Fr. Pat's OT Lectures, Week 3, Page 1 of 8

Week 3, Lecture 7.1 Source Criticism of the Pentateuch

Introduction & Review Scholars such as Levine often refer to the different "sources" of the Pentateuch. We have seen in recent lectures 1) There are two different versions of the 10 Commandments, attributed to different "sources" by scholars 2) There are two different creation stories in Genesis 1-2, attributed to different "sources" by scholars The purpose of this lecture is twofold A. Give a brief overview of the "Documentary Hypothesis," the dominant scholarly source theory B. A brief overview of challenges to this theory since about 1970.

Traditional "Documentary Hypothesis," the "Four Source Theory" J, E, D, P J Put into writing about 1,000 B.C. in Judah Calls the deity "Yahweh" (German Jahweh) even before the name was revealed to Moses. Put ancient traditions into writing about the time of David. "Foreshadows" David by his "younger brother" theme (e.g., Abel, Jacob) bold anthropomorphisms (presenting God in "human" anthropos "form" morphē) E Put into writing about 900 B.C. in the Northern Kingdom Calls the deity Elohim Less anthropomorphic. God comes in "dreams" or sends his "angel." More of an Ethical sense Not concerned with Davidic dynasty. More emphasis on Prophets. JE After the fall of the Northern kingdom (721) some managed to flee south. Their traditions were combined with J. Not all of E was preserved. D Is identical with the Book of Deuteronomy Another northern tradition brought south after 721, perhaps in oral form, perhaps written. The "scroll of the Law" discovered in the days of Josiah (ca. 620) was probably the "core" of Deuteronomy Later additions were made during the Exile. The Deuteronomistic History has related theology. Probably same school of scribes. Joshua, Judges, 1-2 Samuel, 1-2 Kings. P Put into writing during the Exile (ca. 550) or shortly after the Exile (ca. 500 B.C.) The Priestly tradition Avoids anthropomorphisms. Exalted nature of God. Concern with "priestly" matters: ritual, sacrifice, genealogies Much of Leviticus & Numbers Final editor of Pentateuch. "Blended" his traditions with the previous ones. Kept D as a separate book because of the fearsome curses at the end. Also see the commands (4:2; 12:32). By placing it last, "this book" later came to be understood as the whole torah, Genesis - Deuteronomy. Scholarly Consensus until ca. 1970. I took OT in the fall of 1970, was ordained in the spring of 1974. Minor revisions. Did E exist? Date J ca. 900 instead of 1,000. Levine 900 – 750 (slightly more "radical") Major Challenges. Place the J author after the Exile, as late as 400! Blenkinsopp, Joseph. The Pentateuch: An Introduction to the First Five Books of the Bible. ABRL. Yale, 1992. Strongly

questions the traditional J E D P theory. Proposes that P and D are fairly certain; neither J nor E was ever a "continuous narrative" from creation to Exodus; D material is found in Genesis – Numbers, as well as Deuteronomy; many passages traditionally attributed to J and E are actually post-Exilic and are supplements to P.

1 For "filing purposes" I plan to number the lectures consecutively throughout the course. So, although this is the first lecture this week, its number reflects its overall place in the total sequence of lectures..

Fr. Pat's OT Lectures, Week 3, Page 2 of 8 Quick Check on Textbooks Anderson 2007 (5th ed.) Mainline Protestant Boadt 2010 (2nd ed.) Catholic Coogan 2015 (2nd ed.) Catholic Brettler 2005 Jewish perspective Flanders, Crapps & Smith 1996 (4th ed.) Baptist perspective All these present the standard J E D P consensus that I learned in the seminary, though they note it is "being questioned." This view is also expressed by Christopher Frechette in the Third Edition of the CSB.2 Observations from Fr. Jerome Walsh I consulted one of my OT colleagues, a literary critic, about the current situation. His response:

First, note that four of the five books you cite are in 2nd or later editions. Publishers resist resetting huge amounts of text for a "revised" edition. So it may well be that the publisher is responsible for the minimal changes . . .. Second, yes, inertia is a factor for authors too. Most won't want to thoroughly revise a "second edition"; they will write a new book instead. (In his introduction to On Genesis, Vawter says flat out that, in writing the new book, he did not even consult his earlier A Path through Genesis!) Third, I think there has been a significant vacuum in Pentateuchal studies since the last quarter of the 20th century. The rise of literary critical methods and the significant undermining of the classical form of the Documentary Hypothesis were almost simultaneous, and the field has not yet managed to cope with either of those developments. . . . My impression is, frankly, that the rise of literary criticism supplied a refuge for those of us who saw the DocHyp as outdated, but didn't want to spend our careers tinkering with it to make it work again. And, just a bit later, ideological methods (feminist criticism and the like) offered a further escape hatch for others. As a result, the exegetical work environment now enables successful careers without requiring focused contribution to historical critical enterprises. Fourth. On the other hand, historical criticism is obviously still alive and well and vigorously pursued by many important scholars . . . And there my impression is that the vacuum is most evident: we need a Wellhausen, or a Bultmann, or a Gunkel, or a von Rad, or a Noth, to lay the groundwork for the next paradigm shift in historical criticism. As long as that creative genius delays his or her appearance, the rest of the field will be limited to tweaking a machine that doesn't run very well any more and that nobody can fully repair, but that nobody has the intellectual wherewithal to replace. Remember Thomas Kuhn's Structure of Scientific Revolutions in 1962? One of the points he argued was that no science makes regular, smooth progress. Sciences are jump-started by a radically new idea (thus, a "paradigm shift") that unleashes a period of exploration and investigation of that idea and its consequences and implications and limits. The period of exploration generates new insights, new products, new applications, etc. But eventually, the identification of the limits proves the inadequacy of the regnant paradigm, and the science enters a period of stagnation until a new genius arises to propose a new paradigm. My impression is that that's the situation in historical criticism nowadays. Jerry3

Why I need to study further. The anthropomorphisms of "J" are primitive. However, the expression Yahweh God (the LORD God) appears to be late! Most examples outside of Genesis 2-3 occur in Chronicles (certainly post-Exilic) and Psalms (many are post-Exilic)

Insert Levine's Lecture on Genesis 3

Week 3, Lecture 8. Comment's on Genesis 3 4

Adam and Eve. Literally, "the Man & the Woman." The first named person in the Bible is Eve (Gen 3:20) "The-man," (ha-ʼadam) is first given the name "Adam" (ʼadam) in 4:25 (so, accurately, the NABRE & NRSV). Contrast Douay & KJV which introduce the name "Adam" in 2:19 – neglecting to translate the word "the!"5

2 "The Pentateuch," RG 109-120, especially pages 110-112. The standard theory is given, but it is "under attack." 3 E-mail message, 4/21/2016. 4 These comments are prompted by Amy Jill Levine's "Adam and Eve" Lecture 2 of The Old Testament, The Great Courses series available from The Teaching Company. Used & audio-only versions are also available in Amazon.

Fr. Pat's OT Lectures, Week 3, Page 3 of 8 There is no story of "Adam and Eve in the Garden" in the NAB, NABRE, or NRSV! Popular Presentations. Often scholars who are given a popular presentation will ignore this distinction. I regularly neglect it in homilies, and sometimes slip up in lectures. The CCC (#375) is "guilty" as well. This results in a "tension" between English-language theological resources. The CCC speaks of Adam & Eve being in a state of "original justice (#375)." Those who look for this in the NABRE will not find it! -- at least if they read carefully. Eve's addition to the divine command Later rabbinic tradition: "Build a fence around the Torah." Catholic tradition: "Avoid occasions of sin." You will be like ʼElohim You will be like "gods"? (KJV, NAB, NABRE) . . . like "God"? (RSV, NRSV) Levine: . . . like "the gods" (but there is no word "the" in the Hebrew!) NET, like "divine beings" Knowing Good & Evil. A "merism," i. e. the combination of two contrasting words, to refer to an entirety6 E.g. people "from east to west;" to search "high & low" = and everywhere in between. (lock, stock, & barrel) Her man, ʼishah (3:6). This recalls the pun of 2:23.

She is called "woman," אּשה ʼishshâ, because she is taken from "her man," שּהיא ʼîshah.7

In the earliest Hebrew these would have both been spelled: אשה

The MT lacks the "her" of "her man" האש but it is found in the LXX, Vulgate, and Targum. Other NT uses of Genesis 2-3 [Levine notes the deutero-Pauline 1 Tim 2:14.] Perhaps more important for Christians are: 1 Cor 15:45

Thus it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. (1 Cor 15:45, RSV)

Here Paul uses a Christ-Adam comparison to portray Christ as the beginning of a new creation. Contrary to most Jewish tradition, Paul regards death as a result of Adam's sin. (Recall that Levine asked: "If the first people were immortal, why did they need a tree of life?")

For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. (1Co 15:22, RSV) There is also Paul's extremely difficult text in Romans 5, the translation of which is highly disputed!

Therefore, just as through one person sin entered the world, and through sin, death, and thus death came to all, inasmuch as8 all sinned (Rom 5:12, NAB)

Jewish & Christian Thought Reminder: Jews do not think in terms of "Original Sin" from which people need to be saved. Rather, they consider that humanity has been sinful from the beginning. God has punished sin, from the beginning, but God has also been merciful from the beginning! Theologically the doctrine of salvation for all through Christ preceded the doctrine of Original Sin. If Christ saved everybody, everybody must need to be saved! "Original Sin" is a way of expressing this insight. Anyone who does not think that Christ is the savior of all people has no need for a doctrine of "Original Sin."

5 The name "Adam" first appears in the RSV at Gen 3:17. 6 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merism 7 "Dots" in Hebrew mean different things. ש represents the "sh" sound. The dot means that it is doubled, instead of being written שש. By contrast the "dot" in the ה indicates that it is "h" and is not simply an indication of a long a-vowel, scientifically transliterated as â. 8 RSV and NRSV render the disputed phrase, "because." KJV translates "for that." The Douay renders literally Jerome's unlikely Vulgate translation, "in whom."

Fr. Pat's OT Lectures, Week 3, Page 4 of 8 The Punishments. Only the ground is cursed. Neither the man nor the woman is cursed, though they are both punished. "Etiology" is a "story that gives the reason why things are the way they are – from Greek aitios, "cause." Why do snakes move differently from other animals? Why is life difficult? Etc. The "explanations" are not scientific. Recall how your mother explained "thunder" when you were a frightened child. "It's just hot and cold air bumping together." "It's just the angels bowling."

Week 3, Lecture 9. A Bit of Geography

1. The Fertile Crescent Attached map from Wikipedia Commons JPEG Slide: 01Mid-East Satellite001 West-to-East: Egypt (Nile), Phoenicia (Costal Rain), Mesopotamia (Tigris & Euphrates) 2a. Neighbors of Israel & Judah. East of the Jordan, North to South Aram (Syria), capital Damascus. Separated from Ammon by the Yarmuk River (just S. of Sea of Galilee). Ammon, capital Rabat Ammon. South of the Yarmuk, north of the Arnon (middle of the Dead Sea) The River Jabbok is in the middle of Ammon, opposite Shechem, between the Yarmuk & the Arnon. Moab, South of of the River Arnon, North of the River Zered. (at the bottom of the Dead Sea) Edom, South of the Brook Zered 2b. Neighbors of Israel & Judah on the West, South to North Philistines. Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod. The coastal plain in the southwest & the Shepelah (foothills) Phoenician City States. Tyre & Sidon. The coastal plain in the northwest. 3. Physical Map of the Holy Land. Attached map JPEG Slide: 02HolyLandPhysicalMap001 Natural Regions9 1) The Coastal Plain: Plain of Philistia, Plain of Sharon, Plain of Dor (S. of Carmel), Plain of Acco (N. or Carmel) Mount Carmel is an easy landmark. North of it, the plain extends inward along the Kishon Brook past Megiddo into the Plain of Jezreel. 2) Western Hills: Hill Country of Judah, Hill Country of Ephraim, Lower Galilee, Upper Galilee 3) Rift Valley (Jordan Valley, but goes north to Lebanon, and south to Africa!) Below sea level. 60,000 years ago, there was a body of water from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea. The area has been slowly drying out ever since. 4) Eastern Hills, Transjordan. Parts of Edom, Moab. Gilead is the hilly region opposite the Jordan, north of the Dead Sea, south of the Yarmuk River. Bashan is the hilly region opposite Sea of Galilee, north of the Yarmuk River. 5) The Negeb (sometimes spelled Negev.) Desert area south of the Plain of Philistia & the Hill Country of Judah. 6) The great Eastern Desert A look at the Wall Map From Dan to Beer Sheba From Dan to Bethel Hazor, Megiddo, Jericho, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Hebron (N. to S.) Joppa (Jaffa), [Tel Aviv, a modern city, not part of ancient Israel] Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod (S. to N.) I was experimenting with some new technology for this lecture. Sorry for the parts that did not go well! [Personal Memories. Omitted from lecture. Short of time. Maybe later in the course.] Jericho, Tell Nimrin, Jerash (Summer, 1993) Netanya, Banias, Jerusalem, Bethlehem (Summer, 1996) Jericho (December, 2009)

9 Adrian Curtis, editor, Oxford Bible Atlas, 4th Edition (Oxford, 2007) p. 20.

Fr. Pat's OT Lectures, Week 3, Page 5 of 8

1. The Fertile Crescent A

Fr. Pat's OT Lectures, Week 3, Page 6 of 8

2. Neighbors of Israel & Judah, 8th Century BC B

Fr. Pat's OT Lectures, Week 3, Page 7 of 8

3. Physical Map of the Holy Land C

Fr. Pat's OT Lectures, Week 3, Page 8 of 8

Endnotes A The Fertile Crescent. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7b/Map_of_fertile_crescent.svg B Israel's Neighbors. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d2/Kingdoms_around_Israel_830_map.svg/2000px-Kingdoms_around_Israel_830_map.svg.png C Physical Map of the Holy Land https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bc/images/03990_000_bible-map-1.jpg