The Pentateuch
Digital Verbum Edition
Overview
The Pentateuch, also known to Christians and Jews as the “Law” (“Torah” in Hebrew), is made up of the first five books of the Bible. Genesis deals with the origin of the world, of man, and of the people of Israel. Exodus is an account of the epic journey of the Israelites from Egypt to the Promised Land. Leviticus deals with ritual holiness and worship. Numbers takes its name from censuses and lists of the Israelites. Deuteronomy, in three great discourses attributed to Moses, describes the later stages of the Exodus.
Top Highlights
“This way of thinking also shows how the salvation of many (even if they are sinners) can come through the faithfulness of a few, thereby preparing the way to see how the salvation of all mankind is brought about by the obedience of one man alone, Jesus Christ.” (Page 106)
“But the people are filled with pride, and want to make a name for themselves, and to guarantee their own security by reaching heaven by their own efforts.” (Page 80)
“Work, all work, bears witness to the dignity of man, to his dominion over creation. It is an opportunity to develop one’s personality. It is a bond of union with others, the way to support one’s family, a means of aiding the improvement of the society in which we live and in the progress of all mankind’ (St J. Escrivá, Christ Is Passing By, 46–47).” (Pages 43–44)
“(a) Any biblical text has to be read first in the context and in the light of Scripture as a whole” (Page 14)
“This sleep is a kind of death; it is as if God suspended the life he gave man, in order to re-shape him so that he can begin to live again in another way—by being two, man and woman, and no longer alone. By describing the creation of woman as coming from one of Adam’s ribs, the sacred writer is saying that, contrary to people’s thinking at the time, man and woman have the same nature and the same dignity, for both have come from the same piece of clay that God shaped and made into a living being. The Bible is also explaining the mutual attraction man and woman have for one another.” (Pages 49–50)