For many years, the historical-critical quest for a reconstruction of the origin(s) and development of the Pentateuch or Hexateuch has been dominated by the documentary hypothesis, the heuristic power of which has produced a consensus so strong that an interpreter who did not operate within its framework was hardly regarded as a scholar. However, the relentless march of research on this topic has continued to yield new and refined analyses, data, methodological tools, and criticism. In this spirit, the contributions to this volume investigate new ideas about the composition of the Pentateuch arising from careful analysis of the biblical text against its ancient Near Eastern background. Covering a wide spectrum of topics and diverging perspectives, the chapters in this book are grouped into two parts. The first is primarily concerned with the history of scholarship and alternative approaches to the development of the Pentateuch. The second focuses on the exegesis of particular texts relevant to the composition of the Torah. The aim of the project is to foster investigation and collegial dialogue in a spirit of humility and frankness, without imposing uniformity. In addition to the editors, the contributors include Tiago Arrais, Richard E. Averbeck, John S. Bergsma, Joshua A. Berman, Daniel I. Block, Richard Davidson, Roy E. Gane, Duane A. Garrett, Richard S. Hess, Benjamin Kilchör, Michael LeFebvre, Jiří Moskala, and Christian Vogel.

Persuaded of the singular vision of the Pentateuch, Old Testament professor John Sailhamer searches out clues left by the author and the later editor of the Pentateuch that will disclose the meaning of this great work. By paying particular attention to the poetic seams in the text, he rediscovers a message that surprisingly brings us to the threshold of the New Testament gospel.

For well over two centuries the question of the composition of the Pentateuch has been among the most central and hotly debated issues in the field of biblical studies. In this book, Joel Baden presents a fresh and comprehensive argument for the Documentary Hypothesis. Critically engaging both older and more recent scholarship, he fundamentally revises and reorients the classical model of the formation of the Pentateuch. Interweaving historical and methodological chapters with detailed textual case studies, Baden provides a critical introduction to the history of Pentateuchal scholarship, discussions on the most pressing issues in the current debate, and a practical model for the study of the biblical text.

Up to date, reliable, balanced and clearly organized, Gordon Wenham's introductory textbook makes scholarship on Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy and Numbers accessible to contemporary students and readers.

Explaining their sources and the nature of their composition, Reinhard Kratz provides an introduction to the narrative books of the Old Testament (Genesis to Nehemiah). He seeks to do this as far as possible without presupposing any hypotheses and on the basis of a few undisputed basic assumptions: a distinction between Priestly and non-Priestly text in the Pentateuch, the special position of Deuteronomy, a Deuteronomistic revision of Joshua-2 Kings, and the literary use of the books of Samuel and Kings by Chronicles. Any further distinctions are based on observations of the text which are well established and not on literary-critical or redaction-critical distinctions. Kratz argues that what is important is how the text is read.This is the first study of its kind since Martin Noth's classic studies of thePentateuch and Deuteronomic history. It will be an invaluable resource for allscholars and students in the field.

Christophe Nihan investigates the composition history of Leviticus, considered as a separate 'book' in the Torah/Pentateuch. In order to account for the distinct nature of the text, the author combines redaction criticism with comparative observations, cross-cultural studies in rituals, and inner-biblical exegesis. His analysis focuses on the sources used by the authors of Leviticus and the way in which they are re-interpreted in what is primarily a literary composition; on the book s relationship to the so-called 'priestly' literature in the Pentateuch; and, finally, on the place of Leviticus in the composition of the Torah as a whole. In particular, it is argued that Leviticus 1-16 (except for chapter 10) was initially composed as the conclusion to the priestly narrative in Genesis and Exodus. It reinterprets earlier ritual texts serving as check-lists for priests, transforming them into a revelation made to Moses on Mt Sinai for the whole community and thereby achieving the sacerdotal ideal of Israel as the 'priestly nation' of the world. Thus, reinterpretation of earlier sources in Lev 1-16 goes hand in hand with a redefinition of the community's identity that betrays the specific concerns of the priestly scribes in Jerusalem under Persian rule, probably during the reign of Darius I. The introduction of Lev 17-26 (27), for its part, betrays an entirely distinct historical and literary context. Through the systematic reception of Deuteronomy on one hand and the 'Book of the Covenant' (Ex 21-23) on the other, an attempt is made to close the revelation on Mt Sinai with a legislation that bridges the gap between P and other biblical codes at the time of the Torah's composition."