331 - The Pentateuch: An Introduction to the First Five Books of the Bible

The Pentateuch: An Introduction to the First Five Books of the Bible
By Joseph Blenkinsopp
Doubleday, 1992. 273 pp. $28.00.

The critical turmoil swirling around the Pentateuch these days reminds one of the primeval chaos preceding creation. The documentary hypothesis is in disarray. Dating and historicity are up for grabs. Recent literary approaches raise new questions. In this book, Joseph Blenkinsopp assesses where we are on these issues

332 - The Pentateuch: An Introduction to the First Five Books of the Bible

and seeks to move us forward with his own "Provisional conclusions."

Blenkinsopp, a well-known Catholic biblical scholar at the University of Notre Dame, provides a rich, reliable, and up-to-date critical introduction. He surveys two centuries of Pentateuchal scholarship, studies the Overall structure and chronology of the Pentateuch, and notes problems and tentative solutions in the major blocks of Genesis through Deuteronomy. For example, he argues that the final form of the Pentateuch represents a compromise between two different post-exilic interest groups-Deuteronomistic and Priestly. These two groups worked in response to the Persian imperial demand that each subject nation standardize its local law through a consensual process. J (the Yahwist) and E (the Elohist) do not exist as continuous narrative strands. D (the Deuteronomist) edited significant parts of Genesis-Numbers (for example, Genesis 15 and Exodus 19-34). Genesis 2-4 is a relatively late wisdom reflection on the problem of evil. The ritual law of Leviticus is the center of the Pentateuch. While not the last word, these and other "provisional conclusions" will challenge the reader to rethink our critical understanding of the Pentateuch.

Dennis T. Olson
Princeton Theological Seminary
Princeton, NJ