title: The Making of the Pentateuch: A Methodological Study (The Library of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies)
author: R. Norman Whybray
description: "Whybray's recent book is a masterful review of all the options set out by critical scholarship since Wellhausen, i.e., over the last century. It is an exhaustive and up to date treatment, concise and highly readable.' E. Dyck, Crux (E. Dyck)<br /><br />"Sensitive to standards of ancient historiography and parallels from the Greek sphere, Whybray proposes that the Pentateuch is the work of an ancient historian, possibly designed as a supplement or prologue to the deuteronomistic history. The analysis of the work of others is extremely valuable; the final suggestion makes it all the more engaging. Essential for all concerned with fundamentals of critical biblical studies." W. Lee Humphreys, Religious Studies Review (W. Lee Humphreys <i>Religious Studies Review</i>)<br /><br />"Whybray's recent book is a masterful review of all the options set out by critical scholarship since Wellhausen, i.e., over the last century. It is an exhaustive and up to date treatment, concise and highly readable.' E. Dyck, Crux (Sanford Lakoff)<br /><br />"Sensitive to standards of ancient historiography and parallels from the Greek sphere, Whybray proposes that the Pentateuch is the work of an ancient historian, possibly designed as a supplement or prologue to the deuteronomistic history. The analysis of the work of others is extremely valuable; the final suggestion makes it all the more engaging. Essential for all concerned with fundamentals of critical biblical studies." W. Lee Humphreys, Religious Studies Review (Sanford Lakoff <i>Religious Studies Review</i>)
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  THE JERUSALEM BIBLE
  
  Kindle Version
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  THE OLD TESTAMENT
  
  THE PENTATEUCH
  
  INTRODUCTION TO THE PENTATEUCH
  
  The first five books of the Bible make up a group which was known to the Jews
  as "The Law" and for many centuries all five of the books were attributed to
  Moses as the sole or principal author. However, modern study of the texts has
  revealed a variety of styles, a lack of sequence and such repetitions and
  variations in narrative that it is impossible to ascribe the whole group to a
  single author; four distinct literary "traditions" can be identified and found
  side by side in the Pentateuch. Two of these go back to the time when Israel
  became a nation-a period dominated by the figure of Moses: the traditions of
  earlier times converging on him and the memories of what happened under his
  leadership together made up the national epic. One means of distinguishing
  between these two separate strands is their use of different names for God:
  one employs the name Yahwe