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Why is the Torah also called the Pentateuch or the Five Books of Moses?
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Hebrew Bible
Portion of the Aleppo Codex, a manuscript of the Hebrew Bible written in the Hebrew language in the 10th century ce; in the Shrine of the Book, Israel Museum, Jerusalem.
The term Torah is frequently used to refer to the first five books of the Hebrew Bible—Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy—for the following reasons:
- Pentateuch: This name is derived from the Greek word pentateuchos, which simply means "five books" or "five scrolls". It is a term commonly used in Christianity to describe this specific collection of scriptures.1234
- Five Books of Moses: These books are traditionally ascribed to Moses, who is regarded as the recipient of the original divine revelation on Mount Sinai. While modern scholarship notes that the text contains passages written from a later perspective and that the traditional claim of total Mosaic authorship is considered untenable, the books are described as "Mosaic" in a general sense because they center on his role as the mediator of the Covenant, legislator, and leader of the people.435