The idea of Pentateuch refers to the first five books of the Bible.
The etymological root of Pentateuch is found in the Greek language and refers to “five cases” or “five scrolls” . The notion refers to the first five books of the Bible , which used to be kept rolled up.
According to tradition , Moses is the author of the Pentateuch , which is composed of Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , the Book of Numbers and Deuteronomy . For Judaism, the Pentateuch corresponds to the Torah , while in Christianity it is part of the Old Testament .
The origin of the Pentateuch
The various components of the Pentateuch constitute a unity. In the case of Judaism, we speak of Torah ( Law ) since the content of the books presents the prescriptions that God transmitted to Moses on Mount Sinai , laying the foundations for the moral and social order of his people.
It is interesting to mention that both Jews and Christians accept Moses as responsible for the Pentateuch . In any case, Christianity considers that Moses may have resorted to already existing sources and that, over the years, changes and additions to his texts have been recorded.
Moses is considered to be the creator of the Pentateuch.
Main features
Broadly speaking, it can be stated that the Pentateuch begins with the creation of the universe and extends until the death of Moses . Throughout the books the story of Israel is told, the people chosen by God according to various religious doctrines.
It is often said that the Pentateuch is indispensable for understanding the Bible as a whole. In its pages, always according to believers, divine revelation to the chosen people and reflections on God 's plan for human beings appear.
From a historical point of view, it can be said that the Pentateuch is of great importance because it presents us with the history of the entire human species , although it focuses on the people chosen by God. We must not forget that the texts of the Bible have a breadth and depth that allow us to apply its teachings to our lives, regardless of time and geographical location; They are stories that transcend time and space.
The Pentautecus and religions
In the strictly religious sphere, the teachings that the Pentateuch provides us are essential to understand the following three pillars of our existence: Creation, understood as the emergence of life itself in the hands of God, the unity of our genus as a species and the fall of our ancestors.
The central and predominant point in the Pentateuch is the privilege that the people of Israel receive, which God isolates from the rest so that they do not become corrupted and so that they do his will. According to the words of the apostle Saint Paul , its objective is that of the Christian religion itself: to travel through life along a path that leads us to Christ. Throughout its pages you can see a golden thread that organically links the legacy of God and his acts dedicated to humanity.
The historical character of each part is the parameter according to which they are ordered chronologically in the Pentateuch. In Genesis , for example, the origin of things is described. God's grace comes to Abraham through the descendants of Seth , and his family inherits the promise for the rest of humanity. The birth and liberation of Israel as a nation can be seen in the Exodus .
On the other hand we have a kind of code of the Christian life, which can be found in the Exodus . The story continues in the Book of Numbers , after a pilgrimage of almost four decades, and ends with Deuteronomy , where a recapitulation and expansion is given.