Does the idea of the Old Testament as a Hellenistic Book prevent source criticism of the Pentateuch?

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It is sometimes maintained that the dating of the Old Testament to the Hellenistic Period precludes any serious critical analysis of, in this case, the Pentateuchal narrative. It is my intent in this paper to state that this is not the case. On the contrary, the idea of the “Endprodukt” coming from a special period says little about the date of its individual parts. The essay will provide examples to show how the Pentateuchal stories rely on traditions (some will today say “memories”) with a very old history of their own. Furthermore it is also the aim of this paper to warn against a pan-Hellenism as a substitute for the old “pan-Babylonism.” There is no need to exchange a Babel-Bibel Streit with a new Hellas-Bibel Streit.
Translated title of the contributionUdelukker ideen om Det Gamle Testamente som en hellenistisk bog kildekritik i Pentateuken?
Original languageEnglish
JournalScandinavian Journal of the Old Testament
Volume25
Issue number1
Pages (from-to)75-92
Number of pages18
ISSN0901-8328
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2011

ID: 43244441