The Formation of the Hebrew Scriptures: [J E D P] HBD

The question of which books were to be considered canonical represents only the later stages of the formation of the canonical collections. The oral and literary process by means of which the biblical literature was formed took well over a thousand years, according to the best estimates of biblical research.

Scholars have argued that the Pentateuch is the final product of the interweaving of several literary sources, called J, E, D, and P.

The Yahwist source (J) is generally considered to be the earliest, dating from the period of the early monarchy (ca. 1000 B.C.). It is a narrative source that contains tales of the patriarchs, the Exodus, Sinai, and wilderness wanderings. Its most distinctive characteristic is its use of the divine name Yahweh (or Jahweh), from which comes the designation J or Yahwist.

The Elohist source (E), which is characterized by its use of Elohim for the divine name prior to the theophany at the burning bush (Exod. 3), is a narrative strand in many respects quite similar to J. Its portrayal of God is less anthropomorphic than that of J, however, and it betrays special theological concerns, such as an interest in prophecy and a belief that the name Yahweh was first known when revealed to Moses at the burning bush. Scholars generally date E about a century later than J.

The Deuteronomic source (D), dating from the period of the late monarchy (ca. seventh century B.C.) is confined largely to the book of Deuteronomy. Its concerns lie chiefly in its radical opposition to the worship of Baal; indeed, its program of restricting sacrifice for the purpose of stamping out Baal worship, by outlawing sacrifice anywhere but Jerusalem.

The Priestly source (P), dating from the period of the Babylonian exile (late sixth to early fourth centuries BCE) emphasizes the cultic institutions of Israel: the Sabbath, circumcision, the role of Aaron (and, by implication, his priestly line), and the detailed legislation about cultic matters reportedly received at Sinai.

Attached to Deuteronomy was a Deuteronomistic edition of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings. This narrative of Israelite experience from the conquest of the land to the Babylonian exile reflects the Baal polemic and the program of centralization of sacrifice characteristic of Deuteronomistic theologians.

By the early postexilic period (late sixth century BCE), the first two parts of the Hebrew Bible, the “Torah” and the “Prophets”, were almost complete. The section of the canon called the “Writings” was not finished until the second century BCE.

The so-called Apocrypha (books not accepted in the canon), were written during the first two centuries BCE and the first century CE.

In their great work The Bible Unearthed  (23) as an Archeology’s new vision of ancient Israel and the origin of its Sacred Texts, Israel Finkelstein and Neil Asher Silberman shed new light on the history of Israel and the formation of the Biblical Scriptures. They were seeking to examen the human realities behind the text... perceiving wider changes in the economy, political history, religious practices, population density, and the very structure of ancient Israelite society. And in almost every case the sophisticated genres of writing are a sign of state formation, in which power is centralized in national institutions like an official cult or monarchy. 22 They will indicate that the biblical narrative is a product of the hopes, fears, and ambitions of the kingdom of Judah, culminating in the reign of King Josiah at the end of the seventh century BCE, and further argue that the historical core of the Bible arose from clear political, social, and spiritual conditions and was shaped by the creativity and vision of extraordinary women and men. ... It is a story not of one, but two chosen kingdoms, which together comprise the historical roots of the people of Israel.                         See also: Armstrong The Great Transformation - index 'Bible' - E and J source ....