Torah (Five Books of Moses)

At a glance

History, context & interpretation

The text and its story

Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy: creation, the patriarchs, the Exodus from Egypt and the law. It is read aloud in synagogues in a yearly cycle.

Traditional attribution

Given by God to Moses at Mount Sinai.

Historical scholarship

Most scholars see it as woven from several earlier sources and edited into its final form around the 6th–5th century BCE.

Context and curiosity

A kosher Torah scroll contains 304,805 letters and a single error can make it unfit for use.

Chronology and transmission

This text belongs to Judaism (Ancient Israel & Judah). The catalogue gives its approximate dating as c. 10th–5th century BCE and original language or script as Biblical Hebrew. The dated manuscript witnesses and traditional claims may not refer to the same historical event.

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Sources and further reading

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torah

Historical descriptions are educational summaries. Religious traditions, scholarly interpretations and unverified claims are distinguished where possible; imagery may be illustrative rather than an artifact photograph.