The First Five Books: An Orientation to the Pentateuch

In three chapters this book provides an orientation on reading the first five books of the Bible, often referred to as the Pentateuch. Chapter One discusses the overall structure, the original languages, literary character and genres, and the names by which Israel’s deity is referred to in these books.

Chapter Two is entitled “Approaches to Authorship” and addresses the two major theories of how these books originated: the multiple author approach and the literary unity approach. A case study of Genesis 6-9 is given from each point of view. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the concept of authorship in the ancient Near East.

In Chapter 3 there is an exploration of the theology of the Pentateuch under four major headings: God, Humanity, Sin, and Salvation. While not exhaustive, this chapter covers enough of the basics to give the reader a grasp of the major theological points.