The current atmosphere of pentateuchal criticism considers a source-critical approach as an inadequate pentateuchal criticism for the Joseph story. However, Schwartz asserts that the starting point of pentateuchal criticism, especially for the composition theory of the Torah, is to align the Documentary Hypothesis with other critical theories, not to reject it. As we know, the Documentary Hypothesis, which has been considered synonymous with Julius Wellhausen’s reconstruction of the evolutionary growth of ancient Israelite religion, has been subject to significant critique in the last several decades. By joining in that critique, Schwartz endeavors to rectify a misunderstanding on the Documentary theory, and, as a result of that, employs
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That school maintains that the Neo-Documentary Hypothesis as a literary-critical stage is textual and therefore has a more objective, philological basis. In this sense, the basis, on which the sources are identified, prioritizes plot claims and continuity of narrative over stylistic features and terminology including the divine name. In addition, because it is not a historical-critical stage, it is not to reconstruct the Israelite religion, not to date the sources, not to examine the earlier stages in the composition of the sources and the redactional activity in the Torah. Rather, the Neo Documentary Hypothesis concerns only the penultimate stage in the composition of the Torah. However, it dose not mean that the Neo Documentary Hypothesis disputes the internal growth of the sources. Simply how each source came to look as it does is a secondary question. Lastly, as he mentioned in his article, against the classical approach, which posited at least three redactors for the Pentateuch in the evolutionary growth of the text, “the Neo Documentary Hypothesis posits that a single compiler, working with a consistent method (chronological arrangement of its plot, preservation of source material, and minimal intervention), is responsible for the combination of the four Torah sources into a single story in a single compilational
That school maintains that the Neo-Documentary Hypothesis as a literary-critical stage is textual and therefore has a more objective, philological basis. In this sense, the basis, on which the sources are identified, prioritizes plot claims and continuity of narrative over stylistic features and terminology including the divine name. In addition, because it is not a historical-critical stage, it is not to reconstruct the Israelite religion, not to date the sources, not to examine the earlier stages in the composition of the sources and the redactional activity in the Torah. Rather, the Neo Documentary Hypothesis concerns only the penultimate stage in the composition of the Torah. However, it dose not mean that the Neo Documentary Hypothesis disputes the internal growth of the sources. Simply how each source came to look as it does is a secondary question. Lastly, as he mentioned in his article, against the classical approach, which posited at least three redactors for the Pentateuch in the evolutionary growth of the text, “the Neo Documentary Hypothesis posits that a single compiler, working with a consistent method (chronological arrangement of its plot, preservation of source material, and minimal intervention), is responsible for the combination of the four Torah sources into a single story in a single compilational