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From: jefff@cadovax.UUCP (Jeffery H. Fields)
Newsgroups: net.religion
Subject: OT Oral Tradition -re: pickin' bones with MORMONS
Message-ID: <606@cadovax.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 10-May-85 14:55:52 EDT
Article-I.D.: cadovax.606
Posted: Fri May 10 14:55:52 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 14-May-85 07:08:33 EDT
Organization: Contel Cado, Torrance, CA
Lines: 36


Micha Berger writes:
> ................................................. Also, the bible
>was never handed down by word of mouth (not the OT at least). The prophets
>wrote the pooks themselves. It is referred to in the Talmud as "the
>written law", as opposed to the talmud itself, the mishna, and other
>similar texts, "the oral law", which was handed down by word of mouth,
>and are abound with arguements. (see the first mishna, it contains an
>arguement between the Rabbis and Rabbi Judah.) Who ever said
>that it was ever handed down as a tradition?

     Most Bible scholars agree that most of the OT was handed down through an
oral tradition.  Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, and Numbers (The
Pentateuch) were certainly not written until much later after they were first
composed orally.  There is no evidence that Moses wrote anything.  In fact,
there is no evidence that any of the OT prophets wrote anything.
     The first book of the OT that was written was The First Book of Samuel,
sometime during the reign of David (c. 700 BC), hundreds of years after Moses.
It was written by court scribes and its main purpose was to justify the
Monarchy established by King Saul.  The transcribing of the oral traditions into
the written OT was accomplished by court scribes, who were mostly foreign
slaves, and continued from the time of David and Solomon until about 200 BC.


-- 

				Jeff Fields
				{ucbvax,ihnp4,decvax}!trwrb!cadovax!jefff

Your navel is a bowl well rounded
with no lack of wine,
your belly a heap of wheat
surrounded with lilies.
Your two breasts are two fawns
twins of a gazelle.
			-"The Song of Songs" 7:3-4