Conference on Origins of Bible's First 5 Books

Why doesn’t the world see what we see?”

The question, raised at the start of one presenter’s presentation during a Horn Lectureship Series conference at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary at Andrews University, encapsulates succinctly the struggle nearly all scholars and laypeople have when dealing with the composition of the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible.

“This issue is crucial because it concerns the way in which God transmitted authoritative and wise instruction through writings that have come to form the foundation of the Bible,” said Roy Gane, seminary professor and participant in the conference.

“Among those who study the Scriptures there is a major divergence of opinions regarding the manner in which the Pentateuch was composed,” Gane said. “These differences have affected seminaries, churches, and synagogues around the world. Many now question the role of Moses — and therefore divine authority through him — in the composition of the Bible’s first five books.”

However, thought on this topic is far from reaching a consensus among scholars. It is clear to some that new models are needed.

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