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 Pen·ta·teuch /ˈpɛntəˌtuk, ˌtjuk/
 摩西五書

 Pen·ta·teuch n.  The first five books of the Old Testament, collectively; -- called also the Law of Moses, Book of the Law of Moses, etc.
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 Pentateuch
      n : the first of three divisions of the Hebrew Scriptures
          comprising the first five books of the Hebrew Bible
          considered as a unit [syn: Torah, Laws]

 Pentateuch
    the five-fold volume, consisting of the first five books of the
    Old Testament. This word does not occur in Scripture, nor is it
    certainly known when the roll was thus divided into five
    portions Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy.
    Probably that was done by the LXX. translators. Some modern
    critics speak of a Hexateuch, introducing the Book of Joshua as
    one of the group. But this book is of an entirely different
    character from the other books, and has a different author. It
    stands by itself as the first of a series of historical books
    beginning with the entrance of the Israelites into Canaan. (See JOSHUA.)
      The books composing the Pentateuch are properly but one book,
    the "Law of Moses," the "Book of the Law of Moses," the "Book of
    Moses," or, as the Jews designate it, the "Torah" or "Law." That
    in its present form it "proceeds from a single author is proved
    by its plan and aim, according to which its whole contents refer
    to the covenant concluded between Jehovah and his people, by the
    instrumentality of Moses, in such a way that everything before
    his time is perceived to be preparatory to this fact, and all
    the rest to be the development of it. Nevertheless, this unity
    has not been stamped upon it as a matter of necessity by the
    latest redactor: it has been there from the beginning, and is
    visible in the first plan and in the whole execution of the
    work.", Keil, Einl. i.d. A. T.
      A certain school of critics have set themselves to reconstruct
    the books of the Old Testament. By a process of "scientific
    study" they have discovered that the so-called historical books
    of the Old Testament are not history at all, but a miscellaneous
    collection of stories, the inventions of many different writers,
    patched together by a variety of editors! As regards the
    Pentateuch, they are not ashamed to attribute fraud, and even
    conspiracy, to its authors, who sought to find acceptance to
    their work which was composed partly in the age of Josiah, and
    partly in that of Ezra and Nehemiah, by giving it out to be the
    work of Moses! This is not the place to enter into the details
    of this controversy. We may say frankly, however, that we have
    no faith in this "higher criticism." It degrades the books of
    the Old Testament below the level of fallible human writings,
    and the arguments on which its speculations are built are
    altogether untenable.
      The evidences in favour of the Mosaic authorship of the
    Pentateuch are conclusive. We may thus state some of them
    briefly:
      (1.) These books profess to have been written by Moses in the
    name of God (Ex. 17:14; 24:3, 4, 7; 32:7-10, 30-34; 34:27; Lev.
    26:46; 27:34; Deut. 31:9, 24, 25).
      (2.) This also is the uniform and persistent testimony of the
    Jews of all sects in all ages and countries (comp. Josh. 8:31,
    32; 1 Kings 2:3; Jer. 7:22; Ezra 6:18; Neh. 8:1; Mal. 4:4; Matt.
    22:24; Acts 15:21).
      (3.) Our Lord plainly taught the Mosaic authorship of these
    books (Matt. 5:17, 18; 19:8; 22:31, 32; 23:2; Mark 10:9; 12:26;
    Luke 16:31; 20:37; 24:26, 27, 44; John 3:14; 5:45, 46, 47; 6:32,
    49; 7:19, 22). In the face of this fact, will any one venture to
    allege either that Christ was ignorant of the composition of the
    Bible, or that, knowing the true state of the case, he yet
    encouraged the people in the delusion they clung to?
      (4.) From the time of Joshua down to the time of Ezra there
    is, in the intermediate historical books, a constant reference
    to the Pentateuch as the "Book of the Law of Moses." This is a
    point of much importance, inasmuch as the critics deny that
    there is any such reference; and hence they deny the historical
    character of the Pentateuch. As regards the Passover, e.g., we
    find it frequently spoken of or alluded to in the historical
    books following the Pentateuch, showing that the "Law of Moses"
    was then certainly known. It was celebrated in the time of
    Joshua (Josh. 5:10, cf. 4:19), Hezekiah (2 Chr. 30), Josiah (2
    Kings 23; 2 Chr. 35), and Zerubbabel (Ezra 6:19-22), and is
    referred to in such passages as 2 Kings 23:22; 2 Chr. 35:18; 1
    Kings 9:25 ("three times in a year"); 2 Chr. 8:13. Similarly we
    might show frequent references to the Feast of Tabernacles and
    other Jewish institutions, although we do not admit that any
    valid argument can be drawn from the silence of Scripture in
    such a case. An examination of the following texts, 1 Kings 2:9;
    2 Kings 14:6; 2 Chr. 23:18; 25:4; 34:14; Ezra 3:2; 7:6; Dan.
    9:11, 13, will also plainly show that the "Law of Moses" was
    known during all these centuries.
      Granting that in the time of Moses there existed certain oral
    traditions or written records and documents which he was
    divinely led to make use of in his history, and that his writing
    was revised by inspired successors, this will fully account for
    certain peculiarities of expression which critics have called
    "anachronisms" and "contradictions," but in no way militates
    against the doctrine that Moses was the original author of the
    whole of the Pentateuch. It is not necessary for us to affirm
    that the whole is an original composition; but we affirm that
    the evidences clearly demonstrate that Moses was the author of
    those books which have come down to us bearing his name. The
    Pentateuch is certainly the basis and necessary preliminary of
    the whole of the Old Testament history and literature. (See DEUTERONOMY.)

 Pentateuch, the five books of Moses