Pentateuch: Introductory Notes

Pentateuch

We'll be opening this line of inquiry for a few years. Also, getting things "under one roof." Also, developing the bibliography, retouring old volumes, and getting new ones. More will be coming.

 Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy.

• Called “the Law”
• “Law, Prophets, and Writings” by Jesus (Lk. 24.44)
• “Book of Moses” (Neh.13.1; 2 Chron. 25.4)
• “Book of the Law of Moses” (Neh. 8.1)
• “The Law of the Lord” (Neh. 8.18)
• New Testament terms the same (Mt. 12.5; Mk. 12.26; Lk.16.16; Jn. 7.19; Gal. 3.10)
• Israel’s Sovereign King “caused,” with infinite ease, His commands and revelation to be written down. “O LORD, who hast caused all Holy Scripture to be written for our learning…” Cf. Westminster Confession, Chapter 1, the finest compendium in the English language and towers over Article VI. We shall be developing this more largely. In fact, all these bullets, Lord willing, will be enlarged.
• Jesus: “Moses…wrote about Me” (Jn. 5.46)
• On the Emmaus Road, Jesus’ lengthy expository ministry “beginning at Moses…” (Lk. 24.24ff.) Horrors! No 1662 lectionary?!
• The past two centuries, Graf-Welhausenists (that is, those "absolutists" without the powerful and effective chemotherapeutic cures of the old scholarly Princetonian divines, e.g. old Prof. W.H. Green for one, old Prof. Robert Dick Wilson for another) held that the Pentateuch was a patch of pre-existing materials edited, knit together, and produced from the 9th to the 6th centuries. The confidence with which it was asserted was legendary—the “assured results of scholarship,” “Moses couldn’t have written since they didn’t have writing in the 15th century,” etc. This theory has fallen on hard times, but it is still taught as the only working theory amongst 19th-20th century liberals; we toured the recent developments about two years ago; it has been largely thrown overboard; its own adherents have furtively conducted the quiet and unobtrusive funeral without even the decency of a nice tombstone.
• Genesis: a literary structure over ten sections: “this is the history” and/or “this is the genealogy.”
• Exodus: history of departure (1-18) followed by law (19-40) with a few historical notes in the latter.
• Leviticus: liturgical manual. Leviticus 1-9 supplements Ex. 25-40.
• Numbers: wanderings through Sinai to Canaan
• Deuteronomy: largely, an exposition of the earlier
• Theme: history and law, God’s revelation, God's electing grace, God’s covenant with individuals (Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph) and a nation (Israel), divine worship, expiatory and substitutionary atonement, total depravity, Messianic promises, a nation devoted exclusively to Jehovah, a holy nation of priests and kings, a global destiny