In the traditional Jewish view What evidence proves the Book of Genesis?

Answer 1

1) No parchment or inscription has ever been found that would support the JEPD (multiple-authors) hypothesis for the Torah (including Genesis). Those ancient writers who mention or translate the Torah (Josephus, Samaritans, Targum, Septuagint etc.), describe it in its complete form.

2) Archaeological finds, such as the Ugarit documents and those of Nuzu, Mari, Susa, Ebla, and Tel el-Amarna, have repeatedly caused the critics to retract specific claims. The entire social milieu portrayed in Genesis and the entire Torah, once criticized as anachronistic, has been shown to be historically accurate, including customs of marriage, adoption, contracts, inheritance, purchases, utensils, modes of travel, people's names and titles, etc. Professor Gleason Archer Ph.D of Harvard University states: "In case after case in which historical inaccuracy was alleged as proof of late and spurious authorship of the biblical documents, the Hebrew record has been vindicated by the results of excavations, and the condemnatory judgment of the Documentary theorists has been proved to be without foundation."

3) "Whoever wrote the narrative of Joseph was quite familiar with Egyptian life, Egyptian literature and culture. In particular he was expertly informed concerning the Egyptian royal court" (Prof. Alan Sherman).

4) Some JEPD theorists question the very existence of Abraham. In so doing, they not only ignore the continuous tradition of the entire Jewish nation, but also the statements of other ancient writers as far back as 2,300 years ago. These include Berosus, Alexander Polyhistor, Melo, Eupolemus, Artapanus, Hecateus, and Nicolaus Damascenus. Abraham was a historical person, as recorded in the Book of Genesis (ch.11-25); and his gravesite is known to this day, in the Machpelah at Hebron, Israel. He is revered by Jews, Christians, and Muslims.

5) The critics attempt to break down the continuity of the Torah based on style and vocabulary. Their breakdown often cuts verses into three or four parts, claiming a different writer for each part. But in dealing with so many different topics and eras, it stands to reason that the Torah would use different styles. The narrative of Genesis would not function in a style appropriate to the laws of Leviticus. Just as Shakespeare's plays and sonnets differ yet had one author, (and the same goes for your own resume and shopping lists), so the Torah employs styles depending on the subject matter.

Also, those familiar with Torah-commentators recognize that every question asked by The Bible critics was asked, and answered, centuries ago.

Some specific examples:

1) Some claim that giants (Genesis ch.6) could not have existed. But the fact that giants are mentioned not only in Israelite traditions, but also by the Greeks, Romans, Celts, Hindus, Norse, Basques, Japanese and others, in our opinion warrants more than mere dismissal.

2) It was claimed that the camel hadn't been domesticated in Abraham's time. But the Canophorin tablet, dating from 18th century BCE gives a list of fodder for camels and other household animals. And a cylinder seal from Mesopotamia, dating from the patriarchal era, shows riders sitting on camels.

3) The term "achol et kaspeinu" ("our money was eaten," Genesis 31:15) is spoken by Rachel and Leah concerning an inheritance from their father Laban. This term is found nowhere else in the Hebrew Bible. Five documents have been unearthed in which 18th century BCE Akkadian marriage contracts use this exact terminology, in the same context. We thus verify that no postulated late redactor could possibly be credited with such specific knowledge of an era centuries before his own.

4) The names Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Laban, Balaam and Joseph were used in the Patriarchal period and dropped out of usage thereafter. These names appear in archaeological inscriptions from that period and no later period. How did those verses get appropriate names for that period of time (if they were invented a thousand years later)?

5) Joseph is sold for twenty pieces of silver. That was the accurate price of a slave in Joseph's time, and at no other time. Slaves were cheaper beforehand, and they got increasingly expensive later. How would a later redactor know the right price?

Some indications of the Divine origin of the Torah:

1) No other religion claims a national revelation, because that is something that cannot be fabricated.

2) No Israelite of any tribe, had the Torah been a human invention, would have made Abraham the father of Ishmael, his firstborn (Genesis ch.16). No Israelite would have written that Isaac fathered their enemy Esau (Gen.ch.25). Nor would he have admitted the stigma that the Israelites had been slaves (Exodus ch.1). No Israelite would have penned the prohibition against warring with Ammon and Moab (Deut.2:4,9,19).

3) In no other religious text can one find such criticism of its own protagonists. No one is immune to having his faults exposed: Abraham (Genesis 16:5), Reuben (Gen.ch.35), Simeon and Levi (Gen.ch.34 and 49), Judah (Gen.ch.38), Joseph's brothers (Gen.ch.37), Moses (Numbers ch.20), Aaron (Exodus 32:2-4), Samson (Judges 14:1-3), Saul (1 Samuel ch.15), David (2 Samuel ch.11-12), and many others.

4) No other ancient record has such a coherent and detailed account of the genealogy of nations (Genesis ch.10).

5) A few examples of fulfilled prophecies:

Noah's blessing of "God will enlarge Japheth" (Genesis ch.9) has been fulfilled through the empires of Persia, Greece, Rome, Russia and America.

God's promise to make Ishmael into a great nation (Genesis ch.17) has been fulfilled through the wide band of Arab and Muslim countries stretching from western Africa to Indonesia, well over 1.5 billion people.

The prophecy that the Torah would never die out (see Gen.32:33, Deut.31:21, Esther 9:28, Isaiah 59:21) has been fulfilled, against all odds. And the Israelites have also survived (Genesis 12:2), outliving many other nations.

The prophecy that the Israelites would inherit the Holy Land (Genesis ch.28) was fulfilled in the time of Joshua. And the prophecy that Ephraim would become greater than Menasheh (Genesis ch.48) also came true through his descendant, Joshua, since Menasheh produced no one comparable.

Joseph's prophetic dreams (Genesis ch.37) were fulfilled during his sojourn in Egypt (Gen. ch.41-42).

Jacob's prophecy of redemption (Gen.48:21) came true when God brought the Israelites out of Egypt (Exodus ch.12). His words of greatness for Judah (Gen.49:8:10) came true through the Davidic royal dynasty. His prediction that Dan would topple the enemy (Gen.49:17) came true through Samson's depredations against the Philistines (Judges 13-16).

Answer 2

1) No parchment or inscription has ever been found that would support the JEPD (multiple-authors) hypothesis for the Torah (including Genesis). Those ancient writers who mention or translate the Torah (Josephus, Samaritans, Targum, Septuagint etc.), describe it in its complete form.
2) Archaeological finds, such as the Ugarit documents and those of Nuzu, Mari, Susa, Ebla, and Tel el-Amarna, have repeatedly caused the critics to retract specific claims. The entire social milieu portrayed in Genesis and the entire Torah, once criticized as anachronistic, has been shown to be historically accurate, including customs of marriage, adoption, contracts, inheritance, purchases, utensils, modes of travel, people's names and titles, etc. Professor Gleason Archer Ph.D of Harvard University states: "In case after case in which historical inaccuracy was alleged as proof of late and spurious authorship of the biblical documents, the Hebrew record has been vindicated by the results of excavations, and the condemnatory judgment of the Documentary theorists has been proved to be without foundation."
3) "Whoever wrote the narrative of Joseph was quite familiar with Egyptian life, Egyptian literature and culture. In particular he was expertly informed concerning the Egyptian royal court" (Prof. Alan Sherman).
4) Some JEPD theorists question the very existence of Abraham. In so doing, they not only ignore the continuous tradition of the entire Jewish nation, but also the statements of other ancient writers as far back as 2,300 years ago. These include Berosus, Alexander Polyhistor, Melo, Eupolemus, Artapanus, Hecateus, and Nicolaus Damascenus. Abraham was a historical person, as recorded in the Book of Genesis (ch.11-25); and his gravesite is known to this day, in the Machpelah at Hebron, Israel. He is revered by Jews, Christians, and Muslims.
5) The critics attempt to break down the continuity of the Torah based on style and vocabulary. Their breakdown often cuts verses into three or four parts, claiming a different writer for each part. But in dealing with so many different topics and eras, it stands to reason that the Torah would use different styles. The narrative of Genesis would not function in a style appropriate to the laws of Leviticus. Just as Shakespeare's plays and sonnets differ yet had one author, (and the same goes for your own resume and shopping lists), so the Torah employs styles depending on the subject matter.
Also, those familiar with Torah-commentators recognize that every question asked by the bible critics was asked, and answered, centuries ago.
Some specific examples:
1) Some claim that giants (Genesis ch.6) could not have existed. But the fact that giants are mentioned not only in Israelite traditions, but also by the Greeks, Romans, Celts, Hindus, Norse, Basques, Japanese and others, in our opinion warrants more than mere dismissal.
2) It was claimed that the camel hadn't been domesticated in Abraham's time. But the Canophorin tablet, dating from 18th century BCE gives a list of fodder for camels and other household animals. And a cylinder seal from Mesopotamia, dating from the patriarchal era, shows riders sitting on camels.
3) The term "achol et kaspeinu" ("our money was eaten," Genesis 31:15) is spoken by Rachel and Leah concerning an inheritance from their father Laban. This term is found nowhere else in the Hebrew Bible. Five documents have been unearthed in which 18th century BCE Akkadian marriage contracts use this exact terminology, in the same context. We thus verify that no postulated late redactor could possibly be credited with such specific knowledge of an era centuries before his own.
4) The names Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Laban, Balaam and Joseph were used in the Patriarchal period and dropped out of usage thereafter. These names appear in archaeological inscriptions from that period and no later period. How did those verses get appropriate names for that period of time (if they were invented a thousand years later)?
5) Joseph is sold for twenty pieces of silver. That was the accurate price of a slave in Joseph's time, and at no other time. Slaves were cheaper beforehand, and they got increasingly expensive later. How would a later redactor know the right price?
Some indications of the Divine origin of the Torah:
1) No other religion claims a national revelation, because that is something that cannot be fabricated.
2) No Israelite of any tribe, had the Torah been a human invention, would have made Abraham the father of Ishmael, his firstborn (Genesis ch.16). No Israelite would have written that Isaac fathered their enemy Esau (Gen.ch.25). Nor would he have admitted the stigma that the Israelites had been slaves (Exodus ch.1). No Israelite would have penned the prohibition against warring with Ammon and Moab (Deut.2:4,9,19).
3) In no other religious text can one find such criticism of its own protagonists. No one is immune to having his faults exposed: Abraham (Genesis 16:5), Reuben (Gen.ch.35), Simeon and Levi (Gen.ch.34 and 49), Judah (Gen.ch.38), Joseph's brothers (Gen.ch.37), Moses (Numbers ch.20), Aaron (Exodus 32:2-4), Samson (Judges 14:1-3), Saul (1 Samuel ch.15), David (2 Samuel ch.11-12), and many others.
4) No other ancient record has such a coherent and detailed account of the genealogy of nations (Genesis ch.10).
5) A few examples of fulfilled prophecies:
Noah's blessing of "God will enlarge Japheth" (Genesis ch.9) has been fulfilled through the empires of Persia, Greece, Rome, Russia and America.
God's promise to make Ishmael into a great nation (Genesis ch.17) has been fulfilled through the wide band of Arab and Muslim countries stretching from western Africa to Indonesia, well over 1.5 billion people.
The prophecy that the Torah would never die out (see Gen.32:33, Deut.31:21, Esther 9:28, Isaiah 59:21) has been fulfilled, against all odds. And the Israelites have also survived (Genesis 12:2), outliving many other nations.
The prophecy that the Israelites would inherit the Holy Land (Genesis ch.28) was fulfilled in the time of Joshua. And the prophecy that Ephraim would become greater than Menasheh (Genesis ch.48) also came true through his descendant, Joshua, since Menasheh produced no one comparable.
Joseph's prophetic dreams (Genesis ch.37) were fulfilled during his sojourn in Egypt (Gen. ch.41-42).
Jacob's prophecy of redemption (Gen.48:21) came true when God brought the Israelites out of Egypt (Exodus ch.12). His words of greatness for Judah (Gen.49:8:10) came true through the Davidic royal dynasty. His prediction that Dan would topple the enemy (Gen.49:17) came true through Samson's depredations against the Philistines (Judges 13-16).

Answer 3

The Book of Genesis contains ancient traditions of the Hebrew people, including the stories of creation, Noah's Flood, the story of the Patriarchs and the sojourn in Egypt.

That there are two mutually incompatible creation stories in Genesis should be proof that they are actually not true; certainly they demonstrate that we can not rely on the Book of Genesis as inspired by God. Leon R. Kass (The Beginning of Wisdom: Reading Genesis) says that the second creation story departs from the first not only in content but also in tone, mood and orientation. Even when ignoring the disjunctions between the stories, Origen has this to say (On First Principles, 3.1.1): Now what man of intelligence will believe that the first and the second and the third day, and the evening and the morning existed without the sun and moon and stars? And that the first day if we may so call it, was even without a heaven? And who is so silly as to believe that God, after the manner of a farmer, "planted a paradise eastward in Eden", and set in it a visible and palpable "tree of life", of such a sort that anyone who tasted its fruit with his bodily teeth would gain life: and again that one could partake of "good and evil" by masticating the fruit taken from the tree of that name? And when God is said to "walk in the paradise in the cool of the day" and Adam to hide himself behind a tree, I do not think anyone will doubt that these are figurative expressions which indicate certain mysteries through a semblance of history and not through actual events.

Similarly, the story of Noah's Ark has so many holes in it that it is not even necessary to point out that there are actually two, slightly different stories of the Ark, woven together in Genesis to seem to the casual reader to be a single, complicated story.

The story of Abraham includes many historical details that could not be true, because the people or places mentioned did not exist at the time attributed to Abraham. For example, Genesis says that Abraham encountered the kingdoms of the Philistines in the Levant, but they were a sea-people who only arrived there around 1200 BCE.

Everyone in the first five books of the Bible seems to have lived an impressively long life, until we see that, all the way from Abraham to Joshua, these lifespans were dictated by numerology, using elegant patterns based around the number 17. As soon as we recognise this fact we must know that, even if the people of Genesis existed, they did not live to these great ages. For example, the patterns for the Patriarchs works as follows:

1. Abraham lived to 175 (5 X 5 X 7)
2. Isaac lived to 180 (6 X 6 X 5)
3. Jacob lived to 147 (7 X 7 X 3)

Each lifespan involves a perfect square (5, 6, then 7 in a numeric series); the third factor also forms a series (7, 5, 3); and in each case the sum of the factors is 17.

Answer 4

See also the Related Links.Link: Is there evidence for Creation?

Link: Evidence of the Flood

Link: Lifespans of the ancients

1) No parchment, scroll, or inscription has ever been found that would support the JEPD (multiple-authors) hypothesis for the Torah (including Genesis). Those ancient writers who mention, describe, summarize or translate the Torah (Josephus, Samaritans, Targum, Septuagint etc.), describe it in its complete form.

• Link: The authorship of the Hebrew Bible
  

Among the Jews, the entire Hebrew Bible has been handed down through the generations, in an unbroken chain of tradition for which we possess the names of the leading sages in every single generation. Every verse is elucidated in the Talmud and midrashim.

• Link: Does Genesis have two Creation-accounts?
  

2) Archaeological finds, such as the Ugarit documents and those of Nuzu, Mari, Susa, Ebla, and Tel el-Amarna, have repeatedly caused the critics to retract specific claims. The entire social milieu portrayed in Genesis and the entire Torah, once criticized as anachronistic, has been shown to be historically accurate, including customs of marriage, adoption, contracts, inheritance, purchases, utensils, modes of travel, people's names and titles, etc. Professor Gleason Archer Ph.D of Harvard University states: "In case after case in which historical inaccuracy was alleged as proof of late and spurious authorship of the biblical documents, the Hebrew record has been vindicated by the results of excavations, and the condemnatory judgment of the Documentary theorists has been proved to be without foundation."

• Link: Criticizing the critics
  

3) "Whoever wrote the narrative of Joseph was quite familiar with Egyptian life, Egyptian literature and culture. In particular he was expertly informed concerning the Egyptian royal court" (Prof. Alan Sherman).

• Link: More from Archaeology
  

4) Because of its antiquity, only in the Torah is the female pronoun "hee" spelled with a letter vav; the word "asher" is used exclusively; Jerusalem and the kings are not mentioned, etc.

5) Unlike what the theorists claim, no Levite or Kohen ("priest") would have voluntarily invented the Torah in whole or in part. The Torah states that Leah (ancestress of the Levites) was less-favored (Genesis ch.29), it records the curse against Levi (Genesis ch.49), the rebellion of Korah the Levite (Numbers ch.16), and the role of Aaron the Kohen in the events of the Golden Calf (Exodus ch.32).

6) Some JEPD theorists question the very existence of Abraham. In so doing, they not only ignore the continuous tradition of the entire Jewish nation, but also the statements of other ancient writers as far back as 2,300 years ago. These include Berosus, Alexander Polyhistor, Melo, Eupolemus, Artapanus, Hecateus, and Nicolaus Damascenus. Abraham was a historical person, as recorded in the Book of Genesis (ch.11-25); and his gravesite is known to this day, in the Machpelah at Hebron, Israel. He is revered by Jews, Christians, and Muslims.

7) One Bible-theorist, Richard Elliott Friedman claims that "The author of the J document was more interested in the patriarchal period while the author of E was more focused on the Exodus and wilderness age."
- Neither Friedman nor any Bible critic ever interviewed the postulated J or E to hear their focus or interests, or saw a manuscript attributable to them. All that we hear about J and E derives from what the critics themselves believe.

Overstatements of this kind go far beyond the type of caution one might expect from a scholar.

8) The critics attempt to break down the continuity of the Torah based on style and vocabulary. Their breakdown often cuts verses into three or four parts, claiming a different writer for each part. But in dealing with so many different topics and eras, it stands to reason that the Torah would use different styles. The narrative of Genesis would not function in a style appropriate to the laws of Leviticus. Just as Shakespeare's plays and sonnets differ yet had one author, (and the same goes for your own resume and shopping lists), so the Torah employs styles depending on the subject matter.
Also, those familiar with Torah-commentators recognize that every question asked by the bible critics was asked, and answered, centuries ago.

Some specific examples:

1) Some claim that giants (Genesis ch.6) could not have existed. But the fact that giants are mentioned not only in Israelite traditions, but also by the Greeks, Romans, Celts, Hindus, Norse, Basques, Japanese and others, in our opinion warrants more than mere dismissal.

2) It was claimed that the camel hadn't been domesticated in Abraham's time. But the Canophorin tablet, dating from 18th century BCE gives a list of fodder for camels and other household animals. And a cylinder seal from Mesopotamia, dating from the patriarchal era, shows riders sitting on camels.

3) The term "achol et kaspeinu" ("our money was eaten," Genesis 31:15) is spoken by Rachel and Leah concerning an inheritance from their father Laban. This term is found nowhere else in the Hebrew Bible. Five documents have been unearthed in which 18th century BCE Akkadian marriage contracts use this exact terminology, in the same context. We thus verify that no postulated late redactor could possibly be credited with such specific knowledge of an era centuries before his own.

4) The names Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Laban, Balaam and Joseph were used in the Patriarchal period and dropped out of usage thereafter. These names appear in archaeological inscriptions from that period and no later period. How did those verses get appropriate names for that period of time (if they were invented a thousand years later)?

5) Joseph is sold for twenty pieces of silver. That was the accurate price of a slave in Joseph's time, and at no other time. Slaves were cheaper beforehand, and they got increasingly expensive later. How would a later redactor know the right price?

Some indications of the Divine origin of the Torah:1) No other religion claims a national revelation, because that is something that cannot be fabricated.

2) No Israelite of any tribe, had the Torah been a human invention, would have made Abraham the father of Ishmael, his firstborn (Genesis ch.16). No Israelite would have written that Isaac fathered their enemy Esau (Gen.ch.25). Nor would he have admitted the stigma that the Israelites had been slaves (Exodus ch.1). No Israelite would have penned the prohibition against warring with Ammon and Moab (Deut.2:4,9,19), who became enemies; nor would he have ascribed one of our important national institutions to a foreigner (Exodus ch.18).

3) In no other religious text can one find such criticism of its own protagonists. No one is immune to having his faults exposed: Abraham (Genesis 16:5), Reuben (Gen.ch.35), Simeon and Levi (Gen.ch.34 and 49), Judah (Gen.ch.38), Joseph's brothers (Gen.ch.37), Moses (Numbers ch.20), Aaron (Exodus 32:2-4), Samson (Judges 14:1-3), Saul (1 Samuel ch.15), David (2 Samuel ch.11-12), and many others.

4) No other ancient record has such a coherent and detailed account of the genealogy of nations (Genesis ch.10).

5) A few examples of fulfilled prophecies:

Noah's blessing of "God will enlarge Japheth" (Genesis ch.9) has been fulfilled through the empires of Persia, Greece, Rome, Russia and America.

God's promise to make Ishmael into a great nation (Genesis ch.17) has been fulfilled through the wide band of Arab and Muslim countries stretching from western Africa to Indonesia, well over 1.5 billion people.

The prophecy that the Torah would never die out (see Gen.32:33, Deut.31:21, Esther 9:28, Isaiah 59:21) has been fulfilled, against all odds. And the Israelites have also survived (Genesis 12:2), outliving many other nations.

The prophecy that the Israelites would inherit the Holy Land (Genesis ch.28) was fulfilled in the time of Joshua. And the prophecy that Ephraim would become greater than Menasheh (Genesis ch.48) also came true through his descendant, Joshua, since Menasheh produced no one comparable.

Joseph's prophetic dreams (Genesis ch.37) were fulfilled during his sojourn in Egypt (Gen. ch.41-42).

Jacob's prophecy of redemption (Gen.48:21) came true when God brought the Israelites out of Egypt (Exodus ch.12). His words of greatness for Judah (Gen.49:8:10) came true through the Davidic royal dynasty. His prediction that Dan would topple the enemy (Gen.49:17) came true through Samson's depredations against the Philistines (Judges 13-16).

These are just a few examples.

Answer 5

See also the Related Links.Link: Is there evidence for Creation?

Link: Evidence of the Flood

Link: Lifespans of the ancients

1) No parchment, scroll, or inscription has ever been found that would support the JEPD (multiple-authors) hypothesis for the Torah (including Genesis). Those ancient writers who mention, describe, summarize or translate the Torah (Josephus, Samaritans, Targum, Septuagint etc.), describe it in its complete form.

• Link: The authorship of the Hebrew Bible
  

Among the Jews, the entire Hebrew Bible has been handed down through the generations, in an unbroken chain of tradition for which we possess the names of the leading sages in every single generation. Every verse is elucidated in the Talmud and midrashim.

• Link: Does Genesis have two Creation-accounts?
  

2) Archaeological finds, such as the Ugarit documents and those of Nuzu, Mari, Susa, Ebla, and Tel el-Amarna, have repeatedly caused the critics to retract specific claims. The entire social milieu portrayed in Genesis and the entire Torah, once criticized as anachronistic, has been shown to be historically accurate, including customs of marriage, adoption, contracts, inheritance, purchases, utensils, modes of travel, people's names and titles, etc. Professor Gleason Archer Ph.D of Harvard University states: "In case after case in which historical inaccuracy was alleged as proof of late and spurious authorship of the biblical documents, the Hebrew record has been vindicated by the results of excavations, and the condemnatory judgment of the Documentary theorists has been proved to be without foundation."

• Link: Criticizing the critics
  

3) "Whoever wrote the narrative of Joseph was quite familiar with Egyptian life, Egyptian literature and culture. In particular he was expertly informed concerning the Egyptian royal court" (Prof. Alan Sherman).

• Link: More from Archaeology