There are several ways that authority is established in the bible. I want to briefly touch on several examples to help you in your studies. With this information you will be able to detect intentional scribal attributions.

If you actively use this tool while studying it will open your mind and allow you to see patterns and identify writers based on the various ways they establish authority.

Subject repetition:

The use of subject repetition subtly conveys authority to the reader. The repetitions ingrain patterns and etch themselves in the brains long term memory. Just as children learn in classroom situations, repetition makes recollection easier. It is easy to recall biblical concepts that have been drilled into your mind through repetition.

Aaron made the spokesman for the people

Aaron – 11X (in 15 “A” account verses)

Exo 7:1 And the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet. 2 Thou shalt speak all that I command thee: and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he send the children of Israel out of his land. 3 And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt. 4 But Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that I may lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth mine armies, and my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. 5 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch forth mine hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them. 6 And Moses and Aaron did as the LORD commanded them, so did they. 7 And Moses was fourscore years old, and Aaron fourscore and three years old, when they spake unto Pharaoh. 8 And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, 9 When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying, Shew a miracle for you: then thou shalt say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and cast it before Pharaoh, and it shall become a serpent. 10 And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the LORD had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent. 11 Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerer’s: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments. 12 For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods. 13 And he hardened Pharaoh's heart, that he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said. 14 And the LORD said unto Moses, Pharaoh's heart is hardened, he refuseth to let the people go. *** 19 And the LORD spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and stretch out thine hand upon the waters of Egypt, upon their streams, upon their rivers, and upon their ponds, and upon all their pools of water, that they may become blood; and that there may be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood, and in vessels of stone. 20 And Moses and Aaron did so, as the LORD commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and smote the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood.

Also in this account:

Authority of the Firstborn: Verse seven includes an example of the ancient concept of firstborn authority – It is stated that Aaron is older than Moses and thus Aaron carries the authority of the family

Authority due to diminishment: In verse two of this “A” account we read that Aaron is made the prophet and spokesman for the people. This transfer of authority is said to be by the command of the Creator due to a diminishment of Moses. (See part 2 studies for clarification)

Authority by association: We also read in this “A” account five occurrences of a sharing of authority. Moses is the primary authority, Aaron shares in his authority. The Creator speaks to both of them and gives them instructions and both of them are equally involved in carrying out the Creators commands.

The priestly offerings

Offer/Offering – 23X (29 verses)

Aaron and his sons – 10X (Through repetition these verses establish the priestly authority and lineage of Aaron through his descendants)

Altar – 11X

Exo 29:13 And thou shalt take all the fat that covereth the inwards, and the caul that is above the liver, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, and burn them upon the altar. 14 But the flesh of the bullock, and his skin, and his dung, shalt thou burn with fire without the camp: it is a sin offering. 15 Thou shalt also take one ram; and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the ram. 16 And thou shalt slay the ram, and thou shalt take his blood, and sprinkle it round about upon the altar. 17 And thou shalt cut the ram in pieces, and wash the inwards of him, and his legs, and put them unto his pieces, and unto his head. 18 And thou shalt burn the whole ram upon the altar: it is a burnt offering unto the LORD: it is a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto the LORD. 19 And thou shalt take the other ram; and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the ram. 20 Then shalt thou kill the ram, and take of his blood, and put it upon the tip of the right ear of Aaron, and upon the tip of the right ear of his sons, and upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great toe of their right foot, and sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about. 21 And thou shalt take of the blood that is upon the altar, and of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it upon Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon the garments of his sons with him: and he shall be hallowed, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons' garments with him. 22 Also thou shalt take of the ram the fat and the rump, and the fat that covereth the inwards, and the caul above the liver, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, and the right shoulder; for it is a ram of consecration: 23 And one loaf of bread, and one cake of oiled bread, and one wafer out of the basket of the unleavened bread that is before the LORD: 24 And thou shalt put all in the hands of Aaron, and in the hands of his sons; and shalt wave them for a wave offering before the LORD. 25 And thou shalt receive them of their hands, and burn them upon the altar for a burnt offering, for a sweet savour before the LORD: it is an offering made by fire unto the LORD. 26 And thou shalt take the breast of the ram of Aaron's consecration, and wave it for a wave offering before the LORD: and it shall be thy part. 27 And thou shalt sanctify the breast of the wave offering, and the shoulder of the heave offering, which is waved, and which is heaved up, of the ram of the consecration, even of that which is for Aaron, and of that which is for his sons: 28 And it shall be Aaron's and his sons' by a statute for ever from the children of Israel: for it is an heave offering: and it shall be an heave offering from the children of Israel of the sacrifice of their peace offerings, even their heave offering unto the LORD. 29 And the holy garments of Aaron shall be his sons' after him, to be anointed therein, and to be consecrated in them. 30 And that son that is priest in his stead shall put them on seven days, when he cometh into the tabernacle of the congregation to minister in the holy place. 31 And thou shalt take the ram of the consecration, and seethe his flesh in the holy place. 32 And Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram, and the bread that is in the basket, by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 33 And they shall eat those things wherewith the atonement was made, to consecrate and to sanctify them: but a stranger shall not eat thereof, because they are holy. 34 And if ought of the flesh of the consecrations, or of the bread, remain unto the morning, then thou shalt burn the remainder with fire: it shall not be eaten, because it is holy. 35 And thus shalt thou do unto Aaron, and to his sons, according to all things which I have commanded thee: seven days shalt thou consecrate them. 36 And thou shalt offer every day a bullock for a sin offering for atonement: and thou shalt cleanse the altar, when thou hast made an atonement for it, and thou shalt anoint it, to sanctify it. 37 Seven days thou shalt make an atonement for the altar, and sanctify it; and it shall be an altar most holy: whatsoever toucheth the altar shall be holy. 38 Now this is that which thou shalt offer upon the altar; two lambs of the first year day by day continually. 39 The one lamb thou shalt offer in the morning; and the other lamb thou shalt offer at even: 40 And with the one lamb a tenth deal of flour mingled with the fourth part of an hin of beaten oil; and the fourth part of an hin of wine for a drink offering. 41 And the other lamb thou shalt offer at even, and shalt do thereto according to the meat offering of the morning, and according to the drink offering thereof, for a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto the LORD. 42 This shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD: where I will meet you, to speak there unto thee.

The fall of Jericho

The Ark – 10X (13 verses)

Priests – 8X

The number seven – 10X (Think of the number seven in biblical context. What comes to your mind? The seven days of Creation? The seventh day Sabbath? Number patterns etch themselves into our minds and create quick reference points. When reading, always look for the use of number repetition. It can be a clue to help identify writer(s))

Jos 6:1 now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in. 2 And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour. 3 And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days. 4 And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams' horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets. 5 And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him. 6 And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said unto them, Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the LORD. 7 And he said unto the people, Pass on, and compass the city, and let him that is armed pass on before the ark of the LORD. 8 And it came to pass, when Joshua had spoken unto the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns passed on before the LORD, and blew with the trumpets: and the ark of the covenant of the LORD followed them. 9 And the armed men went before the priests that blew with the trumpets, and the rereward came after the ark, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets. 10 And Joshua had commanded the people, saying, Ye shall not shout, nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you shout; then shall ye shout. 11 So the ark of the LORD compassed the city, going about it once: and they came into the camp, and lodged in the camp. 12 And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the LORD. 13 And seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the LORD went on continually, and blew with the trumpets: and the armed men went before them; but the rereward came after the ark of the LORD, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets.

Lineage authority:

The use of lineage authority subtly or overtly grants each individual on the list the authority of the first or original individual. Through his lineage Ezra the Priest, Scribe and Teacher of the law of God is also perceived to have the authority of Aaron the High Priest.

Num 25:7 And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from among the congregation, and took a javelin in his hand; 8 And he went after the man of Israel into the tent, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her belly. So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel.

Jdg 20:27 And the children of Israel enquired of the LORD, (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, 28 And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days,) saying, Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease? And the LORD said, Go up; for tomorrow I will deliver them into thine hand.

Ezra 7:1 Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah, 2 The son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub, 3 The son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth, 4 The son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki, 5 The son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest: 6 This Ezra went up from Babylon; and he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which the LORD God of Israel had given: and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the LORD his God upon him.

If it’s older, it’s more authoritative!?

What if there was a scribe or scribes that wanted to give the illusion of antiquity to their account to give it authority? What if they created a new account that was similar to an existing account and focused on the subject(s) they wanted to give an air of authority?

I present to you the possibility that the “A” account that features the seven days of Creation story may have been written to be the “ancient” foundation of, and promote the seventh day Sabbath. I also present to you the Ten Commands accounts that draws upon the authority of the “A” Creation account to strengthen it.

I will leave the determination to you…

The Creation of the World (Genesis 1) “A”

Gen 1:1 In the beginning God (אלהים) (Elohim) created the heaven and the earth. 2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God (אלהים) (Elohim) moved upon the face of the waters. 3 And God (אלהים) (Elohim) said, Let there be light: and there was light. 4 And God (אלהים) (Elohim) saw the light, that it was good: and God (אלהים) (Elohim) divided the light from the darkness. 5 And God (אלהים) (Elohim) called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

6 And God (אלהים) (Elohim) said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. 7 And God (אלהים) (Elohim) made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. 8 And God (אלהים) (Elohim) called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

9 And God (אלהים) (Elohim) said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. 10 And God (אלהים) (Elohim) called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God (אלהים) (Elohim) saw that it was good. 11 And God (אלהים) (Elohim) said; Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God (אלהים) (Elohim) saw that it was good. 13 And the evening and the morning were the third day.

14 And God (אלהים) (Elohim) said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: 15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. 16 And God (אלהים) (Elohim) made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. 17 And God (אלהים) (Elohim) set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, 18 and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God (אלהים) (Elohim) saw that it was good. 19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

20 And God (אלהים) (Elohim) said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. 21 And God (אלהים) (Elohim) created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God (אלהים) (Elohim) saw that it was good. 22 And God (אלהים) (Elohim) blessed them, saying, be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. 23 And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

24 And God (אלהים) (Elohim) said; Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. 25 And God (אלהים) (Elohim) made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and everything that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God (אלהים) (Elohim) saw that it was good. 26 And God (אלהים) (Elohim) said; Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 27 So God (אלהים) (Elohim) created man in his own image, in the image of God (אלהים) (Elohim) created he him; male and female created he them. 28 And God (אלהים) (Elohim) blessed them, and God (אלהים) (Elohim) said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. 29 And God (אלהים) (Elohim) said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. 30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to everything that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. 31 And God (אלהים) (Elohim) saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

Gen 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God (אלהים) (Elohim) ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. 3 And God (אלהים) (Elohim) blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God (אלהים) (Elohim) created and made.

The Ten Commandments

Exo 20:1 And God spake all these words, saying, 2 I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. 7 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. 8 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. 12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. 13 Thou shalt not kill. 14 Thou shalt not commit adultery. 15 Thou shalt not steal. 16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. 17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house; thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.

I hope this tool helps you in your future studies. I do not present this to you in order to take away your belief in the Creator whom I firmly believe in. I present this to help you swipe away the smoke and mirrors so you can clearly see the foundations of the bible.

I believe the basis of religion is useful as it promotes kindness and solidarity. I personally use the ten commands as my code of ethics.

The people of Israel whose nation was taken away and were dispersed would never have returned to their land if their identity had evaporated. The Hebrew religion gave the people identity and purpose. The seventh day Sabbath set them apart from the people they lived amongst. Judaism kept the people together with gatherings at synagogues on Sabbath, torah readings, festival observances and the sages’ interpretations of the scriptures (Mishnah and Talmud).

Note: I absolutely condemn religious leaders who seek money and power and who use religion as a tool to manipulate people.

The Freethinkers guide to the bible

Study tool: Establishing Authority