from:
Israel Finkelstein / Neil A. Silberman:
The Bible unearthed. Archeology's New Vision of
Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts; The
Free Press, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.,
2001; German edition has got the title "No trombones
before Jericho" (orig. German: "Keine Posaunen vor
Jericho"): edition C.H.Beck oHG, Munich 2002;
Here in this
analysis is used the German version "Keine Posaunen
vor Jericho" of DTV, Munich 2004, second edition of
2005. All page indications refer to the German
version. I hope the page numbers are not very
different.
The variations of the books of Moses and the
writers
Terminology and the geographical hot
spots are not the same in the different books. The
versions are written in different epochs and in different
locations. One can detect the authors by the geographic
terminology and by the function that have the tribes in
the text (p.23).
Texts of "J" with JHWH from
Jerusalem
This version (depiction of the tribe of
Judah) is using God consequently as a Tetragrammaton of
JHWH (according the scholars pronounced "Yahweh"). The
analysts of the 19th century name these texts as texts of
"J" (p.23).
The Yahwists in Jerusalem describe the
perspective of the southern Reich of Judah, probably in
the times of the faked king of Solomon (970-930 B.C.) or a
short time after (p.23).
The version of "J" of the patriarchs
above all is a literary trial of a definition of a unified
people of Israel and is not an exact report (p.58).
The texts of "E" with Elohim
Another chain of stories is using God
with the name of Elohim of El, above all the description
of the tribes in the North, above all Ephraim, Manasseh
and Benjamin. The analysts of the 19th century name these
texts as texts of "E" (p.23).
The texts of the Elohists in the North
are describing the events of the time of the independence
from 930 to 720 B.C. (p.23).
The texts of "D" of the
Deuteronomy, the 5th book of Moses
The 5th book of Moses ("Deuteronomy")
seems to be in a significant style ans seems to be an
independent document (p.23).
The texts of "P" of the
priests
The rest of the texts are descriptions
of rites by the priests (name "P") as "Priestly Sources",
about cults, about prescriptions of purity and sacrifices
(p.23-24). This source of the priests "P" is dated for the
time after the exile - that mean the majority of the
scholars - and also the definite edition of the Pentateuch
is developed after the exile (p.58).
The
"Deuteronomistic History"
Common
features of Deuteronomy, books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel
and Kings
The analysts state the the books of
Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings are in the
same linguistic and theological style. Some times they are
redacted. Since the 1940s the analysts are naming these
books as "Deuteronomistic
History". The analysts have not the same meaning
about the point of time when the books were written,
during the deportation to Babylon or during the time of
king Josiah finished in the exile locations (p.25).
According to Finkelstein / Silberman the
Deuteronomistic History is composed under the king Josiah
(p.26). According to Finkelstein / Silberman the
Deuteronomistic History was written by one single
historian (p.185) [whereas there are prophecies for
centuries building a frame considering that God is
"right"].
Josiah
in the Deuteronomistic History: The degradation of the
Omrid Reich
Degrading the Omrid Reich Josiah wants
to support his political ambitions and religious reforms
(p.26). Josiah as a king of Jerusalem means that he had to
degrade the kingdom of the Omrids blaming "sinful
behavior". Instead of a description of the kingdom of the
Omrids Josiah is presenting a faked big Reich under David
and Solomon which is said having been a pure Israeli
affair.
There are more faked elements:
-- the siege of Samaria is stressed
-- king Ahab is degraded with the claim
he had not murdered his enemy
-- the palaces in Amaria and Jezreel are
said having been elements of idolatry and injustice
-- Josiah simply does not want a
successful northern kingdom because Jerusalem was only a
country side (p.214).
With faked stories about the kings Omri,
Ahab and Jezebel the true history of Israel is
systematically concealed and Jerusalem is put into the
center (p.215).
The
texts of "R": There are phrases between the texts and
explanations
The Pentateuch is a composed thing,
revised and composed by the editors in a wanted manner
whereas alto the editors have given some "traces" in the
books which are classified as texts of "R":
-- phrases between the texts
-- explanations of the editors (p.24).
