In part 1, we identified the 3 popular authorship explanations for the book of Genesis.
The idea of Moses being the actual writer/author under the directive of God’s Spirit is absolutely compatible with biblical passages addressing both Spirit inspiration and Mosaic engagement.
Another possibility that qualifies similarly is that Moses could have been directed by the Spirit in a compiler/editor role. The thought follows that Moses became the caretaker of journals scribed by the ancients, and then compiled and edited them under the Spirit’s guidance.
P.J. Wiseman began studying ancient Mesopotamian tablets during a military tour in the Middle East and recognized a remarkable similarity in the structure of these tablets and that of the book of Genesis. He published these findings in 1936 in a book entitled Ancient Records and the Structure of Genesis. Sometime later his son, J.D., a professor of Assyriology, made some updates and revisions to his father’s groundbreaking work.
Curt Sewell writes of Wiseman’s discovery in his 1994 article “The Tablet Theory of Genesis Authorship” published in the Bible and Spade archeology magazine.
“He found that most of the old clay tablets had “colophon phrases” at the end; these named the writer or owner of the tablet; they had words to identify the subject, and often some sort of dating phrase. If multiple tablets were involved, there were also “catch-lines” to connect a tablet to its next sequence. Many of these old records related to family histories and origins, which were evidently highly important to those ancient people. Wiseman noticed the similarity of many of these to the sections of the book of Genesis.
Many scholars have noticed that Genesis is divided into sections, separated by phrases that are translated “These are the generations of…” The Hebrew word used for “generation” is toledoth, which means “history, especially family history…the story of their origin.” Most scholars have recognized that these “toledoth phrases” must be important, but they have been misled by assuming incorrectly that these are the introduction to the next text that follows. (Several modern translations have even garbled these phrases.) This has led to serious questions, because in several cases they don’t seem to fit. For example, Genesis 37:2 begins, “These are the generations of Jacob…” But from that spot on, the text describes Joseph and his brothers, and almost nothing about Jacob, who was the central character in the previous section.
However, Wiseman saw that the colophons in the ancient tablets always were at the end, not the beginning. He applied this idea to the toledoth phrases in Genesis, and found that in every case it suddenly made good sense. The text just before the phrase “These are the generations of…” contained information about events that the man named in that phrase would have known about. That person would have been the logical one to write that part. In other words, each toledoth phrase contains the name of the man who probably wrote the text preceding that phrase. Or, in still other words, the book of Genesis consists of a set of tablets, each of which was written by an eye-witness to the events described therein. These tablets were finally compiled by Moses.”
Tablet Starting Verse Ending Verse Owner or Writer
1 Genesis 1:1 Genesis 2:4a God Himself
2 Genesis 2:4b Genesis 5:1a Adam
3 Genesis 5:1b Genesis 6:9a Noah
4 Genesis 6:9b Genesis 10:1a Shem, Ham, Japheth
5 Genesis 10:1b Genesis 11:10a Shem
6 Genesis 11:10b Genesis 11:27a Terah
7 Genesis 11:27b Genesis 25:19a Isaac
8 Genesis 25:12 Genesis 25:18 Ishmael, thru Isaac
9 Genesis 25:19b Genesis 37:2a Jacob
10 Genesis 36:1 Genesis 36:43 Esau, thru Jacob
11 Genesis 37:2b Exodus 1:6 Jacob’s 12 sons
The first 2 (maybe 3) tablets would have been carried through the flood, in the ark, and passed down to the care of the current “toledoth” author/steward. It is hard to say when Moses came into possession of the tablets. One possibility is that Jacob and his sons were the final caretakers. When Joseph brought his father to Egypt, the tablets came with him. Eventually, as Exodus details (1:8), a king took the throne in Egypt “which knew not Joseph”, but the tablets were meticulously safeguarded through generations of caretakers.
At some point following the miraculous exodus, Moses was given the precious tablets.
Some scholars believe that Moses also came into the possession of a remarkable journal detailing an incredible “riches – to rags – to riches” story of a man who suffered in innocence some 500-600 years previously. We know the edited version of this journal as the Book of Job.
Sewell concludes this way concerning the “Genesis Tablet Theory”… “The book of Genesis is an historical account, not an allegory. Its accuracy is assured by the inspirational guidance of the Holy Spirit. I think its details are best explained by this modified tablet theory, which offers a more satisfactory explanation of the details, and doesn’t violate any known fact. It’s in good accord with Scripture, and adds the authenticity that Genesis was composed of eye-witness accounts. I believe it’s true. We would do well to simply believe the exact teaching of the Bible, just as God inspired it. To do otherwise is an insult to its Author, our Creator God.”
Henry Morris concludes similarly in his Genesis commentary (The Genesis Record)… “Thus it is probable that the Book of Genesis was written originally by actual eye-witnesses of the events reported therein. Probably the original narratives were recorded on tables of stone or clay, in common with the practice of early times, and then handed down from father to son, finally coming into the possession of Moses. Moses perhaps selected the appropriate sections for compilation, inserted his own editorial additions and comments, and provided smooth transitions from one document to the next, with the final result being the Book of Genesis as we have received it.
Although this theory of the authorship of Genesis cannot be rigidly proved, it does seem to fit all the available facts better than any other theory. It is consistent with the doctrine of Biblical inspiration and authority, as well as with the accurate historicity of its records. Furthermore, this approach provides vivid insight into the accounts, and a more vibrant awareness of their freshness and relevance, than any other.”
Read it for yourself with this fresh perspective and witness a narrative come to life.
Good stuff Marc. I agree that the editor/compiler option makes the most sense. Genesis is so fascinating. You’re doing a great job making that apparent.
Mike Stroh
It really does make the most sense. I will illustrate how the tablet theory offers clarity to the narrative in an upcoming post. It’s nice to hear from you and thanks for reading. Your encouragement is greatly appreciated.
Marc