Expert: Marilyn - 1/25/2011

Question
Who wrote Genesis and When?

Answer
Hello Bill;

Moses wrote the book of Genesis circa 1450-1410 B.C. Circumstances of his day and his position allowed him to copy down the history the Hebrews had passed down verbally for generations.

Some modern people express doubts of the authenticity of anything passed down verbally, but that's likely a function of the fact that today people seldom memorize anything. As an example of what a person is capable of: the Navajo medicine man in training must perfectly memorize each sing he will perform to the satisfaction of his mentor before he is allowed to officially do the sing; each sing is about the equivalent of the New Testament in length; Navajo medicine men are able to learn up to 3 sings.

Moses was the first of the Hebrews to receive what we'd call a college education while being raised a prince in Egypt. He was thoroughly humiliated when, out of pride and righteous anger, he killed an Egyptian overseer, was caught in the act and fled into the desert. He became a shepherd for his father-in-law. Later, when God called him to go save his people, he insisted that he had no ability at public speaking--he still felt the weight of his humiliation. But the book of Genesis is well written and interesting to read, quoted over 60 times in the New Testament and vital for anyone who wants to come to understand the things of God.

Sincerely,

Marilyn