Did Moses Write Deuteronomy?

[RedFan]

Traditionally Moses is viewed as having written all five books of the Torah, including Deuteronomy (except for the last part that records his death). But Deut 1:1 says "These are the words that Moses spoke to all Israel beyond the Jordan—in the wilderness, on the plain opposite Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Di-zahab." If I'm reading this correctly, the narrator appears to be reporting from Canaan west of the Jordan -- where Moses never stepped foot according to Deut. 32:48-52.

What do yo think?

 

[Bob]

Thank you for your question.

Some research about the 40-year journey of Moses and the Israelties shows that most of it was indeed west of the Jordan, but considerably south of the Dead Sea. (Check on maps of biblical Paran and Hazeroth, for example.)

The journey took them east of the Dead Sea, then north to the east of the Jordan River.

Blessings.

 

[Deborah_]

"Beyond the Jordan" means east of the Jordan (from the viewpoint of an Israelite living in the Promised Land). It seems obvious to me that Deut 1:1, speaking of Moses "in the third person", was by whoever edited the final document. And since Moses died shortly after finishing his speech, after which the Israelites were in mourning for a month and then almost immediately crossed the Jordan, that editor probably didn't finish the job until quite a while after Israel had entered Canaan.

 

[Bob]

"Beyond the Jordan" means east of the Jordan (from the viewpoint of an Israelite living in the Promised Land). It seems obvious to me that Deut 1:1, speaking of Moses "in the third person", was by whoever edited the final document. And since Moses died shortly after finishing his speech, after which the Israelites were in mourning for a month and then almost immediately crossed the Jordan, that editor probably didn't finish the job until quite a while after Israel had entered Canaan.

Thanks for the clarification.

Question: is it not conceivable that the Torah existed orally (primarily) at the time of Moses?

Blessings

 

[RedFan]

Thank you for your question.

Some research about the 40-year journey of Moses and the Israelties shows that most of it was indeed west of the Jordan, but considerably south of the Dead Sea. (Check on maps of biblical Paran and Hazeroth, for example.)

The journey took them east of the Dead Sea, then north to the east of the Jordan River.

Blessings.

Yes. Mt. Nebo, where Moses breathed his last, is north of the Dead Sea.

 

[Deborah_]

Question: is it not conceivable that the Torah existed orally (primarily) at the time of Moses?

There are many references, especially in the book of Exodus, to the Torah being written down. The first reference to writing is in Exodus 17:14. Then in Exodus 24:4 we are told that "Moses wrote down everything the LORD had said." And presumably he continued to write down all that God said to him.
However, Genesis must have been oral tradition up to the time of Moses. The events it describes happened before the invention of alphabetic writing.

 

[Pyreaux]

Deuteronomy could be propaganda by xenophobic Levitical scribes ("Deuteronomists"), using true segments by Moses, but compiled during the reign of King Manasseh and planted in the temple to dupe young boy King Josiah to begin a xenophobic regime, an anti-Melchizedek, anti-temple, anti-prophesy, anti-theophany, therefore anti-proto-Christian reform that ultimately led to Jerusalem to be razed three times.

When they discovered Deuteronomy (the Second Law) in the temple and took it to the young King Josiah, he didn't believe it at first, he never heard of it. In fact, not a single patriarch or king had ever obeyed all the Deuteronomic Laws, Josiah was the first king to do so, and for all of his faithful efforts, and Deuteronomy's promises that obedience to the Laws would cause Israelites to prosper, fate forsook him on the battlefield and his kingdom was ultimately brought to ruin.

And all the Deuteronomist scribes could do to explain away this fact in the Deuteronomic history books of the Bible they wrote, was to blame it on the great wickedness of his dead predecessor, King Manasseh. Deuteronomy was not written by Moses in its current form, some parts are indeed ancient and valuable, but it was ghost written. Or are you telling me Moses was writing that book when it gets to the part where he died?

 

[JohnDB]

A disciple AKA Telmuhdeme or even a messenger was regularly ignored in Hebrew literature. It's obvious that one was used and therefore unwritten because paper, ink, and pens were exorbitantly expensive and the reader could logically deduce it from what was written. In this case the likely person is Joshua.

 

[Windmill Charge]

May I encourage people here to become familiar with Prof. Robert dick Wilson.
Why?

opposed the higher criticism, which held that the Bible was inaccurate on many points and not historically reliable. Professor Wilson wrote, "I have come to the conviction that no man knows enough to attack the veracity of the Old Testament. Every time when anyone has been able to get together enough documentary 'proofs' to undertake an investigation, the biblical facts in the original text have victoriously met the test" (quoted in R. Pache, The Inspiration and Authority of Scripture).

Note what he wrote.
This is by a man who was fluent in every bib.ical and near Eastern language, who based his statement on a thorough knowledge of the bible, its languages and of the grammar and word use.