The Pentateuch

4 Traditions of Authorship

Genesis 1-11
When we read Scripture, we must read it from a critical
outlook. We must take into account the culture of the author,
his original intention, the literary techniques etc.
We find in Genesis 1-11 the basis

of

the entire story of redemption.

Genesis 1-11 is no
exception to this rule!

All the rest of Scripture is an

explanation of how human frailty and
weakness is overcome and
compensated by Gods loving plan of
redemption.

Genesis was initially passed on through oral tradition.

These stories were told from generation to generation.
Memorization techniques helped maintain and
preserve the stories.

Poetry
The culture of the authors of Genesis did not distinguish
between knowledge and belief, science and philosophy,
history and religion. Ideas were expressed in a way that
would engage the entire person; body, mind and
soul.
Many short sayings that are easy to memorize
can be found in the Genesis text
Parallelism is a technique that is used quite often:
Remember you are dust
and to dust you shall return

Myth
A Myth is a symbolic story that illustrates views of a
particular people regarding the relationship

between humans and the divine

The basis of a myth is not scientific,

but rather universalit is written in a
language that transcends culture

and experience

Myths provide answers for the deeper questions about life

Authorship
The written text of the Old
Testament is not linear. One
person did not sit down and write
the text from start to finish,
rather, different books and parts
of the bible were written at
different times
The Pentateuch was originally
thought to have been written by
Moses himself, but modern
scholarship has strong evidence
that the books were put together
over a long period of time by several
different authors.

What does this mean?

The Pentateuch is a written history of the religious history
of humankind, particularly the chosen people, from
creation to the death of Moses.
As Catholics, we still believe that God is the
primary author of this Scripture and what is
written is no more or less than exactly what

God wanted written down.

We also believe that this Scripture is

inerrant in matters of faith and

morals no matter how science may
attempt to prove facts wrong.

4 Traditions of Authorship
Tradition

Abbreviation

Composition
Period

Yahwist

Up to 950 BC

Elohist

Up to 850 BC

Deuteronomic

Up to 650 BC

Priestly

Up to 550 BC

The J Yawhist Tradition

The author of this portion of
text consistently used the
term Yahweh when
referring to God

Historians believe that the main J

writer lived in the 10th century
BC because it was a proud time
for the Israelites (Solomons
reign).

Jews did not speak this term

(YHWH) out of respect for God.
Instead, they called God
Adonai which means Lord

The author portrays this in his

writings by emphasizing the

unity of the people and

Gods promise despite
mans sin.

The J tradition uses

anthropomorphism
attributing human characteristics to
nonhuman realities when
speaking of God.

Example:
God personally speaks to
the first man and woman

The E Elohist Tradition

The author of this portion of the text
consistently used the term Elohim
when referring to God.
It is thought that this portion was written by the
northern kingdoms after the split from
Judah in the 9th century BC because of the
emphasis on heroes from the northern tribes.
God is portrayed as being one of
love, but also justice. He must

be respected and given

faithfulness.

The E tradition portrays

God

speaking to humans
indirectly through angels
or dreams.

The D Deuteronomic Tradition

Literally means Second Law;
this tradition includes updates to the
religious laws from Moses time

Author encourages people to

follow laws not only out of duty
but out of love.

following the laws = success;

not following the laws = failure

Most of subject matter involves the

covenant between the Israelites and God.

The P Priestly Tradition

Authors were most likely a school of priests
looking to unify the people by developing a final
version of the Pentateuch and documenting the laws
of the cult

Specific special religious

ceremonies and cultic rituals (such
as circumcision) are mentioned
There is great emphasis placed on
Order (creation in 7 days, genealogies
etc)