea. Subsequent conflicts over how Scripture should be understood became one of the factors behind the divisions of Korean Presbyterianism.
Teaching on the subject still varies by denomination in Korea today. Seminaries of conservative denominations such as the Presbyterian Church in Korea (HapDong) and the Presbyterian Church in Korea (Kosin) generally teach Mosaic authorship. Seminaries of bodies that accept historical-critical methods, such as the Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea, tend to cover scholarly theories, including the Documentary Hypothesis, as part of their instruction.