Documentary hypothesis

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The documentary hypothesis is an attempt to chart the origins and authorship of the Pentateuch and parts of the Deuteronomistic historical writings (The Books of Joshua, Judges, 1 & 2 Samuel, and 1 & 2 Kings). It was formulated in its "classical" form in the 1880s by the German theologian Julius Wellhausen on the basis of research done in the 17th and 18th centuries.[1][2]:25-6

## Contents

* 1 The hypothesis
* 2 History
* 3 Further reading
* 4 See also
* 5 External links
* 6 References

## The hypothesis[edit]

Briefly put, the documentary hypothesis posits that the Pentateuch has been assembled by various editors on the basis of four different sources, referred to respectively as J, E, D, and P.[3]:21[2]:24

* The J, or Jahwist source is mostly narrative. It is the oldest of the four, making up half of Genesis, the half of Exodus, and parts of Numbers. It was created in the kingdom of Judah.[2]:61 According to Richard Elliot Friedman, the J source continues into the books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings.[4]

* The E, or Elohist source has much the same content as J, likewise making up about one third of Genesis, the half of Exodus, and parts of Numbers. It was created in the kingdom of Israel.[2]:61

* The D, or Deuteronomist source is mostly found in Deuteronomy, focusing on legal points and sermons.

* The P, or Priestly source contains the greater part of Leviticus, as well as parts of Genesis, Exodus and Numbers and a small portion of Joshua.[5]:455-7

* There is also R or Redactor, who edited the texts together and added the "tedious" genealogies to Genesis. [2]:218-9

J and E are often made into a combined JE source.[5]:272

The four sources differ on a number of points, including age, content, literary style, and theology. These differences often make it possible to distinguish which parts of the Pentateuch come from which sources, and how they have changed through time.[2]

According to the hypothesis, different editors have at times combined some of the sources or drawn upon each other to form intermediary sources, as shown in this figure:

The ultimate collection of the material in the Pentateuch is held to have happened around the middle of the 1st century BCE by the final editor, usually referred to as the Torah Redactor. There is no agreement on the identity of this figure.

A widely-used guide to the documentary hypothesis is Who Wrote the Bible? by Richard Eliot Friedman (originally 1987, reissued in 2019),[6] available in many public libraries.

## History[edit]

The documentary hypothesis was created by Julius Welhausen in the 1800s on the basis of research done in the 17th and 18th centuries.[2]:25-6 It soon gained widespread recognition. Until about the mid-1960s, it was substantially accepted by the vast majority of biblical scholars, with the exception of professors in conservative sectarian institutions, who typically held (and still hold) Moses as the author of the Pentateuch.

In recent decades, this consensus has mostly disappeared, as a number of new theories that suggest both more and less complex origins for the Pentateuch have appeared. However, the documentary hypothesis still stands as a central theory with a number of proponents, most prominently Richard Elliott Friedman, who writes:[7]

> The situation is not that the documentary hypothesis does not have a clear consensus of Bible scholars. It is that no hypothesis has a clear consensus of Bible scholars. The documentary hypothesis is just what it says: the Hebrew Bible is made up of documents, of source texts that editors (redactors) put together in several stages. That is the central idea, and nearly all scholars known to me outside of orthodox or fundamentalist communities are persuaded by that idea. The point about consensus is that we are now getting a profusion of variations of this central idea.

The current situation has been playfully called the "PostIt Notary Hypothesis" (i.e., a micro-documentary hypothesis). One scenario is that scribes added notes in the margins of papyrus, and when the papyrus of the master copy wore out, the notes could be incorporated into the text of the new master copy (remember here that papyrus was expensive in the times before paper, and it would be used until worn out). As Isaiah 65:17 confidently says, "the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind." At present no usage experiments have been conducted to determine the average lifespan of a papyrus scroll in the Jerusalem climate under supposed conditions of "normal use"; such data would help suggest how often new versions of the master copy were made.

A recent work presenting the hypothesis for college undergraduates and graduate students is The Composition of the Pentateuch: Renewing the Documentary Hypothesis by Joel S. Baden of Yale Divinity School.[3] He argues for the continuity of the J-source, the coherence of the E-source, the unity of the D-source (not a legal document and a historical narrative that were later combined, but already interwoven when first included in the Pentateuch), and the completeness of the P-source (it is not a series of separate editorial decisions by a plurality of priestly editors).[8]

## Further reading[edit]

Campbell, Antony F. (1993). Sources of the Pentateuch : texts, introductions, annotations. Internet Archive. Minneapolis : Fortress Press. ISBN 978-0-8006-2701-0.

## See also[edit]

* Biblical criticism
* Q gospel - a different multi-authorship issue but in the New Testament

## External links[edit]

* Wikiversity: Bible, English, King James, According to the documentary hypothesis contains the KJV text of the Pentateuch color-coded according to one version of the documentary hypothesis. On this site, it is also possible to read each document independently.
* Free ebook version of Wellhausen's Prolegomena To The History Of Israel at Project Gutenberg.

## References[edit]

1. ↑ Wellhausen, Julius 1882. Prolegomena zur Geschichte Israels
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Friedman, Richard Elliott (1997). Who wrote the Bible? (2nd ed.). San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco. ISBN 978-0-06-063035-5.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Baden, Joel S. (2012). The Composition of the Pentateuch: Renewing the Documentary Hypothesis. Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300152630.
4. ↑ Friedman, Richard Elliott (1999). The Hidden Book in the Bible. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 0-06-063004-3.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Gaines, Jason M. H. (2015). The Poetic Priestly Source. Minneapolis: Fortress Press. ISBN 978-1-4514-9436-5.
6. ↑ Friedman, Richard. Who wrote the Bible?. Simon and Schuster, 2019.
7. ↑ Richard Elliot Friedman (2017), "The Exodus: How It Happened And Why It Matters," (HarperOne), p. 44.
8. ↑ Erisman, Angela Roskop (2012). "A Literary Solution to a Literary Problem?". H-Net Reviews. Retrieved 8 July 2020..

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Articles about the Bible

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Goliath • Tamar • Tower of Babel • Abel • Joseph (Old Testament) • Firmament • Baal • Noah • Isaac • Ishmael • Amalekites • Curse of Ham • Jacob • Sodom and Gomorrah • Ezekiel's wheel • Lot • Nephilim • G'Tach • Joseph was Imhotep • Moses • Global flood • Cain • Gibeah • Abraham • Old Testament • Incubus and succubus myths • King David • Serpent seed doctrine • Leviathan • Messiah • Mark of Cain • Asherah • Nimrod • Sirach • Jezebel • Adam and Eve • Moloch • Book of Joel • Garden of Eden • Satan • List of actions prohibited by the Bible •

| Torah: |

Torah • Book of Exodus • Book of Genesis • Book of Leviticus • Book of Numbers • Book of Zechariah • Book of Deuteronomy •

| Old Testament History: |

Book of Esther • Book of Ezra • Book of Judges • Book of Ruth • Books of Chronicles • Books of Kings • Books of Samuel • Book of Joshua •

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Ecclesiastes • Song of Solomon • Book of Job • Book of Proverbs • Book of Psalms •

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Book of Daniel • Book of Ezekiel • Book of Isaiah • Book of Lamentations • Book of Jeremiah •

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Mary Magdalene • New Testament • Mary (mother of Jesus) • Joseph of Arimathea • Paul of Tarsus • Good Samaritan • Authorship of the New Testament • Magi • John the Baptist • Principalities and powers • Joseph (husband of Mary) • Nag Hammadi library • Messiah • Jesus • Gospel of Barnabas • Peter the Apostle • Pontius Pilate • Judas Iscariot • Book of Revelation •

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Epistle of Jude • Epistle of James • Epistle to the Hebrews • First Epistle of John • First Epistle of Peter • Second Epistle of John • Second Epistle of Peter • Third Epistle of John •

Bible analysis: |

Apocalyptic literature • Authorship of the New Testament • Bible interpolation • Biblical sexism • Bibliolatry • Evidence for the Exodus • Gospels • Horizontal reading • King James Only • Pesher • Q gospel • Septuagint • Skeptic's Annotated Bible • Ten Commandments • Torah • Bible translation • Word of God • Biblical literalism • Biblical contradictions • List of mistakes made by God • Abomination • Firmament • G'Tach • Arsenokoites • Genealogy of Jesus • Nag Hammadi library • Noah's Ark • Annotated Bible • Slavery in the Bible • Examples of God personally killing people • Herod • The Brick Testament • Evidence against a recent creation • EvilBible.com • List of actions prohibited by the Bible • Biblical scientific errors •

| Bible translations: |

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| Apocrypha: |

Didache • Apocrypha • Nag Hammadi library • Book of Judith • 2 Maccabees • 3 Maccabees • 4 Maccabees • Books of Enoch • Books of the Maccabees • Gospel of Judas • Gospel of Mary • Gospel of Philip • Gospel of Thomas • Infancy Gospel of James • Infancy Gospel of Thomas • 1 Maccabees •

Biblical figures: |

Abel • Cain • Ishmael • Jacob • Joseph of Arimathea • Joseph (Old Testament) • Mary (mother of Jesus) • Noah • Paul of Tarsus • Mary Magdalene • Lot • Goliath • Nephilim • Moses • YHWH • Amalekites • Baal • King David • Joseph (husband of Mary) • God • Jesus • Asherah • Nimrod • Habakkuk • Adam and Eve • Herod • Pontius Pilate • Jezebel • Tamar • Judas Iscariot • Satan •

Bible woo: |

Jesus diet • Name it and claim it • Snake handling • Speaking in tongues • Spiritual warfare • The Bible Code • Gematria • Stigmata • Biblical longevity • Hanzi of Genesis • Dr. Bronner's Soap • Presidential Prayer Team • Trinity Broadcasting Network • Zecharia Sitchin • James Ussher • Creation Week • Zion Oil and Gas • The Drama of the Lost Disciples • Roman Piso • Jose Luis de Jesús • Prayer • Black Hebrew Israelites • Jonathan Otto • Benny Hinn • Presents Of God Ministry • Solfeggio frequencies • Ken Ham • Harold Camping • Institute for Creation Research • Steve Quayle • Kabbalah Center • Acharya S • Christian Identity • Peter J. Peters • Ezekiel's wheel • Creation Research • Biblical scientific foreknowledge • British Israelism •

| Scientific foreknowledge: |

Gaps between Science and the Bible • Scientific Facts in the Bible: 100 Reasons to Believe the Bible is Supernatural in Origin • Science Confirms the Bible • Eternal Productions: 101 Scientific Facts and Foreknowledge • Modern Science in the Bible • Biblical scientific foreknowledge •

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Pascal's wager • Spanish Inquisition • List of gods that theists don't believe in •

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Fideism • God of the gaps • Intelligent falling • Non-Overlapping Magisteria • Faith • Creation science • Accommodationism • Burwell v. Hobby Lobby • Louis Pasteur • Science and religion •

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Just world fallacy • Divine command theory • Euthyphro dilemma • Birth as a Grave Misfortune • Responding to Sam Burke's Argument That Christianity Entails Anti-Natalism •

Scriptures: |

Book of Mormon • Dianetics • Talmud • Q gospel • Book of Mormon • Septuagint • Essene Gospel of Peace • Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ • Torah • Qur'an • New Testament • Tao Te Ching • The Urantia Book • Old Testament • Kutub al-Sittah • Holy book • Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures • Avenue Q gospel • Oahspe • A Course in Miracles • Doctrine and Covenants • Books of Enoch • Pearl of Great Price • Hadith • Bible • List of Hindu texts •

| Bible analysis: |

Apocalyptic literature • Authorship of the New Testament • Bible interpolation • Biblical sexism • Bibliolatry • Evidence for the Exodus • Gospels • Horizontal reading • King James Only • Pesher • Q gospel • Septuagint • Skeptic's Annotated Bible • Ten Commandments • Torah • Bible translation • Word of God • Biblical literalism • Biblical contradictions • List of mistakes made by God • Abomination • Firmament • G'Tach • Arsenokoites • Genealogy of Jesus • Nag Hammadi library • Noah's Ark • Slavery in the Bible • Examples of God personally killing people • Herod • The Brick Testament • Evidence against a recent creation • EvilBible.com • List of actions prohibited by the Bible • Biblical scientific errors •

| Qur'an analysis: |

List of actions prohibited by the Qur'an • Qur'anic scientific foreknowledge • Qur'anic scientific errors • Qur'anic contradictions • Dhu al-Qarnayn •

Apologists and counter-apologists: |

Matt Dillahunty • TheraminTrees • Hemant Mehta • Charles Templeton • Edward Current • Armoured Skeptic • DarkMatter2525 • Peter Kreeft •

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C. S. Lewis • Jack Chick • Anselm of Canterbury • Kirk Cameron • Ray Comfort • Jonathan Sarfati • Henry Morris • Duane Gish • Andrew Snelling • Ravi Zacharias • Lee Strobel • Patrick Glynn • David Ray Griffin • R. J. Rushdoony • Gary North • Chuck Baldwin • Brian Thomas • Apologetics Press • Gary Habermas • J. P. Holding • Herb Titus • Jeffrey Tomkins • Lawrence Ford • Nathaniel Jeanson • John Morris • Tim Todd • Sye Ten Bruggencate • Randal Rauser • Timothy LaHaye • Ben Hobrink • Bible Issues • WallBuilders • L. Brent Bozell III • Rush Limbaugh • Alister McGrath • Buddy Davis • William Lane Craig • Ross Douthat • Norman Geisler • Ted Cruz • Ben Carson • Rick Perry • Pat Robertson • Joseph Farah • Theodore Beale • Mike Huckabee • One America News Network • David Wood • Edward Feser • Encyclopedia of American Loons • Got Questions • Dinesh D'Souza • Computing Forever • Eric Hovind • Cornelius Van Til • Frank Turek • Brittany Sellner • Ken Ham • Augustine of Hippo • Alvin Plantinga • Jair Bolsonaro • Thomas Aquinas • George Galloway • Laura Ingraham • E. Calvin Beisner • Bill Muehlenberg • Thomas Malthus • Josh McDowell • Mark Cahill • Ayaan Hirsi Ali • Kent Hovind • Creation Ministries International • Jordan Peterson • Steve Turley • G. K. Chesterton • Creation Research • Redeemed Zoomer • Walter Veith • Mike Pence •

| Muslim apologists: |

Harun Yahya • Dawah Man • Hamza Tzortzis • Zakir Naik •