Who is recognized as the original human author of the Torah?

Answer 1

Linguistic analysis shows there was no one author of the Torah, although assertions of authorship by Moses have been placed in the text. Writings that would become the Torah began to be written down early in the first millennium BCE, beginning with an anonymous source from Israel, now known as the Elohist, and an anonymous source from Judah, now known as the Yahwist. After the fall of Israel in 722 BCE, these writings were combined into a single source, which was finalised and added to in Babylon by yet another anonymous source known as the Priestly Source, during the Exile. An anonymous source now known as the Deuteronomist wrote the Book of Deuteronomy, a little earlier in Jerusalem, during the reign of King Josiah.

No one knows for certain. Orthodox tradition maintains that it was written by Moses, but modern scholarhsip suggests that there was more than one author.

Answer 2

The Torah itself names its author explicitly. It was given by God (Exodus 24:12) to Moses, who put it in writing before his death (Deuteronomy 31:24). See also:

http://www.whoreallywrotethebible.com/excerpts/chapter4-1.php

http://www.pearlmancta.com/BiblicalcriticswrongRShlomoCohen.htm

And see also the wider picture:

http://judaism.answers.com/hebrew/does-archaeology-support-the-hebrew-bible

Answer 3

Linguistic analysis shows there was no one author of the Torah, although assertions of authorship by Moses have been placed in the text. Writings that would become the Torah began to be written down early in the first millennium BCE, beginning with an anonymous source from Israel, now known as the Elohist, and an anonymous source from Judah, now known as the Yahwist. After the fall of Israel in 722 BCE, these writings were combined into a single source, which was finalised and added to in Babylon by yet another anonymous source known as the Priestly Source, during the Exile. An anonymous source now known as the Deuteronomist wrote the Book of Deuteronomy, a little earlier in Jerusalem, during the reign of King Josiah.

Answer 4

No one knows for certain. Orthodox tradition maintains that it was written by Moses, but modern scholarhsip suggests that there was more than one author.

Answer 5

Moses set the Torah in writing (Deuteronomy 31:24) at God's dictation (Exodus 24:12).