What Is The "JEDP" Bible Theory?

Shortly after I became a born again Christian believer in 1987 and began my lifelong study of God's Word, I read a book written by a Professor of Religion from San Diego State University. In his book, this professor went into elaborate detail explaining how Moses was not the real author of the first five books of the Bible, the Pentateuch -- but, instead there were four authors whom he identified as J, E, D, P instead of by name.

To say the least, as a new Christian, I was confused and began to question the Bible. Who is right, the scholars -- or the Bible? Well, praise God, over the last 20+ years, I have determined that, when in doubt, always depend upon God's Written Word, the Bible. And, this got me back on track and helped me toward maturing in my knowledge of His Word.

So, I submit this writing to you today for two purposes: First, to help some who may have fallen into this same "Bible Scholars" trap -- to understand that not all Bible scholars are Christian believers. And, not all Bible scholars live to prove the Bible to be the inspired, authoritative Written Word of God.

My second reason for this writing is to introduce you to a really good web site resource: GotQuestions.Org

Over the years, I have found and used many online resources and found many of them to be acceptable; some quite good. Yet, when I have a question and want a concise, accurate answer -- I have found GotQuestions.Org to be one of the best. Below is their explanation of the, in my mind, erroneous teaching of the JEDP theory regarding the authorship of the Pentateuch.

I was prompted to write this because I found a post by Ken Ham, of Answers In Genesis, on Facebook today: It's hard to believe -- but even today, in Christian Colleges and seminaries, the idea of multiple authors (instead of Moses) for Genesis -- and the rest of the Pentateuch is still being taught. I urge you to read:

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

WHAT IS THE JEDP THEORY?
http://www.gotquestions.org/JEDP-theory.html

Question: "What is the JEDP Theory?"

Answer: In brief, the JEDP theory states that the first five books of the Bible, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, were not written entirely by Moses, who died in the 1400's B.C., but also by different authors/compliers after Moses. The theory is based on the fact that different names for God are used in different portions of the Pentateuch, and there are detectable differences in linguistic style.

The letters of the JEDP theory stand for the four supposed authors: the author who uses Jehovah for God's name, the author who uses Elohim for God's name, the author of Deuteronomy, and the Priestly author of Leviticus. The JEDP theory goes on to state that the different portions of the Pentateuch were likely compiled in the 4th Century B.C., possibly by Ezra.

So, why are there different names for God in books supposedly written by a single author? For example, Genesis chapter 1 uses the name Elohim, while Genesis chapter 2 uses the name YHWH. Patterns like this occur quite frequently in the Pentateuch. The answer is simple. Moses used God's names to make a point.

In Genesis chapter 1, God is Elohim, the mighty Creator God. In Genesis chapter 2, God is Yahweh, the personal God who created and relates to humanity. This does not point to different authors, but to a single author using God's various names to emphasize a point and describe different aspects of His character.

Regarding the different styles, should we not expect an author to have a different style when he is writing history (Genesis), writing legal statutes (Exodus, Deuteronomy), and writing intricate details of the sacrificial system (Leviticus)? The JEDP theory takes the explainable differences in the Pentateuch and invents an elaborate theory that has no basis in reality or history. No J, E, D, or P document has ever been discovered. No ancient Jewish or Christian scholar has even hinted that such documents existed.

The most powerful argument against the JEDP theory is the Bible itself. Jesus, in Mark 12:26, said, "Now about the dead rising -- have you not read in the book of Moses, in the account of the bush, how God said to him, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'?" Therefore, Jesus says plainly that Moses wrote the account of the burning bush in Exodus 3:1-3.

Luke, in Acts 3:22, comments on a passage in Deuteronomy 18:15 and credits Moses as being the author of that passage. Paul, in Romans 10:5, talks about the righteousness Moses describes in Leviticus 18:5. Paul, therefore, testifies that Moses is the author of Leviticus.

So, we have Jesus showing that Moses was the author of Exodus, Luke (in Acts) showing that Moses wrote Deuteronomy, and Paul saying that Moses was the author of Leviticus. In order for the JEDP theory to be true, Jesus, Luke, and Paul must all either be liars or be in error in their understanding of the Old Testament. Let us put our faith in Jesus and the human authors of Scripture rather than the ridiculous and baseless JEDP theory (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Recommended Resource: "Inspiration and Authority of the Bible" by Benjamin Warfield.

This page is also available in: Español, Português, Arabic, Italiano, Indonesia

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I pray this has been worth your reading time. If so, please feel free to share it with your Friends, Relatives, Associates, and Neighbors -- all your FRANs. Let's all keep sharing the Word of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ -- until He returns.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill Gray

Creation Is The Foundation"Dr. Henry M. Morris"

Can you imagine loving someone so much that you would voluntarily submit yourself to being spit upon, tortured, beaten until your body and face are unrecognizable? And, then, having an 80 pound wooden beam strapped on your raw, bloody, beaten shoulders and having to carry this, on your torture-weakened body, about a mile to the top of a hot, dusty, rocky hilltop. There to lay upon the cross constructed from your 80 pound cross-beam -- while soldiers drove huge metal spikes through your wrists and feet -- and lift you upon that cross to hang, suffocating because your position on that cross made it very difficult to get enough air into your lungs to breath? Then, to hang there for many hours as life slowly seeped out of your body. Do you love anyone enough to voluntarily do this for him/her?

Jesus Christ did this for you and for me. Yet, many people, even good Christian believers, will dishonor that painful sacrifice -- by denying the Creation. Yes, the Creation of Jesus Christ in His pre-incarnation deity. We read, in John 1:3, "All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being." And, in Colossians 1:16, "For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things have been created through Him and for Him."

Therefore, denying the Creation is to deny Jesus Christ!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
CREATION IS THE FOUNDATION
by Henry Morris, Ph.D. - (1918-2006)
Founder of the Institute for Creation Research
http://www.icr.org/article/5543/
It is high time that people in general, and Bible-believing Christians in particular, recognize the foundational significance of special creation. Creation is not merely a religious doctrine of only peripheral importance, as many people (even many evangelical Christians) seem to assume. Rather, it is the basis of all true science, of true american ideology, and of true Christianity.

Evolutionism, on the other hand, is actually a pseudo-science masquerading as science. As such, it has been acclaimed as the "scientific" foundation of atheism, humanism, communism, fascism, imperialism, racism, laissez-faire capitalism, and a variety of cultic, ethnic, and so-called liberal religions, by the respective founders and advocates of these systems. The creation/evolution issue is, in a very real sense, the most fundamental issue of all.

Foundation of True Science

Evolutionist presuppositions permeate the writings of modern scientists. Stanley D. Beck said, "No central scientific concept is more firmly established in our thinking, our methods, and our interpretations, than that of evolution." (1)

But it was not always thus. Beck himself, after defining and discussing the basic premises of science (that is, the existence of a real world, the capability of the human mind to understand the world, the principle of cause-and-effect, and the unified nature of the world), admitted that "each of these postulates had its origin in, or was consistent with, Christian theology." (2) That is, since the world was created by a divine Creator, and man was created in God's image, therefore nature makes orderly sense, man is able to decipher its operations, and true science becomes possible.

If the world is merely the chance product of random forces, on the other hand, then our human brains are meaningless jumbles of matter and electricity and science becomes nonsense. Consequently, the great founding fathers of true science (Kepler, Galileo, Pascal, Newton, Boyle, Brewster, Faraday, Linnaeus, Ray, Maxwell, Pasteur, Kelvin, etc.) were almost all creationists and believed they were glorifying God as they probed His works. Yet today such scientists would not even be considered scientists at all, because they believed in the primeval special creation of all things by God!

Foundation of American Ideology

Although not all of America's great founding fathers were Bible-believing Christians, almost all of them were true creationists, believing that God had created the world and man and all natural systems. The colonies had been settled and developed largely by Christian people who had come to this continent to gain freedom to believe and do what the Bible taught, and they all acknowledged that the foundational belief was belief in special creation. The historian Gilman Ostrander reminds us that:

"The American nation had been founded by intellectuals who had accepted a world view that was based upon Biblical authority as well as Newtonian science. They had assumed that God created the earth and all life upon it at the time of creation and had continued without change thereafter." (3)

Note that these great pioneers were intellectuals, not ignorant emotionalists. They laid great stress on education and science, founding many schools and colleges, in confidence that true learning in any field must be biblically governed. Christian historian Mary-Elaine Swanson said:

"In colonial times, the Bible was the primary tool in the educational process. In fact, according to Columbia University Professor Dr. Lawrence A. Cremin, the Bible was 'the single most primary source for the intellectual history of colonial America." From their knowledge of the Bible, a highly literate, creative people emerged.'" (4)

In a July 4 address in 1783, Dr. Elias Boudinot, then president of the Continental Congress, stated that his reason for advocating an annual Independence Day observance in America was the great precedent set by God Himself.

"No sooner had the great Creator of the heavens and the earth finished his almighty work, and pronounced all very good, but he set apart (not an anniversary, or one day in a year, but) one day in seven for the commemoration of his inimitable power in producing all things out of nothing." (5)

The fact of creation was also clearly implied several times in the Declaration of Independence itself ("endowed by our Creator," "created equal," "Nature's God," etc.). Attorney Marshall Foster has pointed out that at least the first 24 state constitutions recognized Christianity as the religion of their states. (6)

Yet today, the Bible, Christianity, and creationism have been banned from the schools of the states which had been founded to teach these very truths! All this has been done in the name of a gross distortion of the First Amendment. The amendment, which was intended to prevent the establishment of a particular national denomination (e.g., Catholic, Anglican), has instead been so twisted as to establish evolutionary humanism as the quasi-official religion of our public institutions.

The Foundation of True Religion

True religion must necessarily be based on worship of the world's true Creator. Other religions may deify great men, or man-made systems, or the world itself, but these are all merely variant forms of humanism as men "worship and serve the creature, rather than the Creator" (Romans 1:25). It is highly significant that all such religions and religious books begin with the creation, rather than the Creator, except the Bible!

That is, they all start with the universe already in existence, and then try to delineate how the primeval space/matter/time universe somehow developed into its present array of complex systems. This attribute characterizes both ancient paganism and modern humanism; these and all other atheistic, pantheistic, or polytheistic religions are merely various forms of evolutionism. Only in Genesis 1:1 (the foundation of all foundations!) is there a statement of the creation of the universe itself. Without this foundation, true religion is impossible.

Now although creation is the foundation, it is, of course, not the complete structure. Orthodox Judaism and Islam, like Christianity, believe in one eternal Creator, as revealed in Genesis 1:1, but they have rejected Him as Savior. In addition to the general revelation seen in the creation, God has explicitly revealed Himself through both His Word and His Son. Those who reject either or both, even though they believe in one God as primeval Creator and, like Christianity, are monotheistic, cannot know God in His fullness. He must be known as gracious Redeemer as well as omnipotent, but offended, Creator. Thus, biblical Christianity is the only truly creationist religion.

Foundation of Christology

By the same token, neither can one know Christ as He really is if one knows Him only as Redeemer. Faint-hearted Christians often justify their lukewarm attitude toward creation by saying that it is more important merely to "preach Christ." They forget that we are preaching "another Jesus" (2 Corinthians 11:4) if we do not preach Him as He really is, along with His complete work. The threefold aspect of the Person and Work of Jesus Christ is beautifully outlined in the majestic declaration of Colossians 1:16-20.

1. Past Work, Creation: "By him, were all things created," Colossians 1:16.
2. Present Work, Conservation: "By him, all things consist," Colossians 1:17.
3. Future Work, Consummation: "By him to reconcile all things," Colossians 1:20.

The great scope of this threefold work is "all things in heaven and in earth." Jesus Christ was Creator before He became the Sustainer (or Savior) and Reconciler, and the awful price of reconciliation, "the blood of His cross," is the measure of mankind's terrible offense against our Creator. That offense, furthermore, consists essentially of rejecting His Word, and thus denying that He is really the Creator.

One truly "preaches Christ" only when he first of all presents Him as the Almighty Creator, from whom man was alienated when he repudiated God's veracity in His Word. Only when this is first understood is it really meaningful to speak of God's forgiving grace and saving love, His incarnation and redemptive sacrifice as Son of man.

Foundation of Faith

The great message of Christianity is that "the just shall live by faith" (Hebrews 10:38), speaking of "them that believe, to the saving of the soul" (Hebrews 10:39). But exactly what is this living faith — this saving faith? Faith in the abstract is only naïve sentimentality; it must be faith in something and/or someone to have any substance.

The faith of which the apostle speaks, of course, is outlined in the verses immediately following, in the great "Faith Chapter," Hebrews 11. It is the faith of Abel, offering an acceptable sacrifice; it is Enoch's faith, pleasing God in obedient witness; it is Noah's faith, believing and acting on God's word; and Abraham's faith, stepping out on God's promises.

But, first of all, it is the foundational faith of Hebrews 11:3, the faith by which "we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear." This affirmation clearly tells us that any meaningful faith for salvation and the Christian life must be founded, first of all, on faith in God's special creation of all things, not out of already existing materials but solely by His omnipotent Word!

Foundation of the Gospel

Many Christians, who either ignore or compromise the biblical doctrine of creation, have urged creationists just to "preach the Gospel -- not creation!" But this is impossible, because the saving Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is squarely founded on creation. The wonderful threefold work of Christ (creation, conservation, consummation) as outlined in Colossians 1:16-20 is identified as "the gospel" in Colossians 1:23. The very last reference to the Gospel in the Bible (Revelation 14:6-7) calls it the everlasting Gospel (thus, it could never have been any different) and its message is to "worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters."

While it is surely true that the central focus of the Gospel is on the substitutionary atonement and victorious bodily resurrection of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4), it also includes His coming kingdom (Matthew 4:23) and His great creation. Any other gospel is "another gospel" (Galatians 1:6) and is not the true Gospel.

Without the creation, a supposed gospel would have no foundation; without the promised consummation, it offers no hope; without the cross and empty tomb, it has no saving power. But when we preach the true Gospel, with the complete Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ as they really are, we build on a "sure foundation," can promise a "blessed hope," and have available "all power in heaven and earth" through Christ who, in all His fullness, is "with us, even to the end of the world" (Matthew
28:20).

References

1. Beck, S. D. 1982. Natural Science and Creationist Theology. Bioscience. 32: 738.
2. Ibid, 739.
3. Ostrander, G. M. 1971. The Evolutionary Outlook, 1875-1900. Clio, MI: Marston Press, 1.
4. Swanson, M-E. 1983. Teaching Children the Bible. Mayflower Institute Journal. 1: 5.
5. Address in New Jersey to the Society of Cincinnati, July 4, 1783.
6. Foster, M. 1983. Mayflower Institute Journal. 1:1.

Adapted from Dr. Morris' article "Creation Is the Foundation" in the December 1983 edition of Acts & Facts.
* Dr. Morris (1918-2006) was Founder of the Institute for Creation Research. Cite this article: Morris, H. 2010. Creation Is the Foundation. Acts & Facts. 39 (9): 20-22.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This article is from the monthly publication "Acts & Facts" published by The Institute Of Creation Research. Visit their web site to read other articles in the latest issue which are pertinent to our Christian faith: http://www.icr.org

Or visit this web site page to get a free subscription to this great Christian magazine: http://www.icr.org/subscriptions/

Another web site you will find useful in your Biblical studies is Answers In Genesis: http://www.answersingenesis.org

Share this with your Friends, Relatives, Associates, and Neighbors -- all your FRANs. Let's keep discussing God's Word and sharing the Gospel with all we know, in all the world, especially the unchurched and the unsaved -- until He returns.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill Gray

Get Your Ticket For The Glory Train!

How often have we gotten involved in a discussion about the days of Creation, the act of the Creation itself, evolution, the End Times, salvation, eternal security, etc.? Often these discussions are begun by seekers who are searching for the truth, while, even if he/she does not know it -- seeking God. But, many times, these issues are raised by atheists and secularists as smoke screens; in their attempts to sell their atheistic religion to those who are seeking or to those who have yet to mature in their knowledge of God's Word -- in an attempt to lure them away from God.

The dialogue below touches on several of these issues. I pray that you will find this informative and that you will share it with your
Friends, Relatives, Associates, and Neighbors -- all your FRANs. Let's keep sowing seeds, keep sharing God's Word, keep telling folks the Gospel of Jesus Christ -- until He returns.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill Gray

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Hi to my Forum Friends,

In the discussion "Fundamentalism and Moderates" begun by our atheist Friend, Deep, before his most recent banning from the TimesDaily Religion Forum -- and in a recent resurrection of this discussion by Jeeping; the subject of the days of Creation surfaced. In the course of this discussion, we have tiptoed through the time of the Creation, i.e., billions of years versus thousands of years. Then, someone tossed in the Gap Theory; a Liberal attempt to make God fit science. And, then, in Jeeping's recent revival, on to the actual days of Creation: Lunar days -- or periods of millions of years?

At this point, I suggested:

The Hebrew word for "day" is "yom" or "yohm" -- and the Greek word for "day" is "hemera." The word "day" -- in both Hebrew and Greek combined -- occurs 1741 times in 1541 verses in the KJV Bible. Of those instances, at least 80% or better refer to a lunar day, i.e, a 24 hour day. There are time when day does refer to a period of time; but, the great majority of the time, it refers to a lunar day.

Now, since we all know that God is capable of creating anything He desires in an instant, in the blink of an eye; the fact that He took six lunar days must have a significance.

God created the heavens and the earth, and all within this universe, including us -- in six lunar days and then He rested on the seventh. This is our model -- that we are to work six days and take a day of rest. The same with our domestic animals used for farming, etc. -- word six days and a day of rest.

Land produces more abundantly if it is planted for six years -- and allowed to lay fallow, uncultivated, during the seventh year.

Yes, God is pretty smart. But, He knew that we humans are not so much -- so, He set down guidelines -- both in His workings and in His Written Word, the Bible. All we have to do is to follow Him and His divine guidelines.

And, my Friend, Barbaro, responds, "I think if would be extremely arrogant for any of us, including Bill, to think we have an idea of how, when, and how much time it took, to create the earth.....it hurts my head to even think about it..."

And, Sofa chimes in with, "Science has a very good understanding of this verified through the convergence of multiple lines of evidence including geologic, cosmological, astronomical, molecular, radiometric, and a dozen other disciplines. It is simply incredible that we will have people living today in this electronic world that still accept the ramblings of the ancient wise men as literal truth. Bill, God gave us the ability to discern His creation through science. Denying science is to deny His gift to you. Willful ignorance just has to be a sin."

Sofa, my Friend, you have listed a number of fields or disciplines of science; but, the one thing you neglected to tell us is that all of these sciences, and all other sciences -- are subsets of Creation. When "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1) -- that Creation included the complete spectrum of science and all the laws governing the sciences.

You tell us, "It is simply incredible that we will have people living today in this electronic world that still accept the ramblings of the ancient wise men as literal truth."

Not really incredible when one considers that the most Ancient and Wise, the One who authored all the writings in the Bible which you so frivolously denigrate -- is God Himself. Keep in mind that God is omniscient (all knowing), omnipotent (all powerful), and omnipresent (everywhere present) -- and, that He never has to say, "Oops!" And, this amazing "electronic world" -- guess who gave us the knowledge to create it? Yep! You guess it! GOD!

Then, you tell us, "Bill, God gave us the ability to discern His creation through science. Denying science is to deny His gift to you. Willful ignorance just has to be a sin."

Let's break this down. First, "Bill, God gave us the ability to discern His creation through science."

That is true. But, limiting His Creation to the unfinished fields of science -- is analogous to trying to define the miracle of conception and birth -- by examining the birth control pill.

Then, "Denying science is to deny His gift to you."

Who is denying science? We are merely putting science in its proper perspective, a subset of Creation. I have spent my entire adult working life in the computer field. I began working on computers when they were built from vacuum tubes. If you do not know what a vacuum tube is; ask your grandparents or some other mature person. I worked on and with computers through the vacuum tube era, the transistor era, the integrated circuit era, the VLSI (very large scale integrated circuit) era -- I was teaching seminars and courses on microcomputers before there were such things as PCs (personal computers) and Apples/MACs.

So, I would say that the world of science has been good to me -- and I have great respect for science -- and enjoy studying it. And, I thank God for all the science breakthroughs He has given us.

With all that said -- yes, the Creation was six lunar (24 hours) days -- and God rested on the seventh. If you will go back and study Genesis you will notice that for each of the six days of Creation, each always ends with, "And there was evening and there was morning, the Xth day." But, for the seventh day, this does not occur. Why? Do you suppose it is because we are still in God's day of rest -- and will be until He has finished His intended purpose -- that of bringing all who will, by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ; into eternal fellowship with Himself.

I am counted in that eternal fellowship. Are you? As long as your are still breathing on this earth -- it is not to late to accept your "free" ticket on that Glory Train. After you last breath here; your eternal destination is set in concrete. God never has to say, "Oops!" -- but, after this life, He will never say, "Try again!"

But, let me emphasize one more time; we are not saved by what we believe about the Creation; nor how many years we believe it took God to accomplish His masterpiece. We are not saved by what we believe about the End Times, nor how we view baptism, etc.

We are saved -- by the grace of God, through faith in Jesus Christ -- plus NOTHING else (Ephesians 2:8-9). All the other issues we can discuss, we can debate -- but, we should be willing to occasionally agree to disagree. We should NEVER allow these issues to become divisive among Christian believers.

I will end by saying that Genesis 1:1, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" -- is the foundation stone of our Bible. If this is not true; how can we believe anything else in the Bible? And, that is exactly why the atheists will fight so hard to disprove the act of Creation.

And, John 1:1, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1) -- is the foundation stone of our Christian faith. If this is not true, if Jesus Christ is not deity, if Jesus Christ is not God -- then none of us have a hope. And, that is exactly why the atheists will fight so hard to deny God and to deny Jesus Christ. This is Satan's futile attempt to defeat Christ.

To close the Biblical parenthetical declaration -- we have Revelation 22:13, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end." and in Revelation 22:20, "He who testifies to these things says, 'Yes, I am coming quickly.' Amen. Come, Lord Jesus."

So, my Friends, let's discuss all the Biblical issues; let's enjoy occasionally butting heads over issues; let's present our positions and allow others to present theirs; let's agree or refute those positions -- for these type discussions, which I liken to a good Bible study, will help us all grow and mature in our knowledge of God's Word. But, let us never allow these discussions to become divisive among Christian brothers and sisters. And, let's encourage our non-believing Friends to join our discussions -- for we never know which small seed may grow into eternal salvation for just one more person.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill