Catholic Answers Live – Episode #12449

Did Moses Write The Torah? | AMA: Catholicism w/ Jimmy Akin

Date: November 7, 2025
Host: Cy Kellett
Guest: Jimmy Akin (Senior Apologist, Catholic Answers)

Episode Overview

This episode is an open forum “Ask Me Anything”-style session with Catholic apologist Jimmy Akin. The central question launching the episode is: Did Moses write the first five books of the Bible? From there, a wide range of listener questions follow, exploring topics like self-flagellation, justification in Romans, Eucharistic theology, and the reliability of the sacraments when celebrated by unworthy ministers. The show is characterized by thoughtful, in-depth answers from Jimmy, always steeped in Catholic tradition, Scripture, and clear reasoning.

Did Moses Write the First Five Books of the Bible?

[02:09–10:46]

Key Points

• Historical Understanding:
  Traditionally, both Jews and Christians have attributed the Torah (Pentateuch) to Moses.

• Scripture’s Own Voice:
  The Torah itself never states that Moses authored it. Moses is the dominant character in Exodus–Deuteronomy, but is not mentioned in Genesis.

  “If you were to name one character that characterizes this set of five books, who is it? Well, it’s clearly Moses… But when you read the quintology itself, it never talks about Moses being the author. It never says Moses wrote these books.”
  — Jimmy Akin [03:24]

• Internal Evidence Against Mosaic Authorship:

  • Moses' Death: At the end of Deuteronomy, Moses dies. Logically, he could not have written the account of his own death.
  • Narrative Perspective: Some passages display a later historical viewpoint (“to this day”), suggesting a significant passage of time between the events and the writing.
  • Monarchic References: Some texts assume Israel’s monarchy (i.e., refer to Israel having a king), which did not exist until centuries after Moses (c. 1000 BC).
  • Land Boundaries: The descriptions match Israel’s borders during the early monarchy, not in Moses’ era.

  “If he had just died and someone scribbled down what happened, they wouldn’t say ‘to this day’ if it’s like the next week. This ‘to this day’ implies a significant passage of time.”
  — Jimmy Akin [05:37]

• Traditional Material & Tabernacle Details:

  • Some content, such as detailed instructions for building the Tabernacle, likely goes back to the Mosaic period.
  • Jimmy argues it’s hard to explain the specificity of Tabernacle instructions without ancient roots.

• Scholarly Theories & Jimmy’s Conclusion:

  • Rejects both late-dating after the Babylonian exile (c. 400 BC) and strict Mosaic dictation.
  • Proposes the Torah likely reached final form under David or Solomon (c. 1000 BC).

  “I tend to think it can be described as Mosaic in the sense of containing traditions that go back to Moses. But I don’t think it’s Mosaic in the sense of he personally dictated these books… If I had to guess, my guess would be that these books were in basically their final form in the time of David or Solomon.”
  — Jimmy Akin [10:10]

Listener Q&A Highlights

1. Self-Flagellation: Penance or Self-Harm?

[14:14–24:02]
Caller: Janelle

• Question: Saints practiced self-flagellation—does this constitute self-harm, and is it sinful?

• Response:

  • The body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, but physical pain (e.g., athletic discipline: “no pain, no gain”) is not inherently sinful.
  • The theological category is mutilation, not self-harm.
    • Mutilation only occurs when you seriously damage the body without just cause. Minor acts causing pain for spiritual discipline (if moderate) do not meet this definition.
  • Scripture and tradition both highlight forms of physical penance (e.g., striking the breast at Mass).
  • Risks: May become sinful if done out of unhealthy scrupulosity or if actual bodily harm (mutilation) occurs.
  • On the Saints: Some likely used it well; others may have taken it too far. Judgment is left to God.

  “Self-flagellation is not itself sinful, but it can become sinful or otherwise unhealthy in a variety of different ways.”
  — Jimmy Akin [23:20]

2. Romans 4:5 and Justification—Forensic or Transformative?

[24:28–35:38]
Caller: Daniel

• Question: Calvinists point to Paul’s use of logizomai (“reckon”)—is this strictly legal/forensic? How does this relate to Catholic teaching?
• Response:
  • Paul draws his language from Genesis 15 (God “counted” Abraham’s faith as righteousness).
  • Multiple possibilities in the Hebrew: God counting Abraham’s faith as righteous, or God counting Abraham to be righteous—interpretation is flexible.
  • The Greek word means “calculate” or “reckon,” not necessarily a strictly legal declaration.
  • The passage does not preclude a Catholic understanding (that justification also transforms the soul).
  • Key Point: The verse does not settle the debate between forensic and transformative justification. Both are compatible with the semantics of the passage.

“It just means reckon or calculate. … Doesn’t prove Calvinism, doesn’t disprove Catholic teaching about justification. So I just don’t see this verse as being relevant to the discussion.”
— Jimmy Akin [33:38]

3. The Eucharist: Are We Cannibals? What About Bleeding Hosts?

[35:55–40:07]
Caller: Angkor

• Questions:
  • Does the distinction between substance and accidents (appearances) in the Eucharist refute the charge of cannibalism?
  • If a host miraculously bleeds or manifests as living tissue, is it okay to consume it?
• Response:
  • Church language is “species” or “appearances,” not “accidents.”
  • We are not cannibals: Jesus’ glorified body is not physically consumed; our digestive systems interact with the appearances of bread and wine.
  • In miraculous cases:
    • Even if a host appears as flesh, it’s not the substance of Christ’s body in the normal sense (e.g., it’s smaller than his whole body—an inch of tissue is not the entire Christ).
    • The underlying reality remains a sacramental presence, not a literal corporal consumption.

“Jesus’s body is just fine in its glorified state up in heaven. And I’m not digesting Jesus’s heavenly body, so I’m obviously not committing cannibalism.”
— Jimmy Akin [37:01]

4. Scandals in the Church—Why Remain Catholic?

[45:21–53:06]
Caller: Bill

• Questions:

  • Why join the Catholic Church when it’s rocked by scandals?
  • If a priest is personally sinful or unworthy, are the sacraments invalid?

• Response:

  • All Christian communities have sinners, as the first pope (Peter) did.
  • The validity of sacraments doesn’t depend on the moral worthiness of the minister—a principle recognized since the early Church, to ensure objective access to grace.

  “If the efficacy, the effectiveness of the sacraments depended on the human minister being worthy, then we would never be able to know that the sacraments were not invalid, because we never know what’s in another person’s heart…The sacraments are like Tonka trucks… hard to break.”
  — Jimmy Akin [51:08, 52:45]

Notable Quotes

“I tend to think it can be described as Mosaic in the sense of containing traditions that go back to Moses, but I don’t think it’s Mosaic in the sense of he personally dictated these books and had a scribe write them down.”
— Jimmy Akin [10:10]

“So self-flagellation is not itself sinful, but it can become sinful or otherwise unhealthy in a variety of different ways.”
— Jimmy Akin [23:20]

“The Greek word [logizomai] just means to reckon or calculate… Doesn’t prove Calvinism, doesn’t disprove Catholic teaching about justification.”
— Jimmy Akin [33:38]

“Jesus’s body is just fine in its glorified state up in heaven… I’m obviously not committing cannibalism.”
— Jimmy Akin [37:01]

“The sacraments are like Tonka trucks… hard to break.”
— Jimmy Akin [52:45]

Timestamps of Important Segments

• Did Moses Write the Torah?: [02:09–10:46]
• Self-Flagellation & Sin?: [14:14–24:02]
• Justification in Romans 4:5: [24:28–35:38]
• Eucharist & Cannibalism: [35:55–40:07]
• Why Stay Catholic Amid Scandals?: [45:21–53:06]

Additional Notes

• Resource Highlight:
  Jimmy briefly announces his new podcast episode on “St. Albert the Great” and another about “codices” and the evolution of biblical book formats.
  See: Jimmy Akin’s Mysterious World and Jimmy Akin Podcast [12:27, 53:48]

• Tone:
  The episode is friendly, accessible, and deeply informative, with Jimmy blending classical apologetics and scriptural interpretation with pastoral sensitivity.

This summary covers the major questions, key teachings, memorable explanations, and references within the episode. It can guide both those seeking quick Catholic answers and those digging deeper into Scripture, Church history, and theology.