Week 3: Primeval History: Genesis 4-11

Question 1

Two Methods of Biblical Criticism

Answer 1

1. Synchronic (at the same time)

Diachronic (through time)

Question 2

Synchronic

Method of Biblical Criticism

Answer 2

Synchronic: at the same time

Methods of study that examine a text or tradition as it presents in its final form, by analyzing its main structure, narrative, vocabulary, and main themes.

Question 3

Diachronic

Method of Biblical Criticism

Answer 3

Diachronic: through time

Methods of study attentive to the historical development of texts or traditions across the passage of time.

Question 4

Diachronic “Two-track” Time

Answer 4

Biblical texts tell us about:

(1) the period they are relating AND
(2) about the period they were written in

Question 5

Mosaic Authorship

Answer 5

By the 1st century, it is assumed that Moses wrote all 5 books. He is the foremost Prophet, who received the Law from God, and is described in such a close relationship with God that he could see God face-to-face. So from there, by extension, it was believed that Moses wrote the whole thing.

Question 6

No where does it say that moses wrote all 5 books in the Pentateuch. So where did this belief come to be?

Answer 6

Old Testament: Ezra 7:6 (ca. 450 BC).
The Pentateuch itself does not claim Moses wrote the whole thing. Neither the Deuteronomistic History (Joshua - 2 Kings), nor the 8th-7th c BCE prophets mention Moses as the author of the Pentateuch.

Extra-canonical witness: The Book of Jubilees (250 BC). Jewish text that is a retelling of Genesis and most of Exodus.

New Testament Witness: Gospel of Luke

Question 7

Pseudepigraphy

Answer 7

The practice of attributing a writing to a great historical figure in order to imbue the written work with the authority and importance of the putative author.

Question 8

Skepticism about Moses’ Authorship

Answer 8

From an early stage, people became skeptical (especially in the Middle Ages)…

Abraham Ibn Ezra
Baruch Spinoza
Christian Thinkers (Hobbes, Richard Simon, Jean Astruc)

Question 9

Skepticism about Moses’ Authorship

Abraham Ibn Ezra

Answer 9

“Beyond the Jordan” (Deut 1:1): The perspective of the narrator is already in the Promised Land, but Moses never made it to the Promised Land (he died right outside)
“The mystery of the twelve” (Deut 34:1-12): Recounts Moses’ death

Question 10

Skepticism about Moses’ Authorship

Baruch Spinoza

Answer 10

Much more upfront about Moses not being the author of the Pentateuch
Developed Ibn Ezra’s observations
“Now the man Moses was very humble. More so than anyone else on the face of the earth” (Numbers 12:3)
The Pentateuch was not written by Moses
Spinoza was excommunicated for this

Question 11

Skepticism about Moses’ Authorship

Christian Thinkers

Answer 11

Thomas Hobbes

Richard Simon: Moses compiled much of the contents, but Ezra is responsible for final form of Pentateuch

Jean Astruc: different names used for God

Question 12

Signs of Multiple Sources: Doublets

Answer 12

2 Creation Narratives
2 Flood Narratives
2 Covenants with Abraham
3 Sets of 10 Commandments

Question 13

Signs of Multiple Sources: Terminology

Answer 13

The Mountain (Sinai/Horeb)
Moses’ Father in Law (Jethro/Reul)
God’s Name/Title (Lord/Elohim)

Question 14

The Pentateuch Documentary Hypothesis

Answer 14

The Pentateuch comprises four distinct and relatively intact sources (“documents”) labeled J, E, D and P.

Analysis of these sources is often called “literary criticism,” but more appropriately understood as a “source analysis.”

Hypothesis is based on repetitions, similarities, inconsistencies, and contradictions in the Pentateuch

The DH became the dominant paradigm for critical biblical analysis.

Question 15

4 Sources from the Documentary Hypothesis

Answer 15

J Source: Jahwist (~950 BCE)
E Source: Elohist (~850 BCE)
D Source: Deuteronomic (~650-550? BCE)
P Source: Priestly (550-450 BCE)

Question 16

What lead to the development of source criticism and the Documentary Hypothesis?

Answer 16

Thinkers such as Hobbes and Spinoza began questioning traditional views of the Bible.

Richard Simon:
Moses could not have written the Pentateuch because it contains historical details and refers to events which he could not have known about.
Pointed out geographical oddities.
The Pentateuch is not a first-person narrative by Moses himself, but is written by another author, often about Moses

Following Simon’s work, Jean Astruc identified two different sources in Genesis (elohim translates God and yahweh translates the LORD).

Thus began the methodology source criticism…

Julius Wellhausen sketched the history of ancient Israel, with attention to religious beliefs and practices, based on available sources.

Question 17

J Source: Jahwist (~950 BCE)

Answer 17

Identified first in Genesis by consistent use of the divine name Yahweh (“the LORD”). J is the most complete of all the sources.

GOD: Yahweh; “the LORD”

CHARACTERISTICS: Anthropomorphic (human-like ways)
Kingly/Monarchic (making commandments, statues, ruling over everything) → monarchic period of Israel and Judah
Clear divide between the divine realm and the human realm
Long speeches with lots of little details

GEOGRAPHY: Judah

THEME: Three-fold promise to Abraham of land, descendents and blessing.

DATE: Some scholars think that J material may have come later, from the Babylonian period, because Abraham is from Babylon and is promised land, descendents and blessing (this would have been a major motivating promise for those in exile). It’s unclear from which period it was from.

Question 18

E Source: Elohist (~850 BCE)

Answer 18

Identified by consistent use of divine title Elohim (“God”) in Genesis and until the revelation of the name Yahweh to Moses in Exodus 3.

GOD: Elohim; “God”

CHARACTERISTICS:
God speaks through dreams, prophets and visions. More emphasis on the fear of God, and being obedient to God.

GEOGRAPHY: Northern kingdom of Israel

THEME: Emphasis on being suspicious of authorities, and not liking the notion of a centralized base (and we see later that the northern areas of the kingdom disassociate themselves from David and Solomon’s reign)

Theomorphic Elements (e.g. Gen 32:22-32):
Jacob is called IsraEL
Jacob names the place PenuEL/PeniEL (“face of God”)
Yahweh & Joshua

Theomorphic elements represent that it is E-material because it is “el.”

Question 19

D Source: Deuteronomic (~650-550? BCE)

Answer 19

Found almost entirely in the book of Deuteronomy.

GOD: Yahweh Elohenu (“The Lord your God”) (fusion of tribes calling God Yahweh and tribes calling God Elohim)

GEOGRAPHY: Slightly complex history, geographically. D began in northern part of kingdom (like E) and came into its final form in the southern part of the kingdom

DATE: Dated to 650, right before the Babylonian exile. Deuteronomy has its own complicated history and uses traditions older than 17th c.
Connections with E and J

THEME: Emphasis on ( 1 ) obedience and ( 2 ) prophecy
With the Babylonians, who were getting close to taking over the land, it is clear that there is an urgency → be obedient or the Babylonians will take over. If you obey my Commandments, then you will have the land.

Question 20

P Source: Priestly (550-450 BCE)

Answer 20

Last editor of Pentateuch, therefore the first and last chapters are P (Gen 1 & Deut 34). P material frames the Pentateuch.

P Material: Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers

P is very attentive to the order of things and compiles stories in “chronological order.” P preserves (and adds some in).

GOD: Elohim to YHWH
Deity is often called elohim until the revelation of the divine name to Moses. Unlike E, however, P uses other designations for deity, such as el shadday and other combinations with el.

CHARACTERISTICS: Deity is typically manifest in His “glory”

DATE: P includes exilic and post-exilic context.

THEMES: A theological leap takes place: they can be a faithful people, no matter where they are. Even without a Temple system and close community (in proximity), God is still our God. This lead to genealogies and an emphasis on matters of religious observance and ritual.

Orderly, full of laws and lists, precise with its dating. Lead to irreversible signs of the Covenant that are not limited to Jerusalem Temple (e.g. Sabbath, circumcision, rainbow).
Contains thematic series of covenants (Noah, Abraham, Israel/Moses).
First account of creation in Genesis (P) concludes with account of divine rest and sabbath observance.

Key phrases: “male and female”, “the male and his mate”, “be fruitful and multiply.”

Question 21

JE Source

Answer 21

Some scholars prefer to speak of JE, recognizing that E is so fragmentary that they cannot easily be separated, although they may have been originally distinct sources.

Others prefer to see JE as a single entity (e.g. Genesis 6:5-14).

Question 22

Documentary Hypothesis: Strengths

Answer 22

This theory came from the late 1800s, during a time period where Western scholarship was confident that it could explain everything.

The DH does not take oral traditions into account sufficiently. Underlying the present text of the Pentateuch are different layers of tradition representing different “schools” of thought.

The DH reminds readers to keep in mind the history of Israel as one reads the text

The reader then asks:
When was this text written?
What clues in the text give me this information?
How does this context affect my understanding of the text?

Question 23

The Flood

Answer 23

Noah’s name means “rest” or “comfort.”

Noah is like the new Adam, because he is going to serve a role in reversing the curse on humanity. God declares that the earth is corrupt (opposite of creation story, where God declares “and it was good”).
The Nephilim (fallen ones) are divine beings that mixed with humans and produced quasi-divine beings. The mixing of human and divine realism is corrupt.

God decides He will wipe out humanity

God gives Noah dominion over animals, again, and instructs that humans have the responsibility to preserve life. 16 animals (7 pairs of clean, 1 pair of unclean).

Gen 7: Flood lasts 40 days and 40 nights
Gen 8: Flood lasts 180 days and takes to 150 days to subside, and then 67 days to reach land (almost adds up to perfect year)

“Be fruitful and multiply”: the rest of the peoples on Earth will flow from Noah. Noah is described a man of the soil (like Adam), but the curse has been reversed, emphasizing that Noah is the new Adam.

Followed by a long genealogy.

Question 24

Why does the geanology in Genesis 10 reverse the birth order of Noah’s sons at the end?

Answer 24

In verse 1, Noah’s sons are listed in the order of their birth (Shem, Ham and Japeth), but then later verses their order (Japeth, ham and Shem)

This is because it puts Shem in close proximity to Abraham.

The Bible is connecting the Covenant with Noah to the Covenant with Abraham in Genesis 12. Abraham, too, is going to be the new Adam. God is going to re-establish a Covenant with humanity, through a single person and single family

NARRATIVELY CLOSER.