What three positions do these scholars take on authorship of the Pentateuch?
The three positions that scholars take on authorship are that the Pentateuch can date back to Mosaic era, the basic structure of the Pentateuch was established by Moses, and alterations occurred in line with recognized literary procedures.
Are there any attacks on the documentary hypothesis?
One of the early attacks on the Documentary Hypothesis was that no other works were ever composed in the manner that the hypothesis attributes to the Pentateuch. The Torah of Moses, this argument went, is being pictured as a “crazy patchwork,” having a literary history that has no parallel in the ancient Near East or in subsequent ages.
What is the documentary hypothesis of the Old Testament?
The documentary hypothesis suggests that the first five books of the Old Testament were originally independent accounts that were later edited or redacted by a later editor or editors. Those who support the documentary hypothesis theory generally suggest four specific sources represented by the letters JEDP.
Are there doublets in the documentary hypothesis?
Doublets can hardly be a common feature of Near Eastern prose when there is no Near Eastern prose, either in the form of history-writing or long fiction, prior to the biblical source-works that are treated in the Documentary Hypothesis. It is not even a common feature of ancient Near Eastern poetry.
Is the documentary hypothesis incompatible with form critical studies?
Although actually incompatible with form-critical and archaeology-based studies, the Documentary Hypothesis has managed to remain the mainstay of critical orthodoxy. One wonders if we will ever return to the day when discussions of Genesis will not be stilted by interminable references to P and J. There are indications that such a day is coming.