The first week in our study of the documentary hypothesis of the Pentateuch took us through a brief review of various traditional and current scholarly attributions of the books of the Old Testament, an overview of the documentary hypothesis, and a walk through the historical development of the hypothesis. We started with a discussion about how context has changed the telling of our contemporary American history. e.g. We considered the 1941 story of Geo. A. Custer in “They Died With Their Boots On” vs. Arthur Penn’s 1970 “Little Big Man”. Custer represented America’s most heroic military traditions in the run-up to WWII. In the middle of the Vietnam War, his story showed the folly of America’s imperialism. In this same sense, understanding when and where the Biblical authors lived helps us to understand what they were trying to tell the world in their own stories.
At its core, the documentary hypothesis proposes that four authors plus several editors are responsible for the writings that make up the Pentateuch – Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. These authors are: the Yahwist (J) who wrote in Judah between 850 and 722 BCE; the Elohist (E) who wrote in Israel around the same time; the Priestly author (P) who wrote either shortly before or immediately after the exile in Jerusalem; and the Deuteronomist (D) who wrote in Jerusalem immediately before the exile.
The documentary hypothesis was formalized in 1876 by German theologian Julius Willhausen and his basic framework survives as mainstream thinking about Pentateuch authorship today. That said, Willhausen built his hypothesis on a significant amount of work that occurred in the two centuries before. Philosopher Thomas Hobbes was the first to reject Mosaic authorship in the 17th century. In the 18th century, J and E were first recognized as separate sources. Another German theologian, William Martin Leberecht de Wette, recognized the Deuteronomist as a separate author in the early 19th century. Finally, Herman Hupfeld separated P and E in the mid-19th century, setting the stage for Willhausen’s hypothesis.
Next week we’ll take an in-depth look at the Yahwist and Elohist, two authors writing at roughly the same time in two separate kingdoms.
At its core, the documentary hypothesis proposes that four authors plus several editors are responsible for the writings that make up the Pentateuch – Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. These authors are: the Yahwist (J) who wrote in Judah between 850 and 722 BCE; the Elohist (E) who wrote in Israel around the same time; the Priestly author (P) who wrote either shortly before or immediately after the exile in Jerusalem; and the Deuteronomist (D) who wrote in Jerusalem immediately before the exile.
The documentary hypothesis was formalized in 1876 by German theologian Julius Willhausen and his basic framework survives as mainstream thinking about Pentateuch authorship today. That said, Willhausen built his hypothesis on a significant amount of work that occurred in the two centuries before. Philosopher Thomas Hobbes was the first to reject Mosaic authorship in the 17th century. In the 18th century, J and E were first recognized as separate sources. Another German theologian, William Martin Leberecht de Wette, recognized the Deuteronomist as a separate author in the early 19th century. Finally, Herman Hupfeld separated P and E in the mid-19th century, setting the stage for Willhausen’s hypothesis.
Next week we’ll take an in-depth look at the Yahwist and Elohist, two authors writing at roughly the same time in two separate kingdoms.
As an aside, we briefly discussed the value of ancient manuscripts in understanding Biblical authorship. I mentioned an edition of Speaking of Faith that talked about current efforts to translate and preserve manuscripts from around the world. The podcast and related materials can be found here: http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/2009/preserving-words/
ReplyDeleteI wasn't there this morning, Scott, but this is an excellent explanation of the differing sources. Should be required reading for all folks whether at St. Paul's or another church!
ReplyDeleteScott,
ReplyDeleteHave you seen the new collection of material on the Pentateuch released on Pre-Pub from Logos Bible Software? It includes books by Rendtorff, Whybray, and others, and contains extensive discussion on the DH. I thought you might be interested: Pentateuch History and Origins Collection (10 Vols.)
-Kent