A Study Companion to Introduction to the Hebrew Bible

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Introduction: What Are the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament?

Key Points

Christianity and Judaism are often described as religions of the book due to the central role the Bible plays in both traditions. As a result, it is important to ask what type of book the Hebrew Bible or the Christian Old Testament is? How is it arranged? When were its texts written, translated, and accepted as a fixed collection? What sort of literature does it include? How do we attend to its interpretation? Thus understanding the Hebrew Bible involves not only knowing more about its content, but also about its history and development as a collection of books.

The Hebrew Bible is actually more like a library than an individual book. In the Jewish tradition, it consists of twenty-four books arranged in three divisions (the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings). These books were written over a long period of time and reflect diverse theological perspectives. This library also includes various types of literature: historical narratives, poetry, law, prophecy, and wisdom literature. In light of its complexity, scholars have traditionally analyzed the Hebrew Bible using multiple interpretive methods, such as source, form, and redaction criticism. More recently, scholars have begun to utilize insights from other fields, including ancient Near Eastern studies, sociology, and art history, to shed new light on the meaning and background of biblical literature.

The books of the Hebrew Bible were originally written and preserved on individual scrolls. However, we do not have access to these original texts today. Modern English translations are based on complete manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible from the tenth and eleventh centuries ce. The form of the Hebrew Bible in these manuscripts was established by ancient scribes known as the Masoretes. Much earlier evidence of biblical books is found among the Dead Sea Scrolls (third century bce–first century ce), but these texts are mostly preserved in small fragments. Though written predominantly in Hebrew, biblical scrolls were translated into Greek by the second century bce. The list of books we have in the Hebrew Bible today was first accepted as canonical in the first century ce. Early Christianity recognized the content of the Hebrew Bible as part of its Scriptures, but slightly different canons are used in Protestant, Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, and other Eastern churches.

Key Terms

Canon The term canon, meaning rule or measuring stick, refers to the corpus of biblical books viewed as sacred Scripture. The canon of the Hebrew Bible, which consists of twenty-four books, emerged gradually over time and attained its final form in the first century ce. The Christian Old Testament includes the same content, but in a slightly different arrangement.

Septuagint (lxx) The Septuagint is the Greek translation of the Old Testament. Its name comes from the legendary Letter of Aristeas, which claims that the Torah was first translated into Greek by seventy-two Jewish elders (Septuagint means seventy) at the request of an Egyptian king. Eventually, the term Septuagint was applied to the whole collection of Greek Scriptures, which included a variety of books not found in the Hebrew Bible.

Masoretes/Masoretic text (mt) The Masoretes were ancient scribes responsible for transmitting the Hebrew Bible. They established the form of the Hebrew Bible, known as the Masoretic text (mt), that modern English translations are based on. This text is preserved in the most important ancient manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible, including the Aleppo Codex from the early tenth century ce.

Dead Sea Scrolls The Dead Sea Scrolls are a large collection of texts found in caves near Qumran (south of Jericho) and dating from as early as the third century bce. This collection includes about two hundred small fragments of biblical scrolls as well as the whole book of Isaiah. These texts correspond closely to the Masoretic text, but in some cases they reflect a form closer to what is presupposed by the Septuagint.

Apocrypha/Deuterocanonical books In Protestant terminology, Apocrypha (literally, hidden away) refers to books in the Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholic canons that are not found in the Hebrew Bible. These same books are often called deuteronocanonical (or secondarily canonical) by Catholics. Examples include Tobit, Judith, Wisdom of Solomon, Ecclesiasticus, Baruch, and 1–2 Maccabees.

Key Personalities

Julius Wellhausen

Julius Wellhausen (1844–1918) was a German biblical scholar most well known for his work in the area of source criticism. This method of biblical interpretation, which in the nineteenth century was known as literary criticism, attempts to come to terms with the composite character of a literary text by separating and describing its underlying sources. While this method can by applied to both biblical and non-biblical texts, Wellhausen primarily used source criticism in his work on the Pentateuch. Wellhausen’s Documentary Hypothesis which will be discussed in more detail in chapter two, made an enormous contribution to the scholarly understanding of the origins of the Pentateuch.

Hermann Gunkel

Hermann Gunkel (1862–1932), another prominent German biblical scholar, is regarded as the founder of form criticism. While not denying the validity of source criticism, Gunkel shifted focus toward the literary form or genre of smaller textual units. Gunkel also emphasized the importance of the social location (the Sitz im Leben) of the text for understanding its meaning. Gunkel’s form critical approach drew heavily upon newly discovered ancient Near Eastern literature, which offered new possibilities for comparison with biblical stories, themes, and imagery.

Questions for Study and Discussion

The chapter claims that the Hebrew Bible is problematic as a source for history. What are some of the arguments used in support of this claim? Do you agree with them? Why or why not?

For many religious people, the Hebrew Bible continues to have an authoritative status. Do the arguments presented in this chapter discredit or call into question the Hebrew Bible’s status in religious communities? Why or why not?

What are some of the major methodological changes and archaeological discoveries that have shaped biblical studies over the last several hundred years? What sorts of problems and possibilities do they bring to light?

Why are the Dead Sea Scrolls important for understanding the Hebrew Bible?

1

The Near Eastern Context

Key Points

The ancient Near East produced some of the world’s earliest cultures of writing and literature. Canaan, where Israel would carve out its territory, lay in between two major regional societies. Mesopotamia (Assyria and Babylonia) to the northeast and Egypt to the south were vibrant and enduring civilizations with far-reaching impact in antiquity. A historical understanding of the Hebrew Bible requires an appreciation of these influential cultures, religions, and literatures.

The Mesopotamian myths share robust features with biblical stories, but they deserve attention in their own right. They present the creation of the world, the council of the gods, and primordial humans, to name a few comparative topics. Atrahasis, a text named for its flood hero, recounts the creation of humanity and the polytheistic drama of a divine flood. The Enuma Elish describes the supernatural conflicts that established the divine council of Babylonian gods. After creating order out of watery chaos, the high god creates the earth and humans. The Epic of Gilgamesh recounts escapades of a legendary hero. He journeys to the end of the world to receive wisdom from the Sumerian flood hero, who tells him a flood story.

Our sources of Canaanite myths come from a number of fourteenth-century bce tablets discovered at Ugarit, an ancient port city in what is now northern Syria. The Baal Cycle features a divine pantheon of familiar biblical names, including El (which means god in Hebrew) and Baal. The myths reflect fertility and seasonal changes.

Egyptian creation myths offer weaker parallels with the Bible than Mesopotamian and Canaanite literature. However, Egyptian literature, art, and religion provide an important conceptual background for understanding certain aspects of the Hebrew Bible. For instance, the history of Egyptian religion furnishes a striking comparative case in the development of monotheism with the reign and religious reforms of Akhenaten.

One marked distinction between ancient Near Eastern myth and the Hebrew Bible is the presence of goddesses. They frequently appear as creator deities and play a large role in polytheistic plots. With the exception of Ishtar, the second millennium saw the decline of goddesses into smaller roles, being supplanted or replaced by male deities.

Key Terms

Atrahasis Atrahasis is an Old Babylonian myth of creation and flood (c. 1700 BCE). Anthropomorphic deities represent spheres of the natural world and meet in council to achieve balance. Conflicts arise because of labor and population. Enki helps Atrahasis, the flood hero, avoid multiple divine destructions.

Enuma Elish Enuma Elish was popular at a high point of the Babylonian kingdom (c. 1100 BCE). It recounts the ascendency of Marduk as king of the divine council after defeating Tiamat (watery chaos). Marduk then creates the world, humans, and receives a temple in Babylon.

Epic of Gilgamesh The Epic of Gilgamesh (c. 2000–800 bce) comprises legends of an ancient Sumerian king focusing on the human condition. One-third mortal, two-thirds divine, Gilgamesh goes on adventures with Enkidu, a primordial man. In grief after the death of his friend, Gilgamesh journeys to the ends of the earth to consult the flood hero, Utnapishtim, about eternal life.

Canaanite mythology Best represented by the texts from Ugarit, Canaanite mythology features gods also mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, especially El, Baal, and Asherah. The famous Baal Cycle sees the divine warrior’s leadership challenged by Yamm (sea) and Mot (death). The myths reflect seasonal changes and various threats to the survival of life.

Akhenaten An Egyptian Pharaoh (reign c. 1353–1336 bce), Akhenaten is often called the first monotheist. He asserted the sole worship of Aten, the solar disc, over the other gods, especially Amun. His religious reform involved political moves, changing the capital city, and socially marginalizing competing priests. His son and successor, Tutankhamun, reversed Akhenaten’s reforms.

Key Personalities

Marduk

A divine warrior and leader of the Babylonian pantheon, Marduk’s rise to power is recounted in the Enuma Elish. As god of the national state, he became the creator and ruler of the universe. He defeated Tiamat and created a world of order with his artful works and supreme decrees.

Baal

Baal (lord or owner in Hebrew) was the son of El and a powerful Canaanite deity. He is known as a storm god, rider on the clouds. His battles with Mot (death) reflect cycles of fertility and drought. His battles with Yamm (sea) reflect more general threats of chaos over heaven. In both cases, Baal must defend his reign, sometimes aided by the warrior goddess Anat.

Questions for Study and Discussion

Many biblical stories borrow themes, motifs, and even character types from other ancient Near Eastern texts. What might this indicate about how biblical literature was written?

Goddess worship is very important in most ancient Near Eastern religions. Within the Hebrew Bible, however, goddess worship is given very little attention, and in some cases it is flatly condemned. What might have brought about this rejection of the goddesses?

How is the creation account in Genesis 1:1—2:3 similar to Enuma Elish? The Baal Cycle? How do you explain both the similarities and the differences?

In the Baal Cycle, Baal’s death and resurrection are closely tied in to agricultural and fertility motifs. What does this suggest about how ancient Near Eastern people understood the relationship between the natural world and the divine world? Do you see a similar understanding in the Hebrew Bible?

This chapter provides a definition of myth that is quite different from its normal definition in everyday language. Myth refers to sacred stories, or traditional stories deemed to have religious import. Based on that definition and your own knowledge of the Hebrew Bible, do you think that the Hebrew Bible contains myths?

Primary Texts

Enuma Elish

Source: excerpted from Pritchard, Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament, 3rd edition (Prince­ton University Press: 1969).

Close reading tips

Note the character of Marduk and the marks of his power, especially in IV:1-30.

Tiamat is introduced in IV:31. She is part of the original primordial couple who gave birth to all the gods (theogony) and signifies the watery beginnings of the world (cosmogony). Her name is cognate with the Hebrew word tehom, which means the deep (Gen. 1:2). Earlier in the story, the gods kill their father, Tiamat’s husband, and then plot to kill Tiamat because she is enraged and poised for battle.

Note the images used to describe Marduk’s preparations for battle against Tiamat (especially in IV:35-64)?

Kingu is introduced in IV:66. He plays a role in both the battle and post-battle drama.

Note the accusations Marduk levies against Tiamat (IV:77-86).

Note the Tablets of Fate in IV:121.

After Marduk’s post-battle actions, he creates the world starting in IV:135.

Marduk and Ea (primordial god of the deep waters) plan out how to create humans in VI:1-34.

The high gods decide how to honor Marduk in VI:49-58.

The Enuma Elish was read annually during the New Year’s Festival in Babylon to celebrate spring (April).

Tablet IV

They erected for him a princely throne.

Facing his fathers, he sat down, presiding.

"Thou art the most honored of the great gods,

Thy decree is unrivaled, thy command is Anu.

Thou, Marduk, art the most honored of the great gods,

Thy decree is unrivaled, thy word is Anu.

From this day unchangeable shall be thy pronouncement.

To raise or bring low—these shall be (in) thy hand.

Thy utterance shall be true, thy command shall be impeachable.

No one among the gods shall transgress they bounds! (10)

Adornment being wanted for the seats of the gods,

Let the place of their shrines ever be in thy place.

O Marduk, thou art indeed our avenger.

We have granted thee kingship over the universe entire.

When in Assembly thou sittest, thy word shall be supreme.

Thy weapons shall not fail; they shall smash thy foes!

O lord, spare the life of him who trusts thee,

But pour out the life of the god who seized evil."

Having placed in their midst a piece of cloth,

They addressed themselves to Marduk, their first-born: (20)

"Lord, truly thy decree is first among gods.

Say but to wreck or create; it shall be.

Open thy mouth: the cloth will vanish!

Speak again, and the cloth shall be whole!"

At the word of his mouth the cloth vanished.

He spoke again, and the cloth was restored.

When the gods, his fathers, saw the fruit of his word,

Joyfully they did homage: Marduk is king!

The conferred on him scepter, throne, and vestment;

They gave him matchless weapons that ward off the foes: (30)

"Go and cut off the life of Tiamat.

May the winds bear her blood to places undisclosed."

Bel’s destiny thus fixed, the gods, his fathers,

Caused him to go the way of success and attainment.

He constructed a bow, marked it as his weapon,

Attached thereto the arrow, fixed its bow-cord.

He raised the mace, made his right hand grasp it;

Bow and quiver he hung at his side.

In front of him he set the lightening,

With a blazing flame he filled his body. (40)

He then made a net to enfold Tiamat therein.

The four winds he stationed that nothing of her might escape,

The South Wind, the North Wind, the East Wind, the West Wind.

Close to his side he held the net, the gift of his father, Anu.

He brought forth Imhullu the Evil Wind, the Whirlwind, the Hurricane,

The Fourfold Wind, the Sevenfold Wind, the Cyclone, the Matchless Wind;

Then he sent forth the winds he had brought forth, the seven of them.

To stir up the inside of Tiamat they rose up behind him.

Then the lord raised up the flood-storm, his mighty weapon.

He mounted the storm-chariot irresistible [and] terrifying. (50)

He harnessed (and) yoked to it a team-of-four,

The Killer, the Relentless, the Trampler, the Swift.

Sharp were their teeth, bearing poison.

There were versed in ravage, in destruction skilled.

On his right he posted the Smiter, fearsome in battle,

On the left the Combat, which repels all the zealous.

For a cloak he was wrapped in an armor of terror;

With his fearsome halo his head was turbaned.

The lord went forth and followed his course,

Towards the raging Tiamat he set his face. (60)

In his lips he held a spell;

A plant to put out poison was grasped in his hand.

Then they milled about him, the gods milled about him,

The gods, his fathers, milled about him, the gods milled about him.

The lord approached to scan the inside of Tiamat,

(And) of Kingu, her consort, the scheme to perceive.

As he looks on, his course becomes upset,

His will is distracted and his doings are confused.

And when the gods, his helpers, who marched at his side,

Saw the valiant hero, blurred became their vision. (70)

Tiamat emitted [a cry], without turning her neck,

Framing savage defiance in her lips:

"Too [imp]ortant art thou [for] the lord of the gods to rise up against thee!

Is it in their place that they have gathered, (or) in thy place?"

Thereupon the lord, having [raised] the flood-storm, his mighty weapon,

[To] enraged [Tiamat] he sent word as follows:

"Why are thou risen, art haughtily exalted,

Thou hast charged thine own heart to stir up conflict,

. . . sons reject their own fathers,

Whilst thou, who hast born them, hast foresworn love! (80)

Thou hast appointed Kingu as they consort,

Conferring upon him the rank of Anu, not rightfully his.

Against Anshar, king of the gods, those seekest evil;

[Against] the gods, my fathers, thou hast confirmed thy wickedness.

[Though] drawn up be thy forces, girded on thy weapons,

Stand thou up, that I and thou meet in single combat!"

When Tiamat heard this,

She was like one possessed; she took leave of her senses.

In fury Tiamat cried aloud.

To the roots her legs shook both together. (90)

She recites a charm, keeps casting her spell,

While the gods of battle sharpen their weapons.

Then joined issue Tiamat and Marduk, wisest of gods.

They strove in single combat, locked in battle.

The lord spread out his net to enfold her,

The Evil Wind, which followed behind, he let loose in her face.

When Tiamat opened her mouth to consume him,

He drove in the Evil Wind that she close not her lips.

As the fierce winds charged her belly,

Her body was distended and her mouth was wide open. (100)

He released the arrow, it tore her belly,

It cut through her insides, splitting the heart.

Having thus subdued her, he extinguished her life.

He cast down her carcass to stand upon it.

After he had slain Tiamat, the leader,

Her band was shattered, her troupe broken up;

And the gods, her helpers who marched at her side,

Trembling with terror, turned their backs about,

In order to save and preserve their lives.

Tightly encircled, they could not escape. (110)

He made them captives and he smashed their weapons.

Thrown into the net, they found themselves ensnared;

Placed in cells, they were filled with wailing;

Bearing his wrath, they were held imprisoned.

And the eleven creatures which she has charged with awe,

The band of demons that marched [ . . . ] before her,

He cast into fetters, their hands [ . . . ].

For all their resistance, he trampled (them) underfoot.

And Kingu, who had been made chief among them,

He bound and accounted him to Uggae. (120)

He took from him the Tablets of Fate, not rightfully his.

Sealed (them) with a seal and fastened (them) on is breast.

When he has vanquished and subdued his adversaries,

Had . . . the vainglorious foe,

Had wholly established Anshar’s triumph over the foe,

Nudimmud’s desire had achieved, valiant Marduk

Strengthened his hold on the vanquished gods,

And turned back to Tiamat whom he had bound.

The lord trod on the legs of Tiamat,

With his unsparing mace he crushed her skull. (130)

When the arteries of her blood he had severed,

The North Wind bore (it) to places undisclosed.

On seeing this, his fathers were joyful and jubilant,

They brought gifts of homage, they to him.

Then the lord paused to view her dead body,

That he might divide the monster and do artful works.

He split her like a shellfish into two parts:

Half of her he set up and ceiled it as sky,

Pulled down the bar and posted guards.

He bade them to allow not her waters to escape. (140)

He crossed the heavens and surveyed the regions.

He squared Apsu’s quarter, the abode of Nudimmud,

As the lord measured the dimensions of Apsu.

The Great Abode, its likeness, he fixed Esharra,

The Great Abode, Esharra, which he made as the firmament.

Anu, Enlil, and Ea he made occupy their places.

Tablet V

He constructed stations for the great gods,

Fixing their astral likenesses as constellations.

He determined the year by designating the zones:

He set up three constellations for each of the twelve months.

After defining the days of the year [by means] of (heavenly) figures,

He founded the station of Nebiru to determine their (heavenly) bands,

That none might transgress or fall short.

Alongside it he set up the stations of Enlil and Ea.

Having opened up the gates on both sides,

He strengthened the locks to the left and the right. (10)

In her belly he established the zenith.

The Moon he caused to shine, the night (to him) entrusting.

He appointed him a creature of the night to signify the days:

"Monthly, without cease, form designs with a crown.

At the month’s very start, rising over the land,

Thou shalt have luminous horns to signify six days,

On the seventh day reaching a [half]-crown.

At full moon stand in opposition in mid-month.

When the sun [overtakes] thee at the base of heaven,

Diminish [thy crown] and retrogress in light. (20)

[At the time of disappearance] approach thou the course of the sun,

And [on the twenty-ninth] though shalt again stand in opposition to the sun."

[The remainder of this tablet is broken away or too fragmentary for translation.]

Tablet VI

When Marduk hears the words of the gods,

His heart prompts (him) to fashion artful works.

Opening his mouth, he addresses Ea

To impart the plan he had conceived in his heart:

"Blood I will mass and cause bones to be.

I will establish a savage, ‘man’ shall be his name.

Verily, savage-man I will create.

He shall be charged with the service of the gods

That they might be at ease!

The ways of the gods I will artfully alter.

Though alike revered, into two (groups) they shall be divided." (10)

Ea answered him, speaking a word to him,

Giving him another plan for the relief of the gods:

"Let but one of their brothers be handed over;

He alone shall perish that mankind may be fashioned.

Let the great gods be here in Assembly,

Let the guilty be handed over that they may endure."

Marduk summoned the great gods to Assembly;

Presiding graciously, he issues instructions.

To his utterance the gods pay heed.

The king addresses a word to the Anunnaki: (20)

"If your former statement was true,

Do (now) the truth on oath by me declare!

Who was it that contrived the uprising,

And made Tiamat rebel, and joined battle?

Let him be handed over who contrived the uprising.

His guilt I will make him bear. You shall dwell in peace!"

The Igigi, the great gods, replied to him,

To Lugaldimmerankia, counselor of the gods, their lord:

"It was Kingu who contrived the uprising,

And made Tiamat rebel, and joined battle." (30)

They bound him, holding him before Ea.

They imposed on him his guilt and severed his blood (vessels).

Out of his blood they fashioned mankind.

He imposed the service and let free the gods.

After Ea, the wise, had created mankind,

Had imposed upon it the service and let free the gods.

That work was beyond comprehension;

As artfully planned by Marduk, did Nudimmud create it—

Marduk, the king of the gods divided

All the Anunnaki above and below. (40)

He assigned (them) to Anu to guard his instructions.

Three hundred in the heavens he stationed as a guard.

In like manner the ways of the earth he defined.

In heaven and on earth six hundred (thus) he settled.

After he had ordered all the instructions,

To the Anunnaki of heaven and earth had allotted their portions,

The Anunnaki opened their mouths

And said to Marduk, their lord:

"Now, O lord, thou who hast caused our deliverance,

What shall be our homage to thee? (50)

Let us build a shrine whose name shall be called

‘Lo, a chamber for our nightly rest’; let us repose in it!

Let us build a throne, a recess for his abode!

On the day that we arrive we shall repose in it."

When Marduk heard this,

Brightly glowed his features, like the day:

"Like that of lofty Babylon, whose building you have requested,

Let its brickwork be fashioned. You shall name it ‘The Sanctuary.’"

Discussion questions

What similarities do you note between the creation of the world in the Enuma Elish and the Priestly creation in Genesis 1?

The Enuma Elish recounts how Marduk became the high god of the Babylonian pantheon. How do his character and his actions justify his status among the divine council?

The Enuma Elish’s conflict in heaven showcases Marduk as divine warrior. While the Genesis creation does not recount a similar conflict, where do we see the biblical God characterized as a warrior?

Focusing on Tiamat and Marduk, how does gender function in the Enuma Elish? How does this compare to the gender of God in the Hebrew Bible?

Knowing the Enuma Elish was read during the New Year’s festival, what aspects of the myth seem to refer to ritual?

2

The Nature of Pentateuchal Narrative

Key Points

The Pentateuch or the Torah contains the first five books of the Hebrew Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. It tells the story of the prehistory of Israel, including the narratives of creation, the flood, the ancestors, the liberation from Egypt and the giving of the Sinai law, the wandering in the desert, and the farewell speech of Moses.

The Pentateuch is traditionally associated with Moses. However, scholars have long recognized that the Pentateuch shows signs of being a composite work that was written by multiple authors. By the end of the 1800s, centuries of inquiry culminated in Julius Wellhausen’s Documentary Hypothesis. According to this hypothesis, the Pentateuch is the result of the combination of four separate and earlier sources of literature, known as J, E, D, and P. Each of these sources is distinguished by a consistent profile of literary characteristics, such as variation in divine names or interest in certain themes. While scholars like Rendtorff and Blum challenge the theory, all agree that the Pentateuch contains various traditional materials from different eras and points of view. The process of composition cannot have ended sooner than the postexilic period.

Because the Documentary Hypothesis continues to have many adherents, it represents the best way to understand the complex composition of the Pentateuch. The two earliest sources, J and E, are difficult to distinguish. The Yahwist (J) includes many of the well-known tales of Genesis and Exodus, including the story of Adam and Eve and a version of the flood. While J probably reflects stories of southern Judah, the Elohist (E) is associated with the northern tribes of Israel. The Deuteronomist (D) is almost exclusively limited to the book by the same name. It is connected with the seventh-century reforms of King Josiah in Judah. The Priestly source (P) is an exilic or postexilic composition largely concerned with issues of ritual practice and covenant. It contains a distinct legal source called the Holiness Code (H) in Leviticus 17–26. The source P is easily identified by its formulaic style and attention to detail.

Key Terms

Torah Also called the Pentateuch or the five books of Moses, the Torah consists of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. While the Hebrew word torah is often translated as law, this term has can refer more broadly to teaching or instruction. The Torah combines the revelation of law on Mt Sinai with foundational Israelite narratives.

Multiple authorship A complex process of authorship produced the Pentateuch, which shows signs of composite layers from different periods of Israelite history. Pre-modern thinkers already challenged the traditional notion that Moses wrote the entire Pentateuch. Today, scholars use the source theory along with redaction, tradition, and form criticisms to study the Pentateuch’s multiple layers.

Documentary Hypothesis According to the Documentary Hypothesis, four originally separate sources were brought together to form the Pentateuch. Julius Wellhausen, responsible for its classic formulation, named them JEPD. D (Deuteronomy) and P (Priestly) are the latest sources. Earlier and more difficult to distinguish, J (Yahwist) and E (Elohist) use different names for God, usually translated LORD and God, respectively.

Yahwist source The J source is associated with Judah in the south (c. ninth century bce) and contains colorful stories. YHWH is described in anthropomorphic terms and is sometimes represented by an angel. In the story of Adam and Even (Gen. 2–3), YHWH forms humans from clay, walks in the garden, and talks to them. The theme of promise and fulfillment is accomplished through YHWH’s trial and error.

Priestly source The P source can be identified by a concern for priestly matters: the tabernacle in Exodus, the Sabbath in Genesis 1, and Leviticus are quintessential examples. The narratives are formulaic and include dates and technical details, connecting events with genealogies. Covenants with ancestors figure prominently: Noah, Abraham, and Moses.

Key Personalities

YHWH in J flood

The J flood showcases YHWH’s anthropomorphic qualities: he experiences grief and regret (Gen. 6:6-7), closes the door to the ark (Gen. 7:16), and smells Noah’s sacrifice (Gen. 8:21) which induces his decision to never flood the earth again. The theme of trial and error carries over from earlier J texts as YHWH uses the flood to start over with humanity.

God in P flood

The Priestly account sets God’s decision to flood the earth in the context of his first covenant with humanity. God provides Noah with detailed directions and measurements for the boat, and Noah’s righteousness is reflected in his obedience to commands. The symmetry of God’s cosmos in the Priestly creation (Gen. 1) can be found in the repeated reference to pairs of animals, the waters above and below, and the command to be fruitful and multiply. God in the P flood concludes with the first laws for all humanity and the rainbow as a sign of the covenant.

Questions for Study and Discussion

How would you react to the following statement: The Bible makes it clear that Moses is the sole author of the Pentateuch. To what evidence would you appeal in your response?

What evidence has led scholars to conclude that the Pentateuch, far from being the work of a single author, is in fact the world of many scribes over centuries?

P and D are the easiest sources to recognize in the Pentateuch. What are some features of both? Where in the Pentateuch does one find these two sources?

The classical formulation of the Documentary Hypothesis—in which J and E are the earliest sources and D and P the latest—has come under fire on several fronts. What are some of the alternative models that have been proposed? What are some of the problems with the JEDP hypothesis?

Primary Texts

Genesis 6–9 in Yahwistic Version

Close reading tips

Note the anthropomorphic qualities of YHWH in Genesis 6:6-7.

The J account lacks instructions to build an ark.

Note who boards the ark (Gen. 7:1).

How many animals of each kind join Noah on the ark? (Gen. 7:2).

Note the repetition of 40 days and 40 nights in chapter 7.

YHWH shuts Noah into the ark (Gen. 7:16).

Note the narrative of the birds in Genesis 8:8-12.

The narrative of the sacrifice at the end of chapter 8 highlights the anthropomorphic character of YHWH.

6 ⁵ The LORD saw that the wickedness of humankind was great in the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually. ⁶ And the LORD was sorry that he had made humankind on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. ⁷ So the LORD said, I will blot out from the earth the human beings I have created—people together with animals and creeping things and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them. ⁸ But Noah found favor in the sight of the LORD.

⁹b Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation;

7 ¹ Then the LORD said to Noah, Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you alone are righteous before me in this generation. ² Take with you seven pairs of all clean animals, the male and its mate; and a pair of the animals that are not clean, the male and its mate; ³ and seven pairs of the birds of the air also, male and female, to keep their kind alive on the face of all the earth. ⁴ For in seven days I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights; and every living thing that I have made I will blot out from the face of the ground. ⁵ And Noah did all that the LORD had commanded him.

⁸ Of clean animals, and of animals that are not clean, and of birds [went into the ark with Noah.] ¹⁰ And after seven days the waters of the flood came on the earth. ¹² The rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights. ¹⁶b And the LORD shut him in. ¹⁷ The flood continued forty days on the earth. ²³ He blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground, human beings and animals and creeping things and birds of the air; they were blotted out from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those that were with him in the ark

8 ²b The rain from the heavens was restrained, ³ and the waters gradually receded from the earth.

⁶ At the end of forty days Noah opened the window of the ark that he had made. ⁸ Then he sent out the dove from him, to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground; ⁹ but the dove found no place to set its foot, and it returned to him to the ark, for the waters were still on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took it and brought it into the ark with him. ¹⁰ He waited another seven days, and again he sent out the dove from the ark; ¹¹ and the dove came back to him in the evening, and there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf; so Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth. ¹² Then he waited another seven days, and sent out the dove; and it did not return to him any more. ¹³b And Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and saw that the face of the ground was drying. In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dry.

²⁰ Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. ²¹ And when the LORD smelled the pleasing odor, the LORD said in his heart, "I will never again curse the ground because of humankind, for the inclination of the human heart is evil from youth; nor will I ever again destroy every living creature as I have done.

²² As long as the earth endures,

seedtime and harvest, cold and heat,

summer and winter, day and night,

shall not cease

Discussion questions

How well does the J flood story hold together?

How does the anthropomorphic character of YHWH affect your interpretation of the J flood?

Do you detect the theme of YHWH’s trial and error in the J flood?

How does the J flood compare with the Atrahasis or Gilgamesh flood stories?

Genesis 6–9 in Priestly Version

Close reading tips

Note the genealogical introduction in Genesis 6:9-10.

Who are Ham, Shem, and Japheth (Gen. 6:10 and 7:13)?

Note the detailed instructions for building an ark (Gen. 6:14-16).

Note the covenant in Genesis 6:18.

How many animals of each kind join Noah on the ark? (Gen. 7:19)

Notice how many specific numbers and dates are included (Gen. 7:6, also 7:11, 20, 24; 8:4, 5, 13, 14).

Compare the fountains of the great deep and floodgates of the sky (Gen. 7:11; 8:2) with Genesis 1:6-7.

Compare the report about the days of water in Genesis 7:24 (P) with Genesis 7:17 (J).

Note the short report of the bird in Genesis 8:7.

Compare be fertile and increase, and fill the earth in Genesis 9:1 with Genesis 1:28.

Note the laws of the Noahic covenant in Genesis 9:3-7.

Compare the image of God in Genesis 9:6 with Genesis 1:26-27.

With whom does God make the covenant in Genesis 9:9-10?

What is the sign of the covenant in Genesis 9:12-13?

What happens when God brings clouds over the earth in Genesis 9:14?

6 ⁹ These are the descendants of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation; Noah walked with God. ¹⁰ And Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

¹¹ Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. ¹² And God saw that the earth was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted its ways upon the earth. ¹³ And God said to Noah, "I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence because of them; now I am going to destroy them along with the earth. ¹⁴ Make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch. ¹⁵ This is how you are to make it: the length of the ark three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. ¹⁶ Make a roof for the ark, and finish it to a cubit above; and put the door of the ark in its side; make it with lower, second, and third decks. ¹⁷ For my part, I am going to bring a flood of waters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die. ¹⁸ But I will establish my covenant with you; and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. ¹⁹ And of every living thing, of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. ²⁰ Of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground according to its kind, two of every kind shall come in to you, to keep them alive. ²¹ Also take with you every kind of food that is eaten, and store it up;