The Pentateuch: An Introduction to the First Five Books of the Bible

The Anchor Yale Bible Reference Library

by Joseph Blenkinsopp

The Pentateuch (its Greek name, but also known as the Torah by the Hebrews) consists of the first five books of the Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. From Adam and Eve in the Garden, to Noah's Ark, to Moses' parting of the Red Sea, to its conclusion with the death of Moses, the Pentateuch contains some of the most important and memorable stories in Western civilization. In this richly detailed work, which has become a standard in the field, renowned biblical scholar Joseph Blenkinsopp unravels (as Harold Bloom did in The Book of J) the radical scholarly opinions on just where these ancient and powerful stories come from, how they were formed, and what significance they have today. In the classroom, when professors cover these books of Moses, they turn to Dr. Blenkinsopp's classic for reliable, accessible discussions of all the important details.

Genres: Biblical Studies, Theology, Old Testament

288 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1992

Reviews

[Jane Korvemaker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good presentation of different biblical theologies and methodologies of the Pentateuch and their historical developments while presenting the current (at the time of writing) understanding of the texts of the Pentateuch. It opposes the documentary hypothesis by comprehensively probing presuppositions of the hypothesis' interpretations.

This is a non-beginner book, it presupposes a good amount of familiarity with the Pentateuch and biblical theology. It is very detailed, providing a rich analysis of info up to the time of its writing.

[Caleb Rolling · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a helpful introduction to the deep, churning waters of pentateuchal studies. However, marketing it as an “introduction” might be deceiving, since it does presuppose some knowledge of pentateuchal criticism. This is rightly part of the Anchor Reference Library, for it is a book to have handy when doing serious work on the Pentateuch. One slight fault is simply that it is getting a little dated (published in 1992).

[M. Reali-Elliott · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn’t know anyone could make the Bible so boring and emotionless. I’ve read at least one of the author’s other works, so I knew I was in for a historical lesson, but I thought there would be something meaningful or inspiring along with it. Truly awful.

[Paige · Rating 2 out of 5]

You definitely need to be prepared for a thorough outline of biblical history when picking up this book. I found it difficult to invest 100% while reading, but that might be a result of the multiple other books I'm required to read for class. Very informative and certainly useful but a tad dry in my opinion.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is probably the least fascinating of the ones I read for Old Testament this semester. I like the insight into the structure a lot, and that part seems useful and important for future study.

[Nicholas]

The Pentateuch: An Introduction to the First Five Books of the Bible (Anchor Bible Reference Library) by Joseph Blenkinsopp (1992)

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very technical read, especially the first chapter which condenses two centuries of the history of biblical scholarship into 40-50 pages. After that it gets better.

[Matthew Henry · Rating 1 out of 5]

A book that works very hard at everything but treating the Pentateuch as what it is. The one thing you walk away with is that the author does not accept the historicity of the books.