Moses and Minimalism

Form Criticism vs. Fiction in the Pentateuch

The myth of Moses the Lawgiver has grown over the past two thousand years, evolving through gospel-like accounts from Hellenistic Jewish writers and even the cinematic epic The Ten Commandments. But the canonical story of Moses—as found in the first five books of the Bible—was itself the product of earlier stories, assembled by an unnamed, undated compiler. Where did the stories about Moses come from, and what were they? In Moses and Minimalism, Dr. Robert M. Price applies critical scrutiny and historical inquiry to this superstar of the Old Testament. Although Price demonstrates that there was no historical starting point for the Moses saga, which expanded over millennia through rabbinical tradition and modern storytelling, he uncovers his secret identity as the personified face of Jewish law.

©2015 Robert M. Price (P)2026 Pitchstone Publishing