The narrative is continueil in the lik. of Exodus. The lik. of Genesis contains tlie lirst portion of the historical narrative which runs continuou.sly from Genesis to the end of the liks. of Kings.
The book, therefore, jiresents an obvious unily of design; and the manner in which parenthetical and subsidiary material is introiluce(l but never permitted seriously to impair the general thread of the work, shows artistic skill and a considerable degree of literary self-ci>ntrol.
iii. O'Mi'iisiTK STi:ti"ii-|;i;. — But It would be a
•• Coprjririht, 1899, by
mi.stake to let the unily of plan which distinguishes the iKKik ciinduce to the supposition that its literary structure is homogeneous. The Hebrew chronicles and histories are all of them composite works. Like many of the mediceval chronicles and histories they are compiled from different sources, from materials of iliiferent age. The extracts are woven together so as to produce a consecutive narrative. But it is generally not difficult to distinguish the points at which the different sections are pieced together. The similarity of style, in certain .sections of the narrative, combined with marked dissimilarity from the style in other sections, has enabled scholars to class together the portions which may be assigned to one or other literary source. In doing this it is ea.sy to let conjecture run too far, and to exaggerate the importance of minulice in discriminating between different layers in the strata. But within certain limits the analysis of the distribution of tlie Bk. of (ienesis has now been carried out with a great degree of agreement between the principal scholars of all sclioi>ls. For while scholars may not be agreed as to the date to which these sources should be assigned, there is no disputing the fact of the family resemblance of certain portions of the book, and the necessity of explaining the resemblances by the suiiposition of compilatory origin.
From the time (1753) when Astruc, the Erench physician, tir.st inferred, from the intermittent in- terchange of the sacred names Eloliim and .Jahweli, that different documents had been employed in the composition of Genesis, critics have carried on this branch of investigation with the utmost patience and minuteness. It is now generally ailmitted that the distinctive use of the divine name is only one criterion amongst many by which the vocabu- lary of certain portions in the book can be shown to differ from that of others ; and, fuither, that a dilference of literary treatment and of religious tone can be recognized side by side with that of phraseology and diction.
The idea that such a view is based upon mere theorizing or hair-splitting f.ancifulness is finally abandoned. So far as the composite character of the literary structure of Genesis is concerned, the main conclu-sions of criticism may be said to be established. Among the cau.ses which necessitate the hypothesis that different documents were used, may be classed (a) vanihuj wrnunts of the same thing, c.ft. of the Creation, chs. 1 and 2 ; the number of aiiim.-ils that went into the ark, and tlie duration of the Flood, chs. 6 and 7 ; explanations of the naines Beersheba 21" 2G33, Bethel 281" "'•' 35"", Israel 32-» 35'" ; of the sale of .Joseph by his brethren to Ishm.aelites and Midianites, ch. 37 : (ft) apparent diserepancies, e.g. Abraham's family after Sarah's death, in extreme old age 25'"', cf. 17'" 18"; the age of Sarah 17'' and 12" 21)-; of I.saac .as described in 27' -"■'"■" and 20« .-Jo* ; the names of Esau's wives 26" 28'-' and 30--'' ; Joseph's Egyptian master in 37*^ and 30'-4(H : (c) llie repcli- tioH of the same event, or of different traditions if similar events, e.y. the origin of Isaac's name 17" 18'- 21", of Ediim's 25-^ and ^, of Issachar's, Zebulun's, and Joseph's ch. .'JO ; and the similar occurrences in 12"">- 20"f- 2(!""'-.
There is no need here (see IlKX.VTKlVll) to re- capitidate thi^ arguments by which it has been demimstrated that the structure of the lirst six books of the Old Testament is a compilation from different literary sources. ' There was a time," says l)ilitz.seh, ' when the horizon of I'entateuch criticism was hounded by Genesis and the beginiiinu' of
Exodu.s. We now know that the mode of i i-
posilion found in (ienesis continues to the 3lili chapter of lleuleronoiny. It extends, moreover, beyond l)t .'14. and continues in the I!k. o! C'AoWm .s'mtiiirr** Sons
U4
GENESIS
GENESIS
Joshua. . . . And tliis Ilexateuch also is only a coinpciiu'Ht i)ai"t of the si't'Ut historical work in live parts (viz. Moses, Joshua, Judges, Saiiuiul, Kings), extending from Gu 1 to 2 K 2o, of which the Pentateuch forms one ' (Delitzsch, Xeiv Comm. on lien. vol. i. pp. 40, 47).
The biblical student finds in tlie composite structure a sulTicient and satisfactory means of accounting for the numerous minor discrepancies and diliicultics in tlie Uk. of (jenesis which have often given occasion for perplexity and doubt, and liave too often led to forced and dusingenuous methods of exegesis.
iv. TlIK CoMPDNKXT SoiTIiCKS OF THE NAUII.V- TIVE — The following describes roughly the general conclusions of modern criticism. (Jenesis consists of a consecutive narrative weld<'d togi^thcr by a compiler designated K, out of three main docu- mentiiry .sources designated by critics P (the Priestly Code), J (the Jahwist), and E (the Elohist).
(rt) Of the.se three principal sources the one most easily distinguished is P. For, though the frame- work of the narrative preserved from the P source is somewhat meagre, its style and characteristics are very nuirked. Certain leading events are given by it in great detail, e.;/. the Creation, the Deluge, the Covenant with Xoah, and the Covenant with Abraham. The chronology is carefully observed ; periods of most remote times are reckoned in years with precision ; and brief summaries of other events are given (e.r/. 10. 2-5'-); or their recollec- tion is preserve<l by means of genealogies (5. 11''' HS--"*'). 'The history [in P] advances along a well- defined line, marked by a gradually diminishing length of human life ; by the revelation of God under three distinct names, Elohim. El Shaddni, and Jahwe.h; by the blessing of Adam and its charaL'teristic conditions ; and by the subseijuent covenants with Noah, Abraham, and Israel, each with its special '-sign,"' the rainbow, tlie rite of circumcision, and the Sabbath, Gn 9'2. 1.3 1711^ K.kSI'S' (Driver, LOT^ y. 127).