How the Bible Became a Book

The writing of the five books of the Torah is a prominent example of the textualization of ancient Israelite religion. On the one hand, the Book of Exodus, and particularly the revelation at Mount Sinai in Exodus 19–23, serves as a powerful illustration of the Bible's disinterest in its own textuality. On the other hand, the Book of Deuteronomy integrates the textuality of the Torah as a pivotal part of the revelation at Mount Horeb (not Mount Sinai as in Exodus). These differing accounts of the revelation reflect a historical process of the textualization of Israelite culture and religion. Although scholars have usually analyzed the Torah from the perspective of who wrote what (using source criticism), this chapter begins with a different approach, asking the question: how does the Torah relate to its own textuality?

The central figure of the Torah's textuality is Moses. There is a literary history to the textualization of Torah that follows Moses' own role in the revelation. Moses is first the deliverer of Israel. Next, he receives and speaks the revelation at Mount Sinai. Moses is given the stone tablets. According to Exodus, these tablets seem to contain the plans for the tabernacle. According to Deuteronomy, these tablets are the Ten Commandments. Finally, Moses grows into an author and the authority for the Jewish religion.