Old Testament Introduction Lesson 1 Section 2
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Transcript of Old Testament Introduction Lesson 1 Section 2
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Source and TraditionCritical Reconstructions of
the Pentateuch
Old Testament Introduction
SMC Bi 521, Spring 2013Visiting Lecturer: David Battle
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Objectives
The student will . . .
Name and describe the classical
documentary hypothesis of the
Pentateuch.
Describe the basic sources as identifyby of source critics.
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Objectives (Continued)
Describe the basic assertions of
Tradition Criticism.
Distinguish the standard source critical
reconstruction of the Old Testament
from Noths tradition critical
reconstruction.
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Historical Criticism
Source Criticism postulates that the
Pentateuch and related books were compiled
from earlier documents.
Tradition Criticism seeks to trace the various
tradition-clusters behind the sources used in
the compilation of the Pentateuchal books.
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Source Criticism(old literary criticism)
Jean Astruc
Conjectures Concerning the Original
Memoranda (1753)
Graf-Wellhausen Hypothesis
Julius Wellhausen (1844-1918) Prolegomena zur Geshichte Israels (1878) orIntroduction to the
History of Israel
Reset the Documentary Hypothesis into ahistorical reconstruction of the religious
development of Israel JEDP in his work.
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Julius Wellhausen (1844-1918)
Reordered the Sources of the Pentateuch
and order according to a reconstructed the
history of Israelite religion.
Early or pre-Israelite people had to be polytheist. Monolatry
Henotheism
Monotheism
Ethical Monotheism
Legalism
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Graf-Wellhausen Hypothesis
Identifies four source documents in
the Pentateuch.
J or the Yahwist (Jahwe) Source
E or the Elohim Source
P or the Priestly SourceD or the Deteronomist
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J or Yahwist Source
Indentified Uses the name YHWH for God.
Describes God in anthropomorphic terms.
Sets many of its narratives in Judah.
Moses' father-in-law is Reuel and the Law
was given at Mount Sinai.
Emphasizes the faith of the Patriarchs.
Emphasizes the three-fold promise toAbraham: land, descendants, and blessing.
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J or Yahwist Source
Reconstructed
The fullest of the four sources.
Originally a Judean Epic
Dated to the Tenth Century B.C. (ca. 950)
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E or Elohim Source
Identified Uses the title Elohim for God.
Describes God in transcendent terms.
Narratives occur mostly in Northern Kingdom.
God communicates with mankind through
dreams and visions not person to person.
Shows interest in the prophetic office.
Moses receives his revelation at Mont Horeb. Moses father-in-law is named Jethro.
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E or Elohim Source
Reconstructed
Very fragmentary.
Very often attached to J (JE)
Prophetic emphasis implies that it comes form the
schools of the prophets found in the Northern
Kingdom.
Was a collection of traditions originating in the
kingdom of Israel during the 9th and 8th centuries B.C.
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D or Deuteronomist
Identified Identifies Mount Horeb as place of Moses
revelation.
Emphasizes the prophetic office.
Core is the Deuteronomic Code.
Deuteronomy 12-26
Emphasizes the Levites.
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D or Deuteronomist
ReconstructedOriginated among the Levites in the
northern kingdom.
Came to prominence during the reformsof Josiah in 7th century B.C.
Deuteronomy 12-26
Very concerned with centralized worship.
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P or Priestly SourceIdentified
Uses Elohim as the divine name along with other titles
like El or El Shadday.
God is very remote.
Emphasizes the Covenants: Noahic, Abrahamic, and
Sinaitic.
Place of Moses revelation is Sinai.
Is very concerned with the sacrifices and rituals holiness.
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P or Priestly Source
Reconstructed
Was a compilation of ritual regulations, and
genealogies from the late monarchal and exilic
period.
The Priestly redaction of the Pentateuch was
done during the Exile and return to the land.
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Tradition Criticism
Martin Noth (1902-1968)
Investigated the traditions behind thesources and the text.
A History of Pentateuchal Traditions(1948)
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Tradition Criticism
Noth searched for the Grundlage or common
traditions among the sources.
The common traditions between E and J
Guidance out of Egypt Guidance into the promised land
Promises to the Patriarchs
Guidance in the wilderness
Revelation at Sinai Various tribes brought these traditions with them into
an Israelite antiphony.
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Deuteronomistic History
Deuteronomy serves as an introduction to the
Historical Books.
Deuteronomic Code
Deuteronomistic History (DH)
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Observations
Each of these critical reconstructions are very free,
modern abstractions of the History of Israel.
They assume that the ancient writers freelyreconstructed the history of Israel.
Thus, modern reconstructions are based upon
conjectured reconstructions.
Such reconstructions provide only a nebulous
framework from which to discern the original
meaning of the text.
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Observations
Both Source and Tradition make valid
assertions.
Source Criticism is correct in seeing a
Hexatuech in that many of the major themesintroduced in Genesis through Deuteronomy
are not resolved until Joshua.
Tradition Criticism is correct to note that
Deuteronomy is dramatically different fromGenesis through Numbers and that it serves
as backdrop for the historical books.
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Pentateuch
The Bible is a very complex and subtle work.
There are many sub themes but they are all
intended to be read together.
Umberto Cassuto (1883-1951)
Argued that use of the divine names reflected
a theological coherence in their blending or
usage.
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Concluding Remarks
Every writer has an agenda in writing.
The interpreters job is to understand the
message and agenda of the writer.
We have the text.
We have some historical background. Reconstructions should help us understand
the text as it stands, not to rewrite the text.