Torah

Torah, (תורה) is a Hebrew word meaning "teaching", "instruction", or especially "law". It primarily refers to the first section of the Tanakh–the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, or the Five Books of Moses, but can also be used in the general sense to also include both the Written and Oral Law.

Secular view of the Torah

There is no scholarly consensus on the dates of the writing and canonization of the Torah, and estimates range from the 10th to the 6th centuries BC. Several professors of archeology claim that many stories in the Hebrew Bible, including important chronicles about Abraham, Moses, Solomon, and others, were actually made up for the first time by scribes hired by King Josiah (7th century BC) in order to rationalize monotheistic belief in God. Others claim that the foremost motivation behind the text is political and has to do with the division between the southern kingdom and the northern kingdom.

Related Topics:
Canonization - 10th - 6th - 7th century BC - Southern kingdom - Northern kingdom

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The prevailing theory amongst secular scholars holds that the text of the Torah appears to be redacted together from a number of earlier sources; this is known as the documentary hypothesis (DH), sometimes called the "JEDP" theory. This theory affirms that the Pentateuch was completed around 400 BC. See the documentary hypothesis page for the arguments of its proponents and opponents.

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Evidently, the extensive written records of neighboring countries such as Egypt, Assyria, etc., do mention some of the stories of the Bible and its main characters before 650 BC. See the book references below.

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