Moses

[Derek]

Here are some things you weren't told about Moses. I am going to demonstrate through the Bible that Moses was not the author of the Torah, 10 commandments, and is somewhat prehistoric to prove that he existed, but he may have existed. Moses was about as common of a name as Joe is today.

In reality, by the time the Egyptians came from the south near 1200 BCE, most Hebrews were already in what is now known as Israel. Yes, the Hebrews who migrated north to Israel did bring some customs, symbols, and stories. In fact in my flood thread I explained my theory that they were heavily influenced by the flood myth of the Egyptians. It wasn't until after the said exodus would have taken place that ancient Judaism would have begun anyhow. The religion of Israel was that of the Canaanites in this time. The Hebrews likely forced them north which explains why after 922 BCE when several Jews moved to northern Israel, the god El or Elohim (god of Gods) was still being worshiped in the north. Those who were new to the land related better with the Yahweh (the Canaanite god of the mountains).

Where in the Torah can you find that Moses is said to be the author? Later prophets refer to him as the author because once the Torah was complete it attributed to and said to be by Moses himself. Nowhere does Moses ever claim to be the author. Here are some reasons I've come across when reading the Bible and doing research on this subject to reject Mosaic authorship.

1. In Deuteronomy there is a verse that says "These are the words that Moses spoke to the children of Israel across the Jordan." It directly states that the author is on the opposite side of the Jordan from Moses. The words appear to be from someone in Israel. (Please do not think I'm suggesting someone in the exodus wrote the Torah either!) Besides, Moses was never said to have entered the Promised Land. 17th century Calvanist, Isaac de la Peyrere noted this problem. Look at Deuteronomy 34:1-2 which was written by Baruch in the late 7th century BCE anyway at the order of King Josiah.

2. Moses never claims to be the author.

3. Deuteronomy 34:5 would have Moses speaking of his own funeral. This would be very interesting to be able to find out what people thought of us. According to this verse Moses died in Moab and was buried there. People were weeping and Moses was 120 when he died.

4. In Deuteronomy 34:10 Moses states that "there never arose a prophet like Moses." Ah this is my favorite. It also states that "Since then no prophet has risen in Israel like Mose, whom the LORD (Yahweh when all caps in the OT) knew face to face." In other verses Moses is considered to be the most humble man on earth. If he really was humble, then he wouldn't be calling himself that. Either he's not the author or the verse is wrong. I'll go with the former. for the reasons I mentioned. Deuteronomy 34:10 also uses the phrase "to this day" which implies time has passed since Moses' death. How could it be written by Moses? It wasn't. The day they are talking of was in 632 BCE bu that's a whole different can of worms. Spinoza and Thomas Hobbes were also very critical of this in the 17th century. Hobbes refers to someone in a contemporary situation. Spinoza pointed out that whoever the author was saw other prophets in comparison.

5. Genesis 36:31-43 lists Edomite kings who lived centuries after Moses would have lived. This was first noticed by 11th century Muslim scholar Isaac Ibn Yashush. He faced much criticism from the church as it was at its highest power during his lifetime.