Madi Lear
Essay 1
When reading the book, “Who wrote the Bible”, by Richard Friedman, Friedman presents a strong case for the Documentary Hypothesis as it relates to the first five books of the Old Testament, also known as the Pentateuch or the Torah. This hypothesis proposes that the Torah was derived from originally independent, parallel and complete narratives, which were subsequently combined into the current form by a series of redactors, or editors. These four sources came to be known as the Yahwist (J), Elohist (E), Deuteronomist (D), and the Priestly Writer (P). While many biblical scholars believe there were many redactors that helped combine the four sources, Friedman believes there is only one. Through extensive research on the historical context, special characteristics of the JEDP, and how they view and interpret God, Friedman came to the conclusion and argues that these four sources were combined into the Five Books of Moses by one redactor, Ezra.
When examining all the Yahwist (J) source of the first five books of the Bible-- Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy—it’s historical context, characteristics, and dating all play a major role in Friedman’s argument that one person assembled the four sources into the Five Books of Moses. In 922 BCE, King Solomon forced labor upon the Northern tribes, causing them to split into what we know as the “divided kingdoms”, with the city of Israel in the North and Judah in the South. It was here in the southern city of Judah that the J source appeared, anywhere between 922-721 BCE. To the J source, the deity is introduced with the divine name, Yahweh, throughout the entire story. In the J story, the arc is very important. It was considered important not only religiously, but it also signified success in the wilderness and was also suggested that there would be no military success without it. 1According to Freidman, “The arc, as we know, was regarded as the central object of the Temple of King Solomon
When reading the book, “Who wrote the Bible”, by Richard Friedman, Friedman presents a strong case for the Documentary Hypothesis as it relates to the first five books of the Old Testament, also known as the Pentateuch or the Torah. This hypothesis proposes that the Torah was derived from originally independent, parallel and complete narratives, which were subsequently combined into the current form by a series of redactors, or editors. These four sources came to be known as the Yahwist (J), Elohist (E), Deuteronomist (D), and the Priestly Writer (P). While many biblical scholars believe there were many redactors that helped combine the four sources, Friedman believes there is only one. Through extensive research on the historical context, special characteristics of the JEDP, and how they view and interpret God, Friedman came to the conclusion and argues that these four sources were combined into the Five Books of Moses by one redactor, Ezra.
When examining all the Yahwist (J) source of the first five books of the Bible-- Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy—it’s historical context, characteristics, and dating all play a major role in Friedman’s argument that one person assembled the four sources into the Five Books of Moses. In 922 BCE, King Solomon forced labor upon the Northern tribes, causing them to split into what we know as the “divided kingdoms”, with the city of Israel in the North and Judah in the South. It was here in the southern city of Judah that the J source appeared, anywhere between 922-721 BCE. To the J source, the deity is introduced with the divine name, Yahweh, throughout the entire story. In the J story, the arc is very important. It was considered important not only religiously, but it also signified success in the wilderness and was also suggested that there would be no military success without it. 1According to Freidman, “The arc, as we know, was regarded as the central object of the Temple of King Solomon