The Book of Genesis

Who is the Author?

Traditionally, the book of Genesis—and the entire Torah, for that matter—is ascribed exclusively to Moses. Even though the Pentateuch itself does not claim Moses as the sole author of its contents, the combination of strong intra-biblical evidence (Ex 17:14, 24:4; Num 33:2; Deut 31:9, 22–24; 2 Chron 25:4; Ezra 6:18; Neh 13:1; Matt 19:17; Mark 7:10; John 1:17) and the virtually unanimous extra-biblical testimony of early Judeo-Christian sources supports the classical view.

This traditional perspective prevailed until the nineteenth century, when modern scholars began to develop the hypothesis that the first five books of the Bible were actually composed over a span of several centuries by various “redactors” who integrated assorted source materials into a coherent compilation.1 Over time, however, the relevance of this modern outlook dwindled as the methodology behind this hypothesis has undergone greater scrutiny.2

Contemporary scholars have become much more interested in the final form of the Torah than in its historical development.3 Most evangelical scholars today recognize that the Pentateuch contains both pre-Mosaic sources and post- Mosaic glosses and elaborations.4 Regardless, one can still confidently affirm, with intellectual integrity, that the majority of the book of Genesis and the bulk of the Pentateuch were written by Moses—even while acknowledging the presence of some earlier sources and some later developments.