The Origins of the Hebrew Scriptures. Chapter 1. The Missing Scroll.

This is the introductory chapter of a book in progress that grapples with the striking disparity between the pre- and post-exilic religion and way of life in ancient Judah, as attested archaeologically. The wild card is the textual history of the Mosaic Law. The preponderance of evidence indicates that it was written in the post-exilic Aramaic script (instead of Old Hebrew). Nevertheless, the story of Moses (along with the accounts of the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the narrative of Joseph in Egypt) did not appear ex nihilo. The stories came from somewhere. Moreover, they had sufficient cultural authenticity to be accepted as Holy Writ by the date of the closure of the Hebrew canon. This enigma leaves us with the fascinating task of resolving the time, place, origin, original form and purpose of the earliest narratives in the biblical timeline.