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Conservative Judaism/Dates of the Books of the Tanakh

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Expert: - 10/14/2004


Question
Could you provide me with the approximate dates that the books of the Tanakh were written and the source you get this information from?

Answer
Dear Joshua,

Thanks for writing, but this is a "toughie."

First of all, the different movements have different "agendas" for their dates. That is, the Orthodox see the Torah being given to Moses on Sini - each and every letter as it is today in our Ark; this assures them they feel that Jewish law can be drawn from the Torah and is reliable.

Liberal movements speak of an evolving text, editors albeit perhaps from a divine inspiration which for them is sufficient for a "commanding" set of laws.

Secondly, if you take the concept of evolving tradition - as I do - at which moment are you speaking? Before going to Babylonia where we know that the priestly scribes set the Torah down very much as we have it today, or at a later time in the hands of the Rabbis (Babylonia exileroughly 500 BCE and the Rabbis roughly 100 years later, in Israel and Babylonia. Now you see the problem.

I would urge you to either read on-line the jeiwshencyclopedia.com or the Encylopedia Judaica in your local library on the subject of Bible and in particularly "canonization of the Bible." You'll have your many answers from which ultimately you will have to choose - and perhaps you should sit with your Rabbi to help make sense out of these.

Best of luck.

Rabbi Dov

Conservative Judaism

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Rabbi Barry Dov Lerner

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Write to me with questions about Jewish customs and law, history, philosophy and tradition for answers from a Conservative perspective or conversion. I am a graduate of The Jewish Theological Seminary and a member of the Conservative Rabbinical Assembly. Having served in congregational pulpits since 1970, I now am President of the Foundation For Family Education, Inc. a non-profit educational endeavor. I established it to create new formats of hands-on programs and provide free educational downloads at www.jewishfreeware.org. In addition to general informational questions I welcome your questions about programs for social action, outreach to dual-faith families, inter-faith clergy projects, healing services, education for conversion, adult education for the congregation and the community. If you have questions about Informal and Formal Education I am ready to share my extensive experience with Youth Activities, Camping and Religious School/Hebrew High School on a congregational, community and national/international level.

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I have served on the National Youth Commission for more than 25 years and serve on the Boards of the Conservative Zionist movement MERCAZ and the World Council of Synagogues. I have always dual-families and taught candidates for conversion with a great sense of fulfillment. I am very proud of 25 years on the Jewish camping staff of Camps Ramah. My greatest source of pride is my family! Ask me about them, please!:-)

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