SYNOPSIS: Investigating Moses and his possible role as author of the Old Testament is an important element of our next film Patterns of Evidence: The Moses Controversy. It will be released in March. We are often asked why we have spent so much time investigating themes in the Old Testament such as the Exodus, and Moses writing its first books. Then again, some even questioned whether physical evidence that supports the Bible should be sought at all. This week’s post addresses these important issues and gives a sneak peek of a scene from the new film.
And Moses wrote down all the words of the LORD.
– Exodus 24:4 (ESV)
Coming: Patterns of Evidence – the Moses Controversy
In the following weeks, we will be doing a series of articles around the themes found in our new film, Patterns of Evidence: The Moses Controversy. These will lead up to the release of the film at over 900 theaters across America for three days only: March 14th, 16th, and 19th. Look for a sneak peek of a scene from the new film in each of these posts. Following that, look for more posts about The Exodus account and the next movie about The Red Sea Miracle.
For 12 years I had investigated evidence for the Israelites being in Egypt, their leaving that land and then going on to conquer Canaan. That ended up becoming the film called Patterns of Evidence: The Exodus.
I naturally thought the next part of the investigation would be the route of the exodus out of Egypt. The Bible states that Moses was there and implies that he was writing an eyewitness account of the Israelites journey across a mighty sea and on to Mount Sinai where they received the Ten Commandments.
Yet as I interviewed mainstream scholars they dismissed this idea. They suggested that the first books of the Bible were not written by Moses, but were written centuries later by a number of contributors who mixed fact with fiction to create an origin story for Israel. Therefore, they claimed that these biblical accounts are not historically reliable.
To investigate the exodus route, I would need to look at the geographical descriptions and identifications given in the text for the journey, because some these sites might still be locatable. But if Moses didn’t record this, and it was just a later invention, then what would be the point of searching for evidence of the route taken by the people of Israel?
However, I also met conservative scholars that state there was evidence for Moses’ authorship of the first books of the Bible and this evidence was being overlooked. So this became my next investigative film, Patterns of Evidence: The Moses Controversy.
Why Look for Biblical Evidence at All?
Some have challenged me with the question of whether believing the Bible is just a matter faith, and doesn’t evidence work against faith. Of course, the Bible teaches that faith is needed for salvation. However, as expressed in one of our books, The Evidence of Faith, one of the truths I have realized over the years is that in reality, faith and evidence make great partners – believing in God requires faith amidst evidence.
And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.
– Matthew 22:35-38
The key here is that evidence and answers can bolster faith and battle doubt. Matthew 22:37 states we’re supposed to love God with our hearts, souls, and minds. What that means is there’s not a disconnect between these three aspects; there’s not supposed to be some kind of, ‘I’m only going to use my faith; I’m not going to use my intellect.’ I started to see that there were many passages that talked about our minds. The Bible doesn’t separate the mind from the heart. They work together; they’re not competing with each other. When they mesh together, then you feel you don’t have this dissonance in your life.
At our Fathom Panel Discussion for the upcoming film event of Patterns of Evidence: The Moses Controversy, I was asked this type of question by national radio host and panel moderator Todd Starnes. He said, “I grew up in a Protestant home of the Baptist faith tradition, and typically we would hear this phrase around church all the time. ‘Well, God said it. I believe it. That settles it.’ I suspect I’m not alone in hearing that phrase. Why are films like that so important? Timothy?” “Well,” I responded,
“I grew up in a church that said that too. It wasn’t until I got to Egypt when I was told that there wasn’t any evidence that I had to think more deeply about this. Now, it felt like I was hit by a two-by-four across the head when I heard that, because I thought they (archaeologists) would know, and as I came home, I had a crisis of faith.
“At some time in a person’s life they’re going to be challenged with what they believe, and I don’t think that archeology, or even everything in our films, are going to settle it. I think that it’s an issue of faith, right? But there are interpretations that are out there that are very, very much anti-faith. They’re basically saying, ‘There’s no evidence for this,’ and what I felt as a filmmaker is that I wanted to give people an opportunity to see what I found.”
Another Fathom Panel participant is Pastor A. R. Bernard of the Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn, New York. He stated:
“Two passages that I thought about as I was sitting here watching the film. One where Jesus said in the Gospel, ‘There’s nothing hid that shall not be made manifest.’
”And then Luke says it so beautifully in Acts when he said, prior to the first advent of Christ, that he allowed nations to go their own ways but he did not leave them without evidence of himself… because our faith is a reasoned trust. It’s not blind. I expect that there’s going to be more evidence that comes up to testify to the truth of the biblical record.”
“In past generations he allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways. Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.”
– Acts 14:16-17 (ESV)
Why Investigate the Old Testament?
A question that is often asked by Christians, particularly younger people, is why they should be interested in investigating matters of the Old Testament. They want to just focus on the New Testament.
I became involved in investigating the Bible because I was fascinated by the story of the Exodus, history and archaeology. The Exodus was one of the Bible’s most spectacular accounts of God acting in history. It was when I was confronted by the claim that there was no evidence for the Exodus account that I had my crisis of faith. After all, if the Book of Exodus is that controversial and couldn’t be trusted, what does that say about the rest of the Bible?
As I researched my questions, I grew in my understanding of how the New Testament is built upon the foundation of the Old. Jason DeRouchie is Professor of Old Testament and Biblical Theology at Bethlehem College and Seminary. In his book How to Understand and Apply the Old Testament, he lays out 10 Reasons the Old Testament Is Important for Christians.
- The Old Testament was Jesus’ only Scripture and makes up three-fourths (75.55 percent) of our Bible.
- The Old Testament substantially influences our understanding of key biblical teachings.
- We meet the same God in both Testaments.
- The Old Testament announces the very ‘good news/gospel’ we enjoy.
- Both the old and new covenants call for love, and we can learn much about love from the Old Testament.
- Jesus came not to destroy the Law and the Prophets but to fulfill them.
- Jesus said that all the Old Testament points to him.
- Failing to declare ‘the whole counsel of God’ can put us in danger before the Lord.
- The New Testament authors stressed that God gave the Old Testament for Christians.
- The Apostle Paul commands church leaders to preach the Old Testament.
DeRouchie supports and gives short explanations of each of these points here:
In an article titled New Testament Use of the Old Testament, the late Roger Nicole (founder of the Evangelical Theological Society) lays out the tremendous amount of connection between the Old and New Testaments of the Bible.
His findings were that at least 352 verses of the New Testament contain direct quotes and references to Old Testament passages. These occupy more than 4.4 % of the New Testament, meaning one verse in every 22.5 is an Old Testament quotation.
If clear allusions to Old Testament verses are considered, the figures are much higher. Since this is more subjective, tallies from different scholars vary widely – from 613 to as many as 4105 New Testament passages that are reminiscent of Old Testament Scripture. This means that anywhere between 10 and 50% of the New Testament text is made up of citations or direct allusions to the Old Testament.
Why Moses and the Exodus?
Dr. Walt Kaiser distinguished professor of the Old Testament and former President of Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary is one of the scholars we interviewed. Kaiser said:
“That story about the Exodus is very, very foundational, 125 times in the biblical text it has the formula, ‘I’m the Lord your God that brought you up out of the land of bondage, out of the house of Egypt.’ So, God identifies Himself as the God who gave the deliverance.
”And that along with the theme that God began earlier to the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the promise. So, the promise and the Exodus are the two foundational themes that start the whole plan of God and carries the whole history, not only of Israel, but the history of all of Western and Eastern civilization.
”If there is no Exodus, then we begin to wonder how can we have the God who presents Himself, and who prides Himself, saying over 125 times, ‘I am the Lord your God that brought you up out of the land of Egypt.’ It doesn’t make sense at all. Therefore, it shakes the foundations even of New Testament theology because the two are built together and they actually come together. I think that it is extremely foundational for everything that God is going to do.”
Why It Matters If Moses Wrote the Bible’s First Books
There is another reason why it is so important to determine whether Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible also known as the Torah or the Pentateuch. Throughout the Bible there are about 40 references in both the Old and New Testaments that describe Mosaic authorship of the text and it claims for itself that it is the product of Moses’ writing as a result of what God told him to do.
And Moses wrote down all the words of the LORD.
– Exodus 24:4 (ESV)
And the LORD said to Moses, “Write these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.”
– Exodus 34:27 (ESV)
So, the integrity of the Bible is dependent on whether Moses wrote the first books of the Bible. Jesus himself was explicit about his view of Moses:
“If you believed Moses you would believe me for he wrote of me. If you do not believe his writings how will you believe my words?”
– John 5:46 (ESV)
But this is not the understanding of most mainstream scholars. I interviewed Professor William Dever, one of America’s premier archaeologists who specializes in the history of Israel during Biblical times. I asked him how common the view is that Moses wrote the Torah, among scholars today. Dever replied:
“I don’t think any scholar would hold that view today. Even evangelical scholars make use of the Documentary Hypothesis, for instance. Lay people of course will believe that, and orthodox Jews will believe that, orthodox Rabbis. But, I don’t think any mainstream scholars would any longer hold that view.”
But other scholars disagree. Professor Peter Gentry is a leading expert in the ancient Near East, working in a dozen ancient languages. When I asked him if Moses authored the first five books. Gentry answered:
“I think it comes from Moses himself. Many scholars today are just unaware of the latest advances in research on archeology history, how the Hebrews did their writing, and how Hebrew literature works.”
The more I thought about it, the more I realized that the attack on the credibility of the Bible starts with these questions of “who wrote the Bible” and “when was it written?”
This is the Moses Controversy and this is why it is important for people to see this film. The stakes could not be higher.
This thought-provoking fast-paced production takes viewers you on a faith-affirming journey across the globe to interview some of the world’s leading experts in Egyptology, ancient Hebrew, and early languages. The film reveals groundbreaking archaeological discoveries that form a pattern of evidence supporting Moses’ ability to record the Exodus as an eyewitness account.
“I love the film because it pushes back against the minimalists who want to mythologize all of this and dismiss it… There is substance to our faith. And films like this present that substance in a very profound, intriguing way. And it just builds my hope.” – Pastor A. R. Bernard
Final Thoughts on Moses’s Authorship
We are very excited about the release of our new film. Patterns of Evidence: The Moses Controversy will be in theaters for three days only: Thursday March 14th (6:30 pm), Saturday March 16th (12:55 pm), and Tuesday March 19th (6:30 pm). The event will include a Pre-show starting a half-hour before show time. A panel discussion will follow the film, featuring radio talk show host and author Michael Medved, author and social critic Os Guinness, Pastor A.R. Bernard, filmmaker Timothy Mahoney, and moderated by radio personality and author Todd Starnes.
Bring your family, friends and neighbors for an amazing experience of discovery and Bible-affirming evidence. Visit PatternsofEvidence.com/moses to find a theater near you, purchase tickets and view the trailer. GROUP TICKETS are available for groups of 10 or more, click the “Get Tickets Now” button to see a link for Group Ticket information.
We find clear patterns in the Bible. The question of Moses writing the Bible’s first books is crucial, and we are eager to tell you more in next week’s post. Find out why many scholars think Moses couldn’t have written the first books of the Bible and get a glimpse of the evidence for why he could. There will also be a NEW sneak peek scene from Patterns of Evidence: The Moses Controversy. Keep Thinking!
TOP PHOTO: Moses at Mount Sinai from Patterns of Evidence: The Moses Controversy (copyright 2019, Patterns of Evidence LLC)
