Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Todd Young <tbbyoung AT flash.net>]

Kevin,
    In answer to question 1, you could say that I accept the hypothesis. I 
believe
that there were several sources, oral and written, that over time were edited 
together
into what we have now. I do not believe that you can limit the number of 
sources to 4
or 5 or 6. For example, the Song of Miriam, is considered one of the oldest 
pieces of
poetry and ancient Hebrew. Was it a source by itself and what happened to the 
rest of
the source?

Also, I think it is important to note the context of the fragments within the 
sources.
The name Yahweh is often found in the Pentateuch in a setting referring to the
personal relationship between Yahweh and another person or Israel. The 
context of
Elohim is often in reference to God's power, might, and majesty. There is a 
literary
difference between the contexts. This could begin to explain the differences 
between
what scholars consider to be sources and what the redactor wrote or chose to 
use.

Todd Young
Southwestern Baptist Seminary
Fort Worth, TX



"Kevin L. Barney" wrote:

> I have been reviewing scholarship on the Documentary Hypothesis.  Given the
> number of Hebrew scholars here with strong views on such matters, I would
> like to take an informal survey of the members of this list regarding their
> views of the Documentary Hypothesis:
>
> 1.  In general, do you accept the hypothesis?
>
> 2.  If you answered "yes" to question 1, in what ways do your views differ
> from the classical Graf-Wellhausen formulation of the hypothesis?  (E.g.,
> do you accept or reject a separate E source?  Would you date P prior to D,
> as some do?  Do you agree with the recent trend of dating J late rather
> than early?)
>
> 3.  If you reject the hypothesis from within the historical/literary
> critical school, with what would you replace it?  A "fragmentary" view that
> sees numerous fragments being redacted together rather than three or four
> main documents?  A "supplemental" view that sees one main source that was
> supplemented with other material?  Other?
>
> 4.  If you reject the historical/literary critical enterprise altogether,
> what is your view of the composition and authorship of the Pentateuch?  Is
> it a unified composition?  What factors are most important in your
> rejection of the Documentary Hypothesis?
>
> Thanks in advance for your insights.
>
> Kevin L. Barney
> Hoffman Estates, Illinois
> klbarney AT yahoo.com
>
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