This week we took an in-depth look at the Yahwist (J) and Elohist (E) authors posited in the documentary hypothesis. In order to understand who they were, we have to first understand the worlds in which they lived.
At the time of the Yahwist and Elohist, the Hebrew people were divided between two kingdoms, Israel in the North, and Judah in the South. It was Israel that broke away from the United Kingdom due to actions by King Solomon and King Rhehoboam. Specifically, Solomon lost two territories in the North (Phoenicia and part of present day Syria), traded additional territory in the North to Phoenicia in exchange for building materials, imposed heavy taxes and implemented strict mandatory public service requirements on the people. When Rhehoboam came to power and pledged to continue these policies, Jeroboam led Israel in secession from Judah and divided the kingdom. For 200 years, the Northern Kingdom of Israel never achieved political stability with its monarchy. Additionally, Jeroboam made several moves which upset the religious order of the time: moving Israel’s primary religious center from Shiloh to Dan and Beth-El, promoting non-Levite priests and establishing a new set of religious holidays.
It was in the Northern Kingdom of Israel, that the document hypothesis proposes the Elohist lived. The Biblical stories written by the Elohist represent a decidedly Northern perspective. They speak highly of Northern heroes like Joshua, are located around Northern cities such as Shechem, Peni-El and Shiloh, and fail to mention Southern treasures such as the Ark of the Covenant.
The Yahwist, by contrast, tells stories of Southern heroes such as Caleb, locates his (or her) stories around Hebron and Jerusalem, and calls out specific practices of the North as breaking covenant with Yahweh (e.g. building calves of molten gold in Dan and Beth-El).
By careful examination of many clues within the stories of J and E, scholars have developed very complete profiles of both the Yahwist and Elohist:
Elohist: a male Levite priest, in the line of Moses (a Mushite), who lived in Shiloh in the Northern Kingdom of Israel.
Yahwist: a scribe in Jerusalem, probably male, in the line of Aaron (an Aaronid), who wrote after 848 when Edom split from Judah.
At the time of the Yahwist and Elohist, the Hebrew people were divided between two kingdoms, Israel in the North, and Judah in the South. It was Israel that broke away from the United Kingdom due to actions by King Solomon and King Rhehoboam. Specifically, Solomon lost two territories in the North (Phoenicia and part of present day Syria), traded additional territory in the North to Phoenicia in exchange for building materials, imposed heavy taxes and implemented strict mandatory public service requirements on the people. When Rhehoboam came to power and pledged to continue these policies, Jeroboam led Israel in secession from Judah and divided the kingdom. For 200 years, the Northern Kingdom of Israel never achieved political stability with its monarchy. Additionally, Jeroboam made several moves which upset the religious order of the time: moving Israel’s primary religious center from Shiloh to Dan and Beth-El, promoting non-Levite priests and establishing a new set of religious holidays.
It was in the Northern Kingdom of Israel, that the document hypothesis proposes the Elohist lived. The Biblical stories written by the Elohist represent a decidedly Northern perspective. They speak highly of Northern heroes like Joshua, are located around Northern cities such as Shechem, Peni-El and Shiloh, and fail to mention Southern treasures such as the Ark of the Covenant.
The Yahwist, by contrast, tells stories of Southern heroes such as Caleb, locates his (or her) stories around Hebron and Jerusalem, and calls out specific practices of the North as breaking covenant with Yahweh (e.g. building calves of molten gold in Dan and Beth-El).
By careful examination of many clues within the stories of J and E, scholars have developed very complete profiles of both the Yahwist and Elohist:
Elohist: a male Levite priest, in the line of Moses (a Mushite), who lived in Shiloh in the Northern Kingdom of Israel.
Yahwist: a scribe in Jerusalem, probably male, in the line of Aaron (an Aaronid), who wrote after 848 when Edom split from Judah.
Understanding who these authors are helps us to frame the context of their history, their politics, and their theology and to at least explain some of the discrepancies that occur in their Biblical stories. Next week we’ll take a look at the Deuteronmist (D) and Priestly (P) authors who wrote several hundred years later and much closer to the time of the exile.
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