Moses & History (part 3)

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.
Romans 15:4

In part 2, we continued answering a student’s questions about what was being taught in her college class regarding Moses and the Bible’s history. She informed us that the “professor has mentioned several times that those pieces of the Bible may not be historically accurate, but are just told to depict a characteristic of God.” We barely scratched the surface of the voluminous evidence regarding the Bible’s accuracy and reliable transmission, confirming its inspiration. Now we turn to the most attacked of God’s inspired scribes.

MOSAIC AUTHORSHIP

Regarding Moses’ authorship of the Torah, it was never seriously questioned until the 18^th century during the Enlightenment. Here is a brief history:

1656 – Dutch Jew Baruch de Spinoza was expelled from the congregation of Amsterdam for insisting Moses did not compose the Torah.

1753 - French professor of medicine Jean Astruc (1684-1766) anonymously published a book stating Moses is rightfully called the author, as Moses compiled the current book of Genesis from multiple documents. Astruc believed there had been two different authors for Creation (ch. 1 & 2), as well as 2 to 4 composers of the other Genesis narratives, mostly because of the use of either Yahweh or Elohim.
This would be the basis of what would later become the Documentary Hypothesis as used by critics of Mosaic authorship, though Astruc supported Moses as the author through what would become the Toledoth/Wiseman hypothesis.

1800s – through the works of Hermann Hupfeld (1796-1866, German), Karl Heinrich Graf (1815-1869, German), Wilhelm Vatke (1806-1882, German), Julius Wllhausen (1844-1918, German), and Édouard Guillaume Eugène Reuss (1804-1891, French) came the Documentary Hypothesis, referred to as JEDP.

JEDP (Documentary Hypothesis) teaches four sources for the Torah, all of which came centuries after Moses. This serves to discredit Moses and the Torah’s history.
J – Jehovistic documents: composed around 900-850 B.C., these author(s) used the name Jehovah (YHWH) in their texts.
E – Elohimic documents: composed around 750-700 B.C., these author(s) used the name Elohim in their texts.
D – Deuteronomic documents: composed possibly around the time of King Josiah’s reforms c. 621 B.C., these author(s) composed Deuteronomy.
P – Priestly documents: priests added to and compiled the complete Torah during the Babylonian exile after 586 B.C.

1970s – the Documentary Hypothesis was actually discredited in the 1970s by John Van Seters (1935-, Canadian), Hans Heinrich Schmid (1937-2014, Swiss), and Rolf Rendtorff (1925-2014, German).
However, they had no cohesive replacement for the Documentary Hypothesis, only that it was bad scholarship. Here’s why:
In Genesis:
YHWH is used 164 times in chapters 2-22, 24-32, 38-39, 49.
Elohim is used 219 times in chapters 1-9, 17, 19-28, 30-33, 35, 39-46, 50.
The usage of these names overlap chapters and toledoths.
Thus, the usage of these two names does not prove anything, yet it is the crux argument for the skeptics!

As Dr. Peter J. Gentry, professor of Old Testament Interpretation at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, states, “Many scholars today are just unaware of the latest advances in research... and all of these things uphold the claims of the text and show that the criteria used to establish the Documentary Hypothesis is completely false.” Hence, Jesus and the entirety of the Bible are validated in their unified testimony that Moses was the inspired author of the Torah.

To hear more of Dr. Gentry and other great scholars, we HIGHLY recommend the DVD or Blu-ray of Patterns of Evidence: The Moses Controversy, available at the ministry’s bookstore.

www.creationtruth.com/store

Once again, as one who studies historiography, I am convinced there is NOTHING in antiquity that is more solid, accurate, and faithfully transmitted through millennia than the Old & New Testaments, including Genesis through Deuteronomy. It is an absolutely incredible testimony to the divine inspiration of God’s Holy Word.

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Looking Back

By Matt Miles • March 19, 2026

There are moments in life that we experience the Lord’s Providence, which is the continual guiding and caring of us for His purposes. We may go though trials and suffering now to refine our faith in preparation for eternity. Other times we may see it for the here and now, with the aligning of plans for His purpose in our life, maybe with the opening or closing of a door. Many times we see Providence only in hindsight, looking back on life and seeing His hand working, molding and inspiring us for His plans and to His glory. I can see the Lord’s Providence at many times over the course of my life. Early in my grade school years I developed a love for building models I was recently reminded, along with my father, that we built a train set together in our basement. Following that, I began to build model cars and airplanes. I now know that love of building, tinkering and problem solving was Providence preparing me for this ministry. The Lord taught me early on how to stay focused and pay attention to detail. What I thought was only a hobby at the time is now something I must use on a regular basis in things such as fossil restoration, building crates, trailer and vehicle maintenance for our mobile museum. Later in high school, while active in church, the Lord called me to serve our children’s church ministry. I began to help teach others about Jesus. It seemed insignificant at the time. I remember helping in lesson times and the puppet ministry. I even was cast as “Pastor Rufus” in one of our ongoing puppet skits. My opportunities to share Christ and be an example to those younger than I was tremendous. Again through His Providence, the Lord was guiding me and calling me to ministry. He developed in me the love of teaching His Word to others, priceless to me today. Then in college Providence brought Theresa and I together. The Lord knew exactly who I needed to be my bride for life. She is strong in my weakness and more Christ-like than anyone I know. She is the perfect helpmate and partner for me in ministry as well, which has so far been 34 years, to be exact. Many times the Lord has used her discernment to direct me through a situation that I did not see correctly. I am thankful every day for Providence that brought us together in life and eternal work. As I look back on my life, there are more Providential moments than I have space to write. Most of those times have directly guided me to this specific ministry and my call to preach and teach His Word. Looking back on life and identifying those moments of Providence from the Lord is humbling and awe-inspiring. Please take a moment to remember your own moments when Providence has been evident in your life. This ministry is about identifying Providence from the beginning. His plan from the start is us spending eternity in His presence. Our sin messed some things up, but not His plan. He always has and always will know exactly how to guide and care for us so that we bring Him the glory, now and eternally. There is not a month that goes by that we here at CTF don’t praise the Lord for His Providence through you, our supporters and sustainers. Join with me in thanks for His Providence each day, guiding as only our Creator and Savior could do. Psalms 31:3-5 Blessings.