Genesis is the very first book of the Bible — and one of the most important pieces of writing in all of human history. It covers the creation of the universe, the origin of mankind, the Fall, the Flood, and the founding of the nation of Israel. But when exactly was it written? Who wrote it? And how could anyone have known what happened before humans even existed?
These are questions that scholars, theologians, and curious readers have wrestled with for centuries.
Who Wrote Genesis?
The traditional and most widely accepted answer — held by Jewish and Christian scholars for thousands of years — is that Moses wrote Genesis, along with the other four books of the Pentateuch (Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy).
This view is supported by:
- Jesus Himself, who refers to the writings of Moses multiple times (John 5:46–47, Luke 24:44)
- The Jewish Talmud, which attributes the Pentateuch to Moses
- Early Church Fathers, who consistently affirmed Mosaic authorship
- The internal structure of Genesis, which shows a unified, deliberate authorship rather than a patchwork of different writers
Even the book of Exodus references Moses writing things down (Exodus 17:14, 24:4), establishing that Moses was actively recording history as it happened — and by extension, compiling earlier records into what became Genesis.
When Was Genesis Written?
If Moses was the author, the timeline becomes fairly straightforward. Moses lived during the Exodus period, which most conservative biblical scholars date to around 1446 BC based on 1 Kings 6:1. Others place the Exodus slightly later, around 1290–1250 BC, based on archaeological evidence tied to Egyptian pharaohs.
This means Genesis was most likely written somewhere between 1446 BC and 1400 BC — making it approximately 3,400 to 3,500 years old.
But How Did Moses Know What Happened at Creation?
This is one of the most fascinating questions surrounding Genesis — and there are three compelling answers:
1. Divine Revelation The most straightforward biblical answer is that God revealed it to Moses directly. Just as God spoke to Moses through the burning bush, gave him the Ten Commandments, and guided him through the wilderness, God could have revealed the events of creation, Eden, and the early history of mankind through direct inspiration. This is what 2 Timothy 3:16 means when it says:
"All Scripture is God-breathed."
2. Ancient Written Records Genesis contains a repeated phrase — "These are the generations of..." (in Hebrew: "toledoth") — appearing 11 times throughout the book. Many scholars believe these phrases are actually markers pointing to pre-existing written records or tablets that Moses compiled and edited into the final text of Genesis. Under this view, figures like Adam, Noah, and Abraham may have kept their own written records that were eventually passed down and compiled by Moses.
3. Oral Tradition Before widespread writing, ancient cultures preserved history through careful, precise oral tradition passed from generation to generation. Given the extraordinarily long lifespans recorded in Genesis — with figures like Methuselah living 969 years — the chain of oral transmission from Adam to Moses required surprisingly few links. Adam could have spoken directly to Methuselah, who overlapped with Noah, who overlapped with Abraham — creating a remarkably short chain of transmission across thousands of years of history.
What Do Critical Scholars Say?
Not all scholars agree with Mosaic authorship. Beginning in the 18th and 19th centuries, a theory called the Documentary Hypothesis (also called the JEDP theory) proposed that Genesis and the Pentateuch were not written by Moses but were instead compiled from four separate source documents by unknown editors, completed as late as the 5th or 6th century BC — more than 800 years after Moses.
These proposed sources were labelled:
| Source | Name | Characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| J | Jahwist | Uses "Yahweh" for God |
| E | Elohist | Uses "Elohim" for God |
| D | Deuteronomist | Focused on law and covenant |
| P | Priestly | Focused on ritual and genealogy |
However, the Documentary Hypothesis has faced significant criticism in recent decades — even from secular scholars — because:
- Ancient Near Eastern literature regularly uses multiple names for the same deity
- The supposed "contradictions" between sources dissolve when read in their proper literary and cultural context
- Archaeological discoveries have repeatedly confirmed details in Genesis that critics once dismissed as fictional
- No physical manuscript evidence of these separate source documents has ever been found
What Does Archaeology Say?
Archaeology has repeatedly confirmed that writing existed long before Moses, making early authorship of Genesis entirely plausible. Some key discoveries include:
The Ebla Tablets (discovered 1975) — A library of over 17,000 clay tablets found in modern Syria, dated to around 2400–2300 BC — centuries before Moses. These tablets mention cities and customs directly consistent with the world described in early Genesis, confirming the historical reliability of the text.
The Epic of Gilgamesh — An ancient Mesopotamian text that contains a flood narrative strikingly similar to Noah's Flood, suggesting both draw from memory of a real historical event — and confirming that writing about primeval history was a very ancient practice.
The Dead Sea Scrolls — Discovered in 1947, these scrolls include Genesis manuscripts dated to around 150–100 BC and show that the text of Genesis has been transmitted with extraordinary accuracy over thousands of years.
A Simple Timeline
| Period | Event |
|---|---|
| Before 2000 BC | Possible original written tablets or oral records of Creation, Flood, and Patriarchs |
| ~1446–1400 BC | Moses compiles and writes Genesis under divine inspiration |
| ~400 BC | Old Testament canon largely complete |
| ~150 BC | Earliest surviving Genesis manuscripts (Dead Sea Scrolls) |
| ~1450 AD | Gutenberg Bible — Genesis printed for mass distribution |
| Today | Genesis remains the most read origin account in human history |
Why Does It Matter When Genesis Was Written?
The dating and authorship of Genesis matter enormously because they directly affect how we understand its authority and reliability. If Moses wrote Genesis under divine inspiration in the 15th century BC — drawing on ancient records and revelation from God — then it stands as a historically grounded, supernaturally preserved account of human origins.
If, on the other hand, it was compiled by unknown editors centuries later, its authority and historical reliability are far more questionable.
The evidence — biblical, archaeological, and historical — strongly supports the traditional view: Moses wrote Genesis, guided by God, around 1446–1400 BC, making it one of the oldest and most carefully preserved texts in the history of the world.
Conclusion
Genesis was most likely written by Moses around 1446–1400 BC, drawing on divine revelation, ancient written records, and carefully preserved oral tradition. It is approximately 3,400 years old — yet its account of creation, humanity, sin, and redemption remains as relevant, debated, and life-changing as ever.
The fact that a text this ancient has survived intact, been confirmed repeatedly by archaeology, and continues to shape billions of lives is itself a remarkable testimony to its divine origin.
"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." — Genesis 1:1
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Who wrote the Book of Genesis? Traditionally, Moses is considered the author of Genesis, a view supported by Jesus, the Jewish Talmud, and early Church Fathers. Moses likely compiled ancient records and wrote Genesis around 1446–1400 BC under divine inspiration.
Q: How old is the Book of Genesis? Genesis is approximately 3,400 to 3,500 years old, having been written around 1446–1400 BC during the time of Moses.
Q: How did Moses know about Creation if he wasn't there? Through a combination of divine revelation from God, ancient written records passed down from early patriarchs, and carefully preserved oral tradition across generations.
Q: What is the Documentary Hypothesis? It is a 19th century theory suggesting Genesis was compiled from four separate source documents as late as the 5th century BC. While widely taught in academic settings, it has faced increasing criticism and lacks direct manuscript evidence.
Q: Does archaeology support the Book of Genesis? Yes. Discoveries like the Ebla Tablets, the Epic of Gilgamesh, and the Dead Sea Scrolls have repeatedly confirmed the historical reliability and ancient origins of Genesis.
