The Torah we have today is the same as it was in the past.

ObservationsO1: This debate is whether or not the Torah is the same as it was when it was first given. I interpret this resolution to mean that the Torah is the same as it was first allegedly given by Moses on Mount Sinai in the year 2448 (3,328 years ago) as this is the traditional Judeo-Christian understanding of how the Torah was given. O2: Since this debate is on the Torah (first five books of Moses), any other Biblical text is irrelevant to this debate. O3: This debate is NOT about the existance of God or whether or not the Torah is true. Burden of ProofThe burden of proof in this debate is shared. My opponent must show that the Torah is most likely the same. It is incumbent on my to negate the resolution by showing where changes were made. Framework My framework is fairly simple. I will attempt to show that there has been significant revisions to the Sefer Torah since it was first given. I will also show why the Judeo-Christian tradition of how we received the Torah is incorrect. With that, let's begin. C1: Presence of historical anachronismsAn anachronism is defined as "a chronological inconsistency in some arrangement, especially a juxtaposition of person(s), events, objects, or customs from different periods of time. " [1] For example, on September 8, 1664, New Amesterdam was renamed New York. If we were to find a document that discusses events around this time and it calls the city "New York", we can conclude that it must have been written after 8 September 1664. Similarly, if a document were to call New Amsterdam "New York" and was supposedly "dated" prior to 8 September 1664, we can conclude the document must be a forgery. Example 1: The City of DanJudges 18:27-29And taking what Micah had made, and the priest who belonged to him, the Danites came to Laish, to a people quiet and unsuspecting and smote them with the edge of the sword, and burned the city with fire. And there was no deliverer because it was far from Sidon. It was in the valley which belongs to Bethrehob. And they rebuilt the city and dwelt in it. And they named the city Dan, after the name of Dan their ancestor who was born in Israel; but the name of the city was Laish at the first. This text describes the conquering of the land of Canaan and the conquering of the City of Laish. Much like in the example of New York/New Amsterdam, if we can find a place in the Torah that refers to Laish as Dan, then we have shown a historical anachronism. Genesis 14:14 When Abram heard that his kinsman had been taken captive, he led forth his trained men, born in his house, three hundred and eighteen of them, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. This text clearly refers to the City of Dan prior to the naming in Joshua - more than 200 years after the death of Moses. Example 2: The Israeli MonarchyIt is peculiar that the Torah should mention kings over Israel in the Torah long before Saul, the first king. Genesis 36:31 "These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the Israelites. Thus the earliest time frame in which this passage could have been written is during the time of King Saul. C2: Textual variaitonsEven more serious than the historical anachronisms are the textual variations that exist between different manuscripts. If I can show that there are major textual variations (other than minor spelling errors) then I win the debate on account that the texts must have been corrupted and changed over time. There are three main texts that are used for scholarly purposes: 1. The Masoretic Text (MT)2. The Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS) 3. The Samaritan Torah (ST) Between the ST and MT, there are over 6,000 variations. While about 3,000 are merely orthographical, the remaining are significant changes that completely change of alter the text [3]. For Pro to affirm his resolution, he needs to do establish which Torah text is the original and under what basis he chooses that text. He also needs to account for why these variations are there and how they came about in history. Chavie Lieber, in describing the differences between the ST and MT notes [ibid]:"The Samaritan Torah also offers a slightly different version of some stories. It includes parts of dialogues that are not found in the Masoretic text: For example, in Exodus chapters 7 through 11, the Samaritan Torah contains whole conversations between Moses, Aaron, and Pharaoh that the Masoretic text does not. " Interestingly, the LXX, a Greek translation of the Torah, shares 6,000 commonalities with the ST and less with the MT [4]. This has led some scholars to conclude that the ST is closer to the original than the MT. [3] One final example is in Deuteronomy 32 between the MT, the ST, and the LXX Deuteronomy 32.43, MT Deuteronomy 32.43, DSS Deuteronomy 32.43, LXX 1 Shout for joy, O nations, with his people 2 For he will avenge the blood of his servants 3 And will render vengeance to his adversaries 4 And will purge his land, his people. 1 Shout for joy, O heavens, with him 2 And worship him, all you divine ones 3 For he will avenge the blood of his sons 4 And he will render vengeance to his adversaries 5 And he will recompense the ones hating him 6 And he purges the land of his people. 1 Shout for joy, O heavens, with him 2 And let all the sons of God worship him 3 Shout for joy, O nations, with his people 4 And let all the angels of God be strong in him 5 Because he avenges the blood of his sons 6 And he will avenge and recompense justice to his enemies 7 And he will recompense the ones hating 8 And the Lord will cleanse the land of his people. As you can see, there is a significant difference between the three. How did these three changes occur? Conclusion Due to the presence of hsitorical anachronisms in the Torah and variations between manuscripts, we are forced to choose one of two conclusions:1. The Torah was not written by Moses, but at a much later date than the traditional Judeo-Christian beliefs would support; or2. The Torah underwent significant revision throughout history. Either one of these two conclusions is enough to negate the resolution. ________1. . http://bit.ly...;2. . http://bit.ly...;3. . http://bit.ly...;4. . http://bit.ly...;5. . http://bit.ly...;