~~ Moses as Original Author ~~
The religious faithful believe that Moses wrote the five books of the Torah. The only exception for this would be the last eight verses of Deuteronomy which describe the death and burial of Moses - an event that would have obviously been difficult for Moses to do himself. Many scholars today believe that the Pentateuch may have been written by many people over the course of hundreds of years.
Most universities now teach the composite nature of the Pentateuch. Over the course of centuries, scholars have identified four potentially different authors and identify their work with the letters J, E, D, and P. The "J" portions are thought to have been written around 900 BC by people who referred to God as Jahweh or Jehovah. The "E" portions are thought to have been written around 750 BC by people (likely from the region of the Northern Kingdom) who referred to God as Elohim. The "D" portions refer to Deuteronomy and are thought to have been written between 650-620 BC. The "P" portions refer to spots like Leviticus that are thought to have been written by priests in exile after the destruction of Israel in 586 BC. The final Pentateuch is believed to have been combined and edited approximately 400 BC.