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Definition:
It is generally believed among scholars that the Pentateuch, also known as the Five Books of Moses,
were not written by one person - and certainly not by Moses himself, as was commonly believed
by most Christians and Jews. It took quite a while for this to be acknowledge by most religious
leaders, but today it is taught at theological schools and seminaries all over.
In short, it is argued that four different authors were responsible for the material found in the five books. They wrote over the period between 1000 and 400 BCE and are known by the letters J, E, D and P. There is, however, a fifth letter which is not quite as well known: R. After all, someone had to take all of this material and put it together into the coherent whole which we known today. R was the Redactor, an editor who saw the need for a more unified depiction of Jewish origins and history. Fortunately, R did not always do a great job, allowing any number of inconsistencies and errors remain due to the great differences in the source material. But we should be thankful for that because it allowed scholars to see the truth more readily.
Also Known As: none
Alternate Spellings: none
Common Misspellings: none
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What are the various Christian groups, denominations, sects and heresies? What are some key concepts in Christian theology? What are some of the most important events in Christian history? All of this and more are covered in the Christianity FAQ.Judaism FAQ
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