CUR 140-001/2

Characteristics of JEPD

The J Source (ca. 950-920 BCE)

1. vivid concrete style: note examples from Gen 2-3
2. anthropomorphic view of Deity (God walks and talks)
3. uses Mount Sinai as place of Mosaic Cov't
4. seems to favor southern kingdom
5. uses "Yahweh" as name for God
6. due to these characteristics, we think it was composed in Judah and contained propaganda for the southern kingdom, esp. David's line. Thus, the date in the United Monarchy

The E Source (ca. 870-840 BCE)

1. more abstract style: we'll see examples soon
2. view of God less anthropomorphic
3. Horeb is the mountain where cov't takes place
4. begins story with Abraham
5. uses "Elohim" as word for God
6. tends to favor the northern tribes, so it supposed that it was written in the North at the time when the north broke away from the South. Thus date of around 870-840 B.C.E.

The D Source (first ed.: ca. 620 BCE; second ed.: ca. 550-520)

1. language is later
2. idea of one central sanctuary
3. Kings described Huldah as reading the law
4. reflects style and religious attitudes of Josiah's reform (about 621)
   idea of the Tetrateuch
   

The P Source (ca. 550-520 BCE)

1. emphasis on priestly concerns: legal & cultic aspects
2. precise style
3. lists genealogies
4. normally starts with "these are the generations"
5. God is non-anthropomorphic
6. probably during Babylonian exile due to revising
7. Some scholars indicate that P is a redactor, but there are signs of a separate story. We will talk about this on Wednesday. If there are complete stories in P, then it is a real source and not just a redactor.