The Genesis of Genesis

Joshua Smith

Independent Study
Mrs. Graves
January 22, 2015

The Genesis of Genesis 2

THE GENESIS OF A SEARCH
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1, the first verse in
the Bible, starts off the whole book with these words. The Bible has changed the shape of
history as people have dedicated their lives for and against it. In its entirety it contains many
complex things, but it all starts with the book of Genesis. Ever since I was a little kid, I was
always taught that the first five books of the Bible (the Pentateuch) were written by Moses. This
includes Genesis. After doing some reading, however, I learned this is not the only popular
belief concerning the origins of Genesis1. Realizing how important the Bible is to me and many
other people, I decided to delve into the topic further. From professionals whose job is to study
to Bible to laypeople who take personal and academic interest, this was important to many
people. I wanted to know what major theories concerning the authorship of Genesis existed, and
the arguments for and against each of them.
THE SEARCH OF GENESIS
My dad got me Dallas Theological Seminarys Old Testament Bible Knowledge
Commentary for my most recent birthday1. Within the first few pages is a section titled The
Authorship of Genesis which described various theories about who wrote the book of Genesis
and how it has come to its present form. After deciding to investigate the topic more, I realized
that I would not have the time to study each theory in adequate depth with the time I had allotted
me, so I chose to focus on one: the Documentary Hypothesis. I desired to look not only into
what the Documentary Hypothesis entails, but the major arguments both for and against it.
In looking for a source of what the Documentary Hypothesis entails, I discovered a
source that I would later use for the arguments for and against it2. It was a transcription of eight
lectures by Umberto Cassuto entitled The Documentary Hypothesis and The Composition of the
Pentateuch. This was not what I was looking for at this point in my search, however, so I
continued to look for more information. I came across a webpage entitled JEDP: Sources in the

The Genesis of Genesis 3

Pentateuch by Dennis Bratcher of the Christian Resource Institute which perfectly suited my
needs3.
After reading the enumerated information concerning the content of the Documentary
Hypothesis, I wanted to know what gave scholars the need for such a theory; I wanted to know
not just what the theory meant but why people believe in it. For this, I ended up using the source
mentioned earlier, the transcription of Cassutos lectures2. While they were obviously not in
favor of the Documentary Hypothesis, I found there to be no bias in discussing the arguments
supporting the theory. I did attempt to find a different source, but I could find none that
described each component of the argument supporting the theory as well as this one did4. The
majority of sources were in opposition to the Documentary Hypothesis.
After I read and understood each of the points for the Documentary Hypothesis, I reread
the document in search of all of Cassutos statements attempting to refute those points2. They
were well organized in relation to my research to the previous subtopic, so it was not difficult to
find the information that I needed. After gathering this information, I decided to conclude my
search for the time being.
It should also be noted that I attempted to interview my friends father who has taken
college classes on the Bible in a historical context. He did agree to meet with me and discuss his
knowledge of the subject, but had to leave on a work trip that spanned past the end time for my
research project. Despite not having the desired interview, the information I received during the
research was adequate.
RESULTS
The book of Genesis was originally thought to have been written by Moses1. During the
early Christian era, some questions arose about this, and many believed it to have actually been
Ezra who wrote it. As a result of rationalistic skepticism in more modern times, a separate
notion has arisen: Genesis is a compilation of various sources at a time later than any of the

The Genesis of Genesis 4

individual components' origins. In the mid-17th century, Benedict Spinoza theorized that Ezra
compiled a large amount of writings, some of which were by Moses. In 1753, Jean Astruc
thought that Genesis was two large documents combined with several smaller ones.
Going forth from this idea, in 1877, Julius Wellhausen suggested what is today known as
the Documentary Hypothesis. He designated every part of Genesis to one of 4 sources: J, E, D,
and P. Each had its own characteristics such as its style, tone, genre, and most used name for
God. J and E were said to have been compiled before they joined D and P.
Form criticism is another way to look at the authorship of Genesis, focusing on the
purpose behind the piece in addition to the factors considered by the Documentary Hypothesis.
Traditio-historical criticism also considers the time and method in which the original source was
made, including preliterary stages, which most methods do not. This includes everything back
through oral tradition. It compares the theology of the Bible with the mythology of other
religious traditions.
The Documentary Hypothesis breaks up the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible)
into coming from 4 sources: J, E, D, and P3. The 'J' source, also known as the Jehovist, primarily
used the Hebrew name for God, Jehovah. It was theorized to be written during the Southern
Kingdom of Judah in the 8th century B.C. The 'E' source, also known as the Elohist, primarily
used the Hebrew name for God, Elohim. It was theorized to be written in the Northern Kingdom
of Israel. The 'D' source, also known as the Deuteronomist, was the author of the book of
Deuteronomy, and had little to nothing to do with the book of Genesis. The 'P' source, also
known as the Priestly, was focused on the works of the priests of the Jerusalem temple, records,
and legal tradition. It is considered to be the last source written.
The Documentary Hypothesis is backed by 5 major points of logic2. (1) The different
names used to describe God are believed to indicate separate authors, as any given person would
have no reason to switch between divine names. (2) Differences in word choice and grammar

The Genesis of Genesis 5

style are believed to indicate separate authors, as any given person would use similar ways of
writing. (3) The topics in the Pentateuch vary so greatly, suggesting that they weren't written by
one person working towards a common theme and purpose. (4) The subjects covered in the
Pentateuch are often written about more than once, redundant for a single author. These
repetitions are sometimes considered to be fraught with contradictions. (5) Some transitions
from one section of the Pentateuch to the next seem abrupt, and almost as if they were separate
in origin and put together at a later date.
Umberto Cassuto has an argument that, he believes, diminishes the integrity of each of
these five points. (1) The different names for God have special meanings are the usage of the
different names is for a reason, to signify a characteristic of God in the context of the story. (2)
The variations in language and style are natural to the language and common to many Hebrew
writers of the time. (3) The large variety of subject matter does all fit together in a single story,
the framework for the worldview of Judaism's tradition. The discrepancy are not really errors,
but actually all truths from different ways of looking at the stories. (4) The repetition is
intentional and purposeful. It is to stress the important of a point, or increase the continuity in
transition between sections. (5) The sudden breaks are meant to be, as to show contrasts between
sections of the text, and to emphasize points of conclusion and introduction.
After conducting my research, I decided that the Documentary Hypothesis is not
compelling enough for me to believe it. As for now, my stance still remains with Moses as the
author of the Pentateuch. While none of my research particularly provides evidence for this,
there are places in the Bible that credit each of the Documentary Hypothesiss sources to
actually being Moses. Unless I come across conclusive research that proves otherwise, I will
continue to believe in Mosess authorship.
THE EXODUS TO FOLLOW

The Genesis of Genesis 6

After researching into the historical origins of the book of Genesis, I realized that I had
only scratched the surface of the topic. There were so many intricacies to the Documentary
Hypothesis that I had not yet explored, and so many theories that I had not looked into at all. I
also have personal access to people with professional knowledge of this topic, and interviewing
them could broaden my perspective on the issue.
Different but related research could be conducted into the historical context of the other
books of the Bible. The Bible was written over the course of millennia and in differing cultural
situations. A unique examination could be done for different portions of the Bible. Non-Biblical
documentation also contain the potential for similar investigation.
I would not recommend this topic for future research in the Mathematics and Science
Academy, as it does not have a strong connection to the disciplines of focus for the Academy. If
there are any, they are not of a scope suitable for any projects for myself as a junior or a senior.
CITED REFERENCES
1. Ross A. Genesis. In: Cook D. The Bible Knowledge Commentary: Old Testament. Colorado
Springs: David C. Cook; 1983. p. 15-102.
2. Cassuto U. Conclusion. In: The Documentary Hypothesis. New York: Shalem Press; 2006. p.
117-126.
3. Bratcher D. JEDP: Sources in the Pentateuch [Internet]. Oklahoma City (OK): Christian
Resource Institute; 2013 [modified 2013 Mar 25; cited 2015 Jan 20]. Available from:
http://www.cresourcei.org/jedp.html.
4. Bokovoy D. The Death of the Documentary Hypothesis [Internet]. Patheos; 2015 [modified
2014 Jan 26; cited 2015 Jan 20]. Available:
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/davidbokovoy/2014/01/the-death-of-the-documentaryhypothesis/.