No "New" Interpretation

Q: In the NIB ( New Interpreters Bible ) Commentary the writers keep referring to Priestly and non-priestly versions of "The flood" in Genesis. Can you explain the difference to me?

A: Thank you for your question.  The authorship and inspiration of the Bible has been under attack for centuries. Recently, within the last few hundred years or so, skeptics from both the scientific and philosophical world have arose. Through the attacks of these skeptics many people have been deceived into believing the Bible is not true and therefore is not a book that can be trusted. Perhaps the largest attack against the Bible is in regards to the authorship of its first five books; Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy and Numbers. It has long been accepted that Moses is the author of these books, more commonly known as the Pentateuch, the Law or the Torah. Unfortunately, these skeptics, originating from both non-Christian and Christian circles, have put forth the man-made idea that Moses was not the author of these books. Instead, according to Dr. Terry Mortenson and Bodie Hodge of Answers in Genesis, "it is claimed that at least four different authors (or groups of authors) wrote various portions of these books over many centuries and then one or more redactors (editors) over many years combined and interwove everything together into its present form." It is this ideology that is behind Priestly and Non-Priestly versions of the Flood.

These skeptics created what is known as the JEDP Hypothesis. The J represents authors who preferred to use Jahweh or Jehovah when referring to God. The E stands for authors that used the word Elohim to refer to God. The D simply stands for Deuteronomy since this particular book apparently has its own author or set of authors. And, finally, the P is for Priest and is used to identify texts in other parts of the Pentateuch and specifically Leviticus that were written by priests. Keep in mind that the authors who comprised the J in the hypothesis are said to be the ones who make up the Non-Priestly group of authors. It must be noted that the creators of the JEDP Hypothesis were Jews and liberal Christian scholars from the late 1600s to the late 1800s. Therefore, to answer your question, the priestly and non-priestly interpretations of the Flood of Genesis are based on their belief that different authors (at least two) compiled the story. The Priestly interpretation is basically that the Flood lasted 150 days, that animals entered the Ark in twos and details an exact chronology of events. The Non-Priestly view states that the Flood lasted 40 days and that Noah was given the care of seven couples of pure animals and one couple of impure animals. These interpretations of the Flood are easily seen as man-made fallacies which directly contract the Bible's account. Different authors did not write the Pentateuch, but it is most likely a fact that Moses got his information directly from the writings of biblical characters, such as Noah, or from divine intervention.

There are numerous biblical proofs that Moses, not the various authors put forth by the creators of the JEDP Hypothesis, is the author of the Pentateuch. From the Pentateuch itself, you have Exodus 17:14, 24:4, 34:27, Numbers 33:1-2 and Deuteronomy 31:9-11. The rest of the Old Testament also testifies that Moses wrote the Pentateuch. You have Joshua 1:8; 8:31-32; 1 Kings 2:3; 2 Kings 14:6, 21:8; Ezra 6:18; Nehemiah 13:1; Daniel 9:11-13 and Malachi 4:4. Without stopping here, one can read into the Gospels and the New Testament to find proof that Moses authored the Pentateuch; Matthew 19:8, John 5:45-47; 7:19; Acts 3:22; Romans 10:5 and Mark 12:26. It is clear that Moses is the author of Genesis, the Flood account and the entire first five books of the Bible. Psalm 11:3 states, "When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?” The first five books of the Bible, namely Genesis, are the foundation of the scriptures. When we allow for skeptics to interpret our Bible, we are destroying the foundations of our faith. If any part of the Bible cannot be trusted, then none of it can. And if we can't trust the Bible, we cannot trust its testimony about our God and Savior Jesus Christ. 

"First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires...  But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed (2 Peter 3:3, 5-6)." The Apostle Peter spoke about those people who scoffed at the truth of the Bible. He even went so far as saying that the Flood would be one of the areas the scoffers would attack by "deliberately" forgetting it. This means that they purposely deny the truth in order to advance their own "evil desires." The simple fact that the authors of the Priestly and Non-Priestly views of the Flood compile their beliefs in a book called the "New Interpreter's Bible Commentary" is proof that they are not interested in truth. There is no "new" interpretation of the Bible. When it comes to interpretation, that is something that only comes from God. "I am your servant; give me discernment that I may understand your statutes (Psalm 119:125)." The only "Priestly" interpretation that matters is the interpretation of our High Priest, Jesus Christ, who interprets scripture for us and leads us into all truth through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. May God continue to reveal the truths of His Word to you.