History of the Jewish People I

HIST 282/JWST 234 History of the Jewish People I

Biblical Source Criticism

1. Documentary Hypothesis Sources called J, E, D, and P used in makeup of Pentateuch (Torah). The exercise on the Flood story will give you insight into how source critics read the Pentateuch. While the ideas behind four-source theory are almost universally held and most scholars accept some version of it, some scholars reject the idea that we can successfully assign each passage to its “author.” Even among those who hold the theory there is much debate over such issues of as dating. D (“Deuteronomy”) is easiest to identify, since it more or less corresponds to a book. The language of Deuteronomy is distinctive within the Pentatech, as are specific concerns such as worship of God only in one place (centralized cult). Noting passages such as covenant at Mts. Ebal and Gerizim (near Shechem), some scholars suggest D emerged in the northern Kingdom. But the ideas and language have clearly shaped the (southern, Judahite) book of Kings, and Hezekiah’s and Josiah’s reforms seem closely connected with D’s ideas about centralized cult. Josiah’s reform and celebration of Passover is said to follow the “discovery” of a “book of the law (torah)” during Temple renovations (2Kgs 22:1– 13). Was this the book of Deuteronomy as some scholars suggest? Still others see D as later than this. J (for Jehovah, as earlier scholars spelled the name of Israel’s god, YHWH, usually translated LORD). Seems to have “southern” associations (e.g., J’s material on Abraham places him in Mamre near Hebron; J’s version of the sale of Joseph features Judah rather than Reuben). Traditionally dated to 10th C, but on little evidence. E (for Elohim, “God,” the name that E uses until Exod. 3:13–14). Seems to have “northern” associations (emphasis on Bethel; both E and Deuteronomy refer to Horeb rather than Sinai as the place of God’s covenant). Dated to 9th/8th C, but again, little evidence. P (for “Priests). For the periods from creation to the selection of Moses, P uses Elohim, as in the Noah story, until God reveals himself to Moses (“but my name the LORD I did not make known to them,” Ex. 6:3). Dates given for P range most widely. Some see its origins as early as the 8th century BCE, others quite late (the present form of Chronicles is from about 400, and many scholars associate P and Chronicles). Another point of debate is the relative date of D and P (centralized cult is one of the issues in the debate): some see P as the latest strand of the Torah; but others scholars date P earlier than D.

2. While the details above apply to the Pentateuch, the methods of analysis apply to other Biblical works as well. For instance: in 1 Samuel 16:14–23 David is introduced as a skilled warrior brought into the Saul’s service to play the lyre. Then in 1 Sam. 17:12 and following David is introduced again, this time as a young shepherd sent by his father to bring supplies to his brothers, who kills Goliath with a sling. Interestingly, a version of the Bible circulated in antiquity without this second introduction of David (1 Sam. 7:12–30), because it is missing in early manuscripts of the Greek translation of the bible. Incidentally, the Bible tells us elsewhere that Goliath was killed by someone else (Elhanan of Yaare Orgim of Bethlehem, 2 Sam 21:19; in 1 Chron. 20:5 “brother of Goliath”).

3. Also applies to legal material. In Deut. 16:1–8 the Passover sacrifice can come from the flocks or the herds (i.e., sheep/goats or cattle), “and you shall cook it” (Hebrew root: b-sh-l). In Exodus 12:8–9 the sacrifice is said to be a lamb; and “They shall eat it roasted over the fire with unleavened bread .... Do not eat any of it raw or cooked (b-sh-l) in water.” Thus there appear to be differences in basic rules and procedures for how the sacrifice is to be carried out. These differences were noticed at an early date, since 2 Chronicles 35:7– 13 seems to purposely harmonize them. Josiah is said to celebrate Passover and contribute “lambs and kids from the flock ... and bulls” and “they boiled (b-sh-l) the passover lamb with fire, and they boiled (b-sh-l) the holy offerings [i.e., the bulls] in pots ....” That is, two different kinds of sacrifices are actually referred to in Deuteronomy and Exodus (only one is the Passover proper) and they are prepared differently, and the expression “boiled … with fire” for the Passover may imply “roasting.”