1. Discuss the criticisms of Pentateuch. An interesting Chinese proverb says, "What I hear, I forget. What I see, I remember. What I do, I know." Word pictures help us retain information. Special Introduction involves a book-by-book or genre-by-genre study.

There are a number of criticisms with the Book of Genesis. First is the documentary hypothesis, which says that for certain portions of the Old Testament and specifically for the Pentateuch that we have different authors or different accounts that are dovetailed or brought together by some kind of editor. For the Pentateuch, critics say that there are four different authors (J, E, D (around 400BC), and P) while conservatives say that Moses was the real author. Source critics look for: (1) diversity in names (different names for the same people or for God (J è Jehovah (850 relative to year 0) or E è Elohim (750 relative to year 0)). According to this theory, "E" would have written at the time of the patriarchs because those people knew God by the name "Elohim". Similarly, "F" would have written after the burning bush incident because that was when the name "Jehovah" was revealed), (2) doublets ((a second or twin account of the same event) - in Genesis 7:7, Noah and his family entered the Ark, in Genesis 7:10, the flood started, and in Genesis 7:13, they entered the Ark. However, Hebrew authors often used block logic, grouping thoughts in blocks, rather than a chronological presentation. This also happens in Numbers and Judges, and it would be a stupid mistake if not intentional), (3) diversity in chronology and numbers (("J" and "P" (priestly tradition)) - "J" uses days in Genesis 7, and "P" uses a calendar system), (4) diversity in content ("J" distinguishes between clean and unclean (animals entered by 7), while another source says that they entered two-by-two), and (5) diversity in style/vocabulary ("P" was concerned with the Sabbath, sacrifices, and festival days.

2. Discuss the history of source criticism of Genesis. First, Jean Astruc (1753) wrote a commentary on Genesis. He said that Moses used multiple sources, and he cited names and doublets. Who rescued Joseph? Some say Judah, and some say Reuben. Moses' sources could have been written or oral. Second, K. H. Graf (1807) drew from Davita that said "P" was a source during post-exilic Judaism because of all the writing about sacrifices. He also introduced "D" for "Deuteronomy". Third, Julius Wellhausen (1878) wrote volume 1 of the History of Israel. He said that "D" wrote during the time of Josiah because there was not any talk about the Law in Joshua, Judges, and Kings. He reasoned that Isaiah, Micah, Hosea, and the other prophets had come up with the idea of a centralized sacrifice worship in Jerusalem around 700BC. Before that, one could offer sacrifices anywhere. In Kings 22:23, Josiah discovered the Book of the Law. Critics say that Deuteronomy was not discovered then but was actually written at that time, and of course, that author would have been "D".

3. Discuss the responses to the source critics. First, Yehezkel Kaufmann (1956) criticized Wellhausen's time period for "D" by saying that Wellhausen had overestimated the prophet's teachings. The southern kingdom did not reproach the northern kingdom for not sacrificing in Jerusalem. Their criticism was the idolatry. Thus, they were not promoting a centralized worship system because it already existed. Second, the U.S. Constitution can be used as a response. Suppose that someone named Steve wrote a term paper about the Constitution in the year 2000AD. In 4000AD, a new political party says that the people need to get back to the Constitution. In 10000AD, the people of that time ask if the Constitution was framed in the 1780s. But if Steve did not mention the original date in his paper, then the conclusion might be that the people in 4000AD had created it but then pretended that it had really been created in 1780. Steve would have been the former prophets who did not mention the laws of Moses very much, but that was not their goal.

4. Discuss the response to source criticism through the viewpoint of inspiration. First, what the affirmation is is a reference to a real person named Moses. Second, what the affirmation is not is a reference to a pseudopigraphal (false writing) because many references in the Bible look back to Moses. Third, oral transmission in biblical days was extremely accurate. Moses could have had oral sources. Critical scholars challenge the accuracy of oral, but in ancient says, stories were transmitted much better. In Genesis 40, there are 3 expressions of "lift the head", and this type of repetition appears in other places, too. These examples were probably used as memory aids.

5. Discuss the possible types of Mosaic authorship. Some of the types of a Mosaic authorship are: (1) dictation theory (word for word from God - but the end of Deuteronomy records the death of Moses), (2) Moses as the complete author, (3) Moses as the majority author with perhaps a little help from Joshua or someone else ("Amanuensis" - Latin for "hand". Joshua was the righthand man of Moses), and (4) Moses as an editor for the sources in Genesis.

6. Name some related books. Some good books are: (1) Who Wrote The Bible, by Freeman Reader's Digest of Wellhausen), (2) The Book of J, (3) The Religion of Israel, by Kaufmann, (4) A Survey of Old Testament Introduction, by Gleason Archer (conservative view), (5) The Making of the Pentateuch, and(6) Rethinking Genesis, by Garrett (conservative).

				Tom of Bethany

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