This method has been applied to texts of the old testament especially but not exclusively the pentateuch and new testament especially but not exclusively. More recent models include the supplementary hypothesis and the fragmentary hypothesis. During a repair of the temple ordered by josiah, a copy of. Learn old testament chapter 1 with free interactive flashcards. This upperlevel introduction to the old testament offers students a solid understanding of three key issues. The old testament says it was given by god to moses exodus chapters 2023. The j narrative refers to the people of palestine as canaanites.
Nov 10, 2012 hebrew bible yale wellhausens documentary hypothesis howthebiblewasmade. Some of the critics of the bible have come up with some sophisticated arguments in their attempts to disprove its authenticity and reliability. In brief, the jedp theory states that the first five books of the bible, genesis, exodus, leviticus, numbers, and deuteronomy, were not written entirely by moses, who died in the 1400s b. Introduction to the old testament documentary hypothesis. The higher criticism of the pentateuch gordon college. The documentary hypothesis of the pentateuch also known as. Hence, it is called the documentary hypothesis or the jedp model3. The documentary hypothesis does anyone still believe it. There have been various opinions as to whether these sources were written or oral traditions, and whether each. The course will also treat the historical contexts in which. The theory is based on the fact that different names.
Those who support the documentary hypothesis theory generally suggest four specific sources represented by the letters jedp. Based on the abbreviations used for the four sources, the documentary hypothesis is also called the foursource theory or the jepd theory. The theory is based on the fact that different names for god are used in different portions of the. With a backdrop of religious misinterpretation, a lack of understanding of the parable nature of scriptures, and limited knowledge of hebrew, spinoza concluded that all of the old testament, from genesis to. The documentary hypothesis to make further progress with our question, what is the pentateuch. Those who support the documentary hypothesis theory generally suggest four specific sources represented by the letters. The documentary hypothesis, along with the jedp theory, denies that moses wrote the pentateuch and instead ascribes its authorship to four or more different authorsredactors spread out over several hundreds of years. The documentary theorists comment on the making of a covenant between god and man attributes this to the socalled priestly source p. It was a later development through the documentary hypothesis. Old testament theology that saw the entire work as an allegorybeneath any old testament text there could be found, if one looked hard enough, an allegorical reference to a new testament event or person. Lecture 1 pentateuch overview s headhearthand blog. The introduction to the old testament in another bible translation says that the j document was written by someone much later than moses in the. It contradicts what jesus said, and it is an unreliable way to analyze a document that is thousands of years old. The old testament abbreviated ot is the first part of the christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the twentyfour books of the hebrew bible or tanakh, a collection of ancient religious hebrew writings by the israelites believed by most christians and religious jews to be the sacred word of god.
Is it a viable alternative for christians who take the bible. These four sources have been identified by biblical scholars by their specific literary styles and theological concerns. This video clip offers an introduction to the documentary hypothesis, or the leading scholarly hypothesis of the hebrew bibles authorship. To critics this is a fact, not admitting it is only a theory. Testament e tradition, no human person sees god and lives. This is generally known as the documentary hypothesis and the case for it is set out below. The view that is persuasive to most of the critical scholars of the pentateuch is called the documentary hypothesis, or. I tried to briefly outline his documentary source hypothesis for you, the jedp theory as its called. Robert vannoy, old testament history, lecture 1 we were discussing julius wellhausen, his theories and the impact of those theories on historical material of the old testament. The gap principle that finds itself in other old testament passages, is not parallel to genesis. Development of the documentary hypothesis c arls td. Pdf the jedp theory and its weaknesses julius mucheregwa.
Origins of the bibleold testament who wrote the bible richard e. The second part of christian bibles is the new testament, originally written in. The jedp theory says that the first five books of the biblegenesis, exodus, leviticus, numbers, and deuteronomywere not written entirely by moses, who died in the 1400s b. Great for apologetics and skeptics, not so great for actually teaching and understanding the bible. Even the ancient rabbis debated whether or not moses could have possibly the undead hypothesis. Biblical literature biblical literature old testament literature. Biblical literature old testament canon, texts, and versions. Including callouts, charts, and graphs, this text is written with an eye on understanding the nature of old testament historiography. Multiple strands of tradition were woven together to produce the torah. There is a great deal of very useful discussion and analysis in the volume. Documentary hypothesis, according to which the entire torah was composed by.
Relationship to old testament source analysis exponents of the documentary hypothesis see notes, source analysis of the ot have typically dated deuteronomy late, usually from the period of josiah r. The priestly writers lived during and after the exile. He has served the international mission board by teaching in southern baptist seminaries in both korea and canada. Introduction in the field of old testament studies, one of the areas of concern for all scholars whether they be conservative or liberal is the matter of higher criticism. One of these attempts is known as the documentary hypothesis, or the jepd theory. Why the documentary hypothesis is the frankenstein of biblical studies duane garrett duane garrett a is a professor of old testament at gordon conwell theological seminary. There are no literary references, no extant manuscripts of any kind, which mention the j, e, e or p documents, either singly or as a group. Be given a panoramic overview of the scope of old testament studies see how the old testament points toward christ see the thread of gods. From prechristian times to the beginning of the nineteenth century it was accepted by nearly everyone that moses was the author ofnearly all the pentateuch. Choose from 500 different sets of old testament chapter 1 flashcards on quizlet. Milgrom have argued that the p source finds a home in. Details of documentary hypothesis literary analysis shows that one person did not write the pentateuch. Pentateuch overview page 4 of 10 jesus also connected moses name with the law. Testament eral later authors is called the documentary.
It should open up the study of the pentateuch in new ways for many a. While such a christocentric view of the old testament is certainly laudable, this approach did not show respect for the fact that the. The theory also proposes that each source reflects. Dec 03, 2016 the introduction to the old testament in another bible translation says that the j document was written by someone much later than moses in the southern kingdom of judah and the e document was written by someone in the northern kingdom of israel. The acrostics in the bible are poems in which the first letters of successive. There are none that deal with what has happened in history. The first danger that the theory poses is the fact that it makes the bible to be a. However, as a book that deals with perceived inconsistencies in the old testament, its top rate.
The term canon, from a hebrewgreek word meaning cane or measuring rod, passed into christian usage to mean norm or rule of faith. This is a brief look at the documentary hypothesis. This lecture introduces the modern critical study of the bible, including source theories and wellhausens documentary hypothesis, as well as form criticism and tradition criticism. Old testament criticism exposed as being purely ideological, materialistic and antisupernaturalist. Does the documentary hypothesis or jedp theory undermine the bibles credibility the documentary hypothesis dh is a model used by biblical scholars to explain the origins in combination with each other and with a documentary model, making it difficult to classify contemporary theories as strictly one or another. Herbert livingston, phd, professor of old testament at asbury theological seminary. Biblical literature old testament literature britannica.
The sources and composition of exodus since the development of the documentary hypothesis, scholars have expended much effort attempting to show what sources lay behind. The documentary hypothesis has been refined many times, but is still the basis for scholarly understanding of the pentateuch and some other parts of the old. The documentary hypothesis is liberal theologys attempt to call the veracity of the pentateuch into question. This paper aims at exploring the meaning of documentary hypothesis also called jedp theory. Professor of oriental and old testament literature in princeton theological seminary 1895 edition published by charles scribners sons. A guide to reading the old testament, by corrine l.
Origins of the bibleold testament part iii documentary. Genesis, exodus, leviticus, numbers, and deuteronomy. I have been discussing the sources of the pentateuch, the first five books of the hebrew bibleold testament genesis, exodus, leviticus, numbers, deuteronomy, sometimes also called the torah or the law of moses. The documentary hypothesis suggests that the first five books of the old testament were originally independent accounts that were later edited or redacted by a later editor or editors. This course is a survey of the major books, genres, institutions, and ideas of the hebrew bible commonly called the old testament. The jedp theory seeks to understand the authorship of the pentateuch in light of the documentary hypothesis. The torah or pentateuch is collectively the first five books of the bible. The documentary hypothesis dh is one of the models historically used by biblical scholars to explain the origins and composition of the torah or pentateuch, the first five books of the bible. The acrostics in the bible are poems in which the first letters of successive lines or stanzas are the letters of the hebrew alphabet in order. The other passages containing gaps are all prophetic. Pdf while the church has, from its earliest days, recognized that the old testament is a part of her heritage, there has by no. This view believes that the pentateuch represents the conflation of four different sources rather than the work of primarily one author, traditionally moses. As this hypothesis was developed by a number of jewish and theologically liberal christian scholars in the late 17th to the late 19th centuries, there were a number of different proposals of who wrote what and when.
A survey of old testament introduction by gleason l. Documentary hypothesis gained momentum under the dutch jewish philosopher benedict spinoza tractatus theologicopoliticus, chap. I like the idea of a dictionary of the old testament. This book is pretty awful as an old testament introduction, as archer really doesnt spend much time expositing the old testament books themselves. Pdf cassutos the documentary hypothesis and the paradigm.
The old effort to put p late sounds like a protestant bias against catholic ritual. A critical assessment of the grafwellhausen documentary. He told the cleansed leper to offer the gift which moses commanded matt 8. Destructive criticism and the old testament by wayne jackson dr. Old testament theology that saw the entire work as an allegorybeneath any old. The documentary hypothesis as an explanation for the history of the torah pentateuch and an. A reduced emphasis on the documentary hypothesis reflects the current state of biblical scholarship an entirely rewritten chapter 2, the promised land, uses broad strokes to outline key historical events that contributed to the formation and final shape of the old testament. Coogan glossary of terms acrostic a text in which the opening letters of successive lines form a word, phrase, or pattern. An article outlining the flaws of the grafwellhausen documentary source hypothesis, or the jedp system. Pentateuch, and the decision to focus on major topics is well judged. The postulates more like biases upon which the documentary hypothesis and other higher criticism of the old testament are based include. The letters jedp are a designation used by scholars to identify the component parts or sources that they understand were used to compile the first five books of the old testament. Of greater importance, perhaps, is the discussion among scholars about the relative dates of the sources.
The torah, or pentateuch five scrolls, traditionally the most revered portion of the hebrew canon, comprises a series of narratives, interspersed with law codes, providing an account of events from the beginning of the world to the death of moses. Biblical literature biblical literature old testament canon, texts, and versions. In my opinion, it is a fabrication based on false presuppositions and inaccurate analysis. This involves the investigation and determination of the authorship and dates of each book of the old testament canon. Paul tanner old testament i source analysis of the ot. Old testament history, by robert vannoy, lecture 1, wellhausen. The jepd theory a long tradition holds that the five books of the pentateuch or torah genesis, exodus, leviticus. Pdf sources, formation and sociohistorical context of the joseph. An explanation of the documentary hypothesis, carm. The documentary hypothesis dh is one of the models historically used by biblical scholars to. Hebrew bible yale wellhausens documentary hypothesis howthebiblewasmade. Jun 01, 20 this video clip offers an introduction to the documentary hypothesis, or the leading scholarly hypothesis of the hebrew bibles authorship. Friedman, a professor of hebrew and comparative literature at the university of california san diego, has attracted considerable publicity in recent years with his radical claim that baruch, jeremiahs scribe jeremiah 36. Mar 04, 2015 pdf version until fairly recently a majority of scholars espoused the documentary hypothesis to explain the composition of the pentateuch, the first five old testament books.
The church fathers of the 4th century ce first employed it in reference to the definitive, authoritative nature of the body of sacred scripture. This theory asserts that these writings were actually based on four books, none still extant, referred to for ease of identification as j yahwist or jahwist, e elohist, d deuteronomist and p priestly code. Julius wellhausen effectively called the old testament torah a big lie. Why the documentary hypothesis is the frankenstein of biblical studies. Hebrew bible yale wellhausens documentary hypothesis.
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