Priestly source
The term Priestly source (abbreviated P ) refers to the historical-critical biblical scholarship since the 18th century one of the previously assignable source documents that should have been in the Pentateuch, the so-called five books of Moses processed.
History of Research
With the Enlightenment began in Europe, the historical-critical study of the Bible. Since the 18th century the Bible was no longer rezipiert only in its capacity as the revealed word of God, but also perceived in shape as historically developed book and studied.
With regard to the Pentateuch, the early research discovered tensions and inconsistencies within the text, the Hildesheim Pastor Henning Bernward Witter and a few decades later the French physician Jean Astruc moved in the 18th century to develop a new theory of the origin of the Pentateuch. This theory broke with the conviction that Moses was the author of the Pentateuch. Witter and Astruc concluded that the five books of Moses were incurred in a long process of growth of formerly independent source documents. These source documents were not preserved, but to reconstruct using the methods of historical criticism from today's final text.
Astruc recognized within the Pentateuch four independent source documents, which he named with the letters AD. This thesis has been further expanded, what in the following decades in Germany especially the explorer Johann Gottfried Eichhorn, Karl David Ilgen, Johann Severin father, Wilhelm Martin Leberecht de Wette and finally Julius Wellhausen were involved.
The development culminated in the formulated by Wellhausen and developed by Martin Noth moderns documentary hypothesis, the four sources Astruc could now outline historically and accurately reflects the content and they named as follows:
- Yahwist ( J), dating from about 950 BC
- Elohist (E ) to 800 BC from the period AD
- ( Primal ) Deuteronomy (D), dating from the 7th century BC
- Priestly source (P), from the exile around 550 BC
The Priestly source (P) is thus the youngest of the four sources of the Pentateuch. They had arisen in the time of the Babylonian exile and been worked in post-exilic period with the older sources J, E, and D to a continuous text.
During the 19th century a large consensus on the scope and form of the priestly writings began to emerge. The Theodor Nöldeke 1869 worked out " priestly base layer " is widely undisputed, despite all the upheavals in the Pentateuch until today. Since the 1970s, the priestly writings of the Old Testament scholarship is increasingly judged as the only continuous source.
In recent times, it is argued mainly that the base layer ( PG ) by one, so-called " late priestly " additives (PS ) has been extended.
Formation
The result was the priest writing in a first plane ( base font - PG) probably in the 6th century BC during the Babylonian exile circles in the former Jerusalem priesthood, who must have known the older materials of the Pentateuch later. The experience of the destruction of the temple and kingship by the Babylonian conquest in 587 BC compelled in restatement of history from the creation to the wilderness period of the Israelites, who stressed the holiness of God YHWH and therefore also developed a new understanding of sacrifice. An extension she learned well in the post-exilic Jerusalem ( secondary font - PS).
The Priestly source was probably in the 5th century BC with the other source writings of the five books of Moses, the so-called Pentateuchredaktor (abbreviation RP) worked.
Content
The Priestly source tells the history of Israel from the world's creation ( Gen 1:1 ) until the death of Moses (Deut 34.7 to 9 ). Where exactly the end of the Priestly source is, is controversial in research. According to some scientists it is already in Ex 40, according to others including the Book of Leviticus (3rd Book of Moses ) completely to possibly be found even in the Book of Numbers (4th Book of Moses ) Priestly narratives; the book of Deuteronomy, it is especially the final section.
The story is designed in the Priestly Writing as revelation story with different periods ( 2.Mose 6.3 ). There are indications that the Priestly document represents an announced by the pre-exilic writing prophets ideal future as the past ( eg in Gen 6,13 EU Amoswort On the EU and 8.2 in Ex 25.8 to 9 EU; Ex 29,45 EUF the Ezechielwort Ez 37.26-28 EU cited ). The aim of the creation of the world are the emergence of Israel as a people ( 2.Mose 1.7 ) and the establishment of the sanctuary ( 2.Mose 25-31 35-40. ), A scaled- back projection of the Temple: In Zion's sanctuary will of God YHWH dwell in the world, here he wants to sanctify Israel donated by him atonement consecration.
Central texts
Of the key texts are assigned to P, include:
Theological profile and style characteristics
Typical of the Priestly source is primarily the interest in cultic institutions and rites.
Another feature of the priestly writings are their genealogies, the so-called Toledot series and their special fondness for numbers and exact about chronology. Sprachstilistisch the priests font is rather dry and factual and inelegant, in the opinion, however, as other solemn priestly proclamation.
The name of God, which was used as a criterion to distinguish the sources since the 18th century, with regard to the Priestly source is a complex differentiator. P used per different names for God for the individual epochs of the history of Israel (Ex 6,2 f). Within the early history (Gen 1-11) used P "Elohim " in the time of the patriarchs " El Shaddai ", in the time of Moses "Yahweh".
The blame for the Babylonian exile see the author in the turning away of the Kings of Israel by their God YHWH. So the ideal of a new beginning for Israel is not seen after the exile in the kingdom. Since Israel has lost the Babylonian exile his country, the Priestly document paints a new picture of the constitution of Israel. Israel is no longer a nation in their own territory, but a community around a sanctuary, and it can thus preserve its identity in a foreign land. YHWH is represented in the Priestly source as creator and ruler of the story. The Babylonian exile is YHWH's court to which he makes use of the Babylonians.
The covenant (Heb. ברית / Mounted ) YHWH and his people is shown in the Priestly source as a pure covenant of grace. It is the commitment of YHWH (Gen 17:7), for which he expects nothing in return from the people, but a call to holiness of all life considerably within itself (Genesis 9:16). YHWH is not anthropomorphized, but represented as a relatively abstract, transcendent God whose main feature is its justice. YHWH reveals Himself to Israel mainly in the Jerusalem temple cult, with the attribute of " glory" ( Heb. כבוד ) and in the image of the " consuming fire " (Ex 24.15-17 ). The covenant of YHWH promises to the people at stimulating, land ownership and cultic presence (Gen. 17.2 to 8 ). In contrast to the Deuteronomic diction is Mounted in the Priestly source not constructed with the root כרת, but mostly as נתן / הקים ברית.
Significant similarities in theology has the Priestly document with the prophets Ezekiel and Isaiah.