The Free Thinkers guide to the Bible

Part 4 Summary

Welcome back!

I realize that building a solid foundation requires a lot of time, information and patience.

I hope the studies I provide you are interesting and not boring or repetitive. I strive to make sure that you have no doubts regarding the topics I present to you, and that you have an extremely solid foundation by the end of the series.

Hopefully you have read all of the studies in order and found them eye opening and they have answered many of your questions, and better yet, brought more questions to mind.

In part four of the series I provided you with eight examples in the Genesis scroll that revealed the gradual insertion of religious subjects, objects and rituals by the “A” writer(s). Hopefully you are able to identify “A” writer insertions with greater ease after participating in this portion of the series.

If you have not explored the studies from the beginning of the series you could easily dismiss the examples in Genesis as coincidental or inconsequential. If you have followed the series from the start you will easily see the deliberate precision the “A” scribes used to place these religious centered works in the midst of the “B” writers stories. These religious based insertions set the stage for the Israelite priesthood that would come much later in the history of the Hebrew people.

The “A” writer(s) additions are carried on in the scrolls of Exodus and Numbers until the priesthood was officially ‘consecrated’ in Exodus twenty-nine.

An example of this is in Exodus chapter nineteen when the children of Israel camped at Mount Sinai and Moses went up the mountain. The “A” writer(s) added a reference to the future priesthood in verse six…

Exo 19:6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation.

Later in the account the “A” writers added that the priests of Israel needed to sanctify (ritually cleanse) themselves before they came before the Lord…

Exo 19:21 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they break through unto the LORD to gaze, and many of them perish. 22 And let the priests also, which come near to the LORD, sanctify (Qadash – ritually clean) themselves, lest the LORD break forth upon them. 23 And Moses said unto the LORD, The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai: for thou chargedst us, saying, Set bounds about the mount, and sanctify (Qadash – ritually clean) it. 24 And the LORD said unto him, Away, get thee down, and thou shalt come up, thou, and Aaron with thee: but let not the priests and the people break through to come up unto the LORD, lest he break forth upon them.

In addition to the mention of the priests of Israel, Aaron is also in the account and was the only person besides Moses that could ascend the Mount. (Likely because the "A" writers wrote that he would be proclaimed to be the high priest of Israel?)

If you are attentive you will notice a glaring problem with this “A” account.

There was no priesthood at the time of the account!

If you have been following the studies; this insertion should bring to your mind the “A” writer(s) account of Melchizedek the priest of God visiting Abram in the Genesis account.

It is clear that the “A” scribes and redactors had a clear goal: to prepare the way for the priesthood with its rites and rituals; to all who read their accounts, insertions and stories in the scrolls.

We have identified a substantial number of priestly rituals, rites, places and topics that have been inserted into the Genesis scroll…

The seventh day Sabbath, blessing, covenant, clean/unclean animals, the altar, ascension offerings, the sweet savour unto the Lord, the eternal eighth day circumcision, Priests, tithing, the house of God, anointing and vowing to God, ritual defilement, ritual cleanliness, drink offering and gid hanosheh.

Most of us have read these accounts without a second thought; accepting them as truthful, factual, historical, God breathed, authoritative and/or error free.

It is my hope that you use the information I present to form a greater spiritual connection with our Creator free of any restrictions caused by religious doctrines.

I will leave you with a quote from former President Thomas Jefferson who was a firm believer in an almighty Creator…

Question with boldness even the existence of a god; because if there be one he must approve of the homage of reason more than that of blindfolded fear.

Thomas Jefferson, letter to Peter Carr, August 10, 1787

Please continue with us in the next portion of the series:

Part #5 - The Perpetual Priesthood