Authorship of the Book of Genesis
The authorship of the Book of Genesis has been a topic of discussion among scholars and theologians for centuries. Traditionally, the book is attributed to Moses, a view supported by early Christian fathers and Reformed theologians. According to Smith's Bible Dictionary, Moses is considered the author of Genesis, with the date of writing likely during the forty-year wilderness wanderings, circa 1491-1451 BCE [1].
The title "Genesis" is derived from the Septuagint, meaning "creation," while the Hebrew title is "Bereshith," meaning "in the beginning" [2]. The book is part of the Pentateuch, a collection of five books attributed to Moses.
John Calvin, a prominent Reformed theologian, supports Mosaic authorship in his commentary on Genesis. Calvin argues that the investigations into Egyptian antiquities favor the belief that Moses was the author of the account in Genesis 10 [3]. He also notes that the genealogies in Genesis were written by Moses to provide a fragment of the history of the world [6].
Other Reformed and Nonconformist/Puritan sources also affirm Mosaic authorship. Matthew Henry, a Nonconformist/Puritan commentator, refers to Genesis 5:1 as "the book of the generations of Adam," highlighting the genealogical nature of the book [5].
However, some scholars have raised questions about the authorship and composition of Genesis. Calvin acknowledges that some interpreters have applied their diligence to tracing the nations listed in Genesis to their supposed progenitors [4]. Augustine, an early Christian father, reflects on the challenges of interpreting Genesis, suggesting that the author may have received divine guidance [7].
Despite these discussions, the traditional attribution of Genesis to Moses remains a widely held view among Reformed and Patristic scholars [1, 3, 5]. The book's content, including its genealogies and historical accounts, is seen as providing a foundation for the rest of the Pentateuch and the biblical narrative.
The historical context of Genesis, spanning from creation to the death of Joseph, covers approximately 2369 years, according to Smith's Bible Dictionary [1]. The book's purpose is to describe the steps leading to the establishment of the theocracy, making it a crucial part of the biblical narrative.
Sources
- Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Genesis — (origin), the first book of the law or Pentateuch, so called from its title ia the Septuagint, that is, Creation . Its author was Moses. The date of writing was probably during the forty-years wanderings in the wilderness, B.C. 1491-1451. Time .--The book of Genesis covered 2369 years,--from the creation of Adam, A.M 1, to the death of Joseph, A.M. 2369, or B.C. 1635. Character and purpose .--The book of Genesis (with the first chapters of Exodus) describes the steps which led to the establishment of the theocracy. It is a part of the writer's plan to tell u”
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Genesis — The five books of Moses were collectively called the Pentateuch, a word of Greek origin meaning "the five-fold book." The Jews called them the Torah, i.e., "the law." It is probable that the division of the Torah into five books proceeded from the Greek translators of the Old Testament. The names by which these several books are generally known are Greek. The first book of the Pentateuch (q.v.) is called by the Jews Bereshith, i.e., "in the beginning", because this is the first word of the book. It is generally known among Christians by the name of Genesis,”
- CCEL (Reformed) “Calvin, Commentary on Genesis, Vol. 1 (Gen 1-23), section 14.7: a knowledge of nations lies far beyond the geographical horizon of the Mosaic age. This hypothesis must now be considered as exploded. The new discoveries and investigations in Egypt have shown that they maintained, even from the most ancient times, a vigorous commerce with other nations, and sometimes with very distant nations. . . . But not merely, in general, do the investigations in Egyptian antiquities favor the belief that Moses was the author of the account in this tenth chapter of Genesis. On the Egyptian monuments, those ”
- CCEL (Reformed) “Calvin, Commentary on Genesis, Vol. 1 (Gen 1-23), section 14.13: of the strongest possible confirmations of the truth of the Mosaic history, that (notwithstanding some inevitable obscurity) there should be such a mass of undeniable evidence still existing, that the world was really divided in the manner here described. Far more nations than Calvin supposed may, with the highest degree of probability, be traced upward to the progenitors whose names are here recorded. See Wells’ Geography, Mede’s Works, and Bishop Patrick’s Commentary. A list of the names, with the supposed corresponding nations”
- Genesis (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Genesis 5:1: The first words of the chapter are the title or argument of the whole chapter: it is the book of the generations of Adam; it is the list or catalogue of the posterity of Adam, not of all, but only of the holy seed who were the substance thereof (Isa 6:13), and of whom, as concerning the flesh, Christ came (Rom 9:5), the names, ages, and deaths, of those that were the successors of the first Adam in the custody of the promise, and the ancestors of the second Adam. The genealogy begins with Adam himself. Here is, I. His creation, Gen 5:1, Gen 5:2, where we have a br”
- CCEL (Reformed) “Calvin, Commentary on Genesis, Vol. 1 (Gen 1-23), section 14.4: falls within the province of the sons of Japheth; and Arabia within that of the sons of Ham. — Ed . And some interpreters have not unsuccessfully applied their diligence and study to this point. Let them enjoy, as far as I am concerned the reward of their labors. It shall, however, suffice for me briefly to allude to those things which I deem more useful to be noticed, and for the sake of which I suppose these genealogies to have been written by Moses. First, in these bare names we have still some fragment of the history of the wo”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 1: Augustine — Confessions, Letters — CHAP. XXVI. --WHAT HE MIGHT HAVE ASKED OF GOD HAD HE BEEN ENJOINED TO WRITE THE BOOK OF GENESIS.: 36. And yet, O my God, Thou exaltation of my humility, and rest of my labour, who hearest my confessions, and forgivest my sins, since Thou commandest me that I should love my neighbour as myself, I cannot believe that Thou gavest to Moses, Thy most faithful servant, a less gift than I should wish and desire for myself from Thee, had I been born in his time, and hadst Thou placed me in that position that through the service of my heart and of my tong”