In the SDStaff’s (Dex) reply to the sin of Onan (on May 3, 2005), Dex wrote that the levirate law predated the writing of the Pentateuch and sites Nahum M. Sarna’s book “Torah Commentary: Genesis” for this statement.
I admit I have not had a chance to look at Sarna’s sources and line of reasoning, but I was taught that Moses received the Law (i.e. the Five books of Moses or the Pentateuch) at Mount Sinai and wrote the whole text down before his death (as dictated to him, word for word, by God). Jewish tradition holds that this was around 3300 BCE which long predates the 15th-14th century BCE of the Middle Assyrian Empire and the 14th-13th century BCE of the Hittites.
Any word on the discrepancy between what I was taught and what Dex and Mr. Sarna wrote?
General consensus among non-Orthodox biblical scholars is that the Pentateuch was written sometime between the 9th and the 6th centuries. As you mentioned, Orthodox Judaism dates it earlier, to the time of Moses, although traditional Orthodoxy doesn’t date it as early as you put it. Traditionally, the Orthodox claim that Moses got the Torah at Sinai in the year 2448 (1313 BCE)
danL, I think you 've possibly mistaken the date you heard – perhaps it was 3300 years ago, rather than 3300 BC? Generally, most authorities date Moses around 1200 - 1300 BC, with different dates guessed by different commentators.
Please note that a date of 3300 BC would be roughly 5300 years ago, which would put the Exodus only 400 years after the traditional dating for the creation of the world* … which is inconsistent with Torah.
Please note that, in any case, levirite law is applied to the grandsons of Jacob, long before Moses was born. So, regardless of dating, levirite law clearly pre-dates the written Torah.
Or, if you prefer, from the emergence of human civilization.
Captain Amazing, you are correct. As you stated the Torah was given in 2448 BCE which, as Dexter points out, is around 3300 years ago, not 3300 BCE as I thought. My mathematical mistake. Thank you both for the correction.
I think you’re still confused, danL. Don’t confuse the Hebrew year 2448 with the notation “BCE.” The year 2448 in the Hebrew calendar is around 1300 BCE (or BC)in the common calendar.
I think you’re still confused, danL. Don’t confuse the Hebrew year 2448 with the notation “BCE.” The year 2448 in the Hebrew calendar is (I think) about 1112 BCE (or BC)in the common calendar.
Most secular scholars would date the Exodus around 1250 BCE. That would be around 2500 in the Hebrew calendar.
