What do I do when I encounter the JEDP Documentary Hypothesis in various books and materials? I am confused about what to do.
The JEDP Documentary Hypothesis has been around since the mid-Nineteenth Century, primarily accredited to the publication of Julius Wellhausen’s Prolegomena to the History of Israel. As Messianic Biblical Studies improves, being aware of it more and more, and the affects it has had in the interpretation of various parts of the Torah, will doubtlessly come into focus. The 2004 Jewish Study Bible[1]—which many Messianic people have purchased—is is deeply rooted within the critical tradition of the JEDP Documentary Hypothesis. Many do not know what to do with this, reading various introductions which disparage Mosaic authorship or involvement with the composition of the Pentateuch—and indeed approaching a great deal of the Tanach as being Ancient Israel’s mythopoetic history, meaning that it is not too reliable. It is not wise for us to ignore something which has been around for over a century-and-a-half.
Our ministry has only made necessary references here or there to the JEDP Documentary Hypothesis in our publications, where it is required to engage with the critical tradition, and apparent discrepancies between one part of the Torah or Tanach and another part.[2] It is doubtful you will ever run into a Messianic person who adheres to the JEDP Documentary Hypothesis. Conservative examiners have spent a great deal of time cross-examining and refuting the JEDP Documentary Hypothesis. In the event that you ever encounter it, you may want to have some of their resources in your person or congregational library. These may include:
Cassuto, Umberto. The Documentary Hypothesis and the Composition of the Pentateuch (Jerusalem: Shalem Press, 2006).
Dillard, Raymond B., and Tremper Longman III. An Introduction to the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994).
Harrison, R.K. Introduction to the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1969).
Kaiser, Walter C. The Old Testament Documents: Are They Reliable? (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2001).
Kitchen, K.A. The Bible In Its World: The Bible & Archaeology Today (Exeter: Paternoster, 1977).
___________. On the Reliability of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2003).
The critical tradition itself has been seen to move toward more the immediate Left-of-Center in the past few decades. An important resource which details this is:
Childs, Brevard S. Old Testament Theology in a Canonical Context (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1985).
Many of the books and commentaries from the critical tradition, from the mid-Twentieth Century, spent so much time dividing the Pentateuch into J, E, D, and P—and arguing those positions—that little time was spent actually interpreting the text in its final form. While we may not always agree with critical scholars who believe that the Torah was a compilation of these hypothetical sources, it is good to see how more are spending their time and energies on dealing with the Books of Genesis-Deuteronomy as a whole.
The editor has a variety of books and commentaries in his library that while adhering to the JEDP Documentary Hypothesis, still try to interpret the Pentateuchal to Tanach text as a whole, and offer tips about teaching and preaching. And believe it or not, it can be very useful to consider the perspective (among several points of view) of those resources when one is writing a paper or conducting a Bible study. When the Messianic movement can learn to engage with a wider variance of Biblical scholarship, including the critical tradition, it will indeed be a sign of great theological maturity on its part.[3]
NOTES
[1] Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler, eds., The Jewish Study Bible (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004).
[2] If necessary, consult Richard Elliot Friedman, The Bible With Sources Revealed (New York: HarperOne, 2003).
[3] For a further review, consult the McKee Moment from 29 October 2019, “What is the JEDP Documentary Hypothesis?”; the Messianic Insider episode from 05 June 2024, “The Closed Doors – Part 2”; and the Messianic Theology Explained installment from 25 June 2024, “Mosaic Authorship of the Pentateuch,” all accessible via <youtube.com/MessianicApologetics>.
