Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Michael Abernathy <michaelabernat9001 AT sbcglobal.net>]

Yitzhak,
Thank you for responding. You answered in part,
"But there are ways to prove it wrong. One can find a section
that is indisputably to be attributed to Source 1 (S1) and show that it is
dependent on a section that is indisputably to be attributed to a second
source."

That answer sounds quite reasonable in theory but I specifically asked 
for an
objective test for a reason. It appears to me that the decision that any 
passage
belongs to a specific source is subjective, open to the interpretation 
of the
reader.  In my mind the response from  some of the  others on this list  
confirms
the subjective nature of such determinations.

I am certain that this approach seems quite sensible to those who have been
trained in it. From my limited background DH seems to be more a matter 
of faith
than science, being impossible to prove and nearly impossible to disprove.
And while I suppose you must find it of some value, I am perplexed as to 
how a
theory which encourages the interpreter to divorce material from its 
literary
context is a particular benefit to interpretation.
Once again, thank you for responding.
Sincerely,
Michael Abernathy