Tcg wrote: ↑Sat Nov 27, 2021 1:28 amWhat different stories do the two accounts teach?
I mentioned it in the list above, but I highly recommend Richard Elliott Friedman's
Who Wrote the Bible?
With the caveat that he places the P source earlier in history than most scholars (for reasons that became clear when he wrote
The Exodus), it's an extremely lucid and readable explanation of the Old Testament's history of composition and redaction. As a side benefit, it also helps to put the books and personalities of the Old Testament in the context of the various periods of Israel's history.
Here are a few specific differences between the sources. There may be disagreements between scholars, but for clarity, I'm presenting the general consensus without other qualification (i.e. "J is earliest" rather than "most scholars think that J is earliest").
- J (Jahwist (German) or Jehovist) and E (Eloist) are roughly contemporary. J was written first and E slightly later. Before the other sources were integrated, J and E were combined by the first redactor. In places, the two are difficult to separate and are sometimes referred to as JE.
- D (Deuteronomist) is the compiler of Deuteronomy and the author of most of it. The D source was contemporary with King Josiah and the "book of the Law" referred to in 2 Kings 22:8 ("Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, 'I have found the book of the law in Yahweh’s house.'") The "Deuteronomistic History" consisting of Judges, Samuel, and Kings is predominantly a collection of older stories collected, redacted, and embellished into a history of Israel, the later part (beginning roughly with 2 Kings 22) being written as it happened.
- P (the Priestly source) was exilic or post-exilic. The prophet Ezekiel wrote during the Babylonian Exile and his concerns align closely with those of the P source.
- J represents the creation narrative and patriarchal tradition of Judah in the south, E represents that of Israel in the north. Friedman suggests remembering them by thinking of J for Judah and E for Ephraim. I still do that.
- J is the only source not obviously written by a member of the priesthood. It describes a personal god that individuals may speak with and worship without the intervention of angels or priests. Genesis 2 describes J's god as walking in the garden and speaking face-to-face with Adam and Eve.
- J and E allow sacrifices at any "high place" (bamah), including homemade altars. According to D, that practice stopped when Solomon built the first Temple, where all sacrifice was to henceforth take place. P makes the requirement retroactive by creating the Tabernacle as the "Temple before the Temple." In P, every legitimate sacrifice is conducted either at the Tabernacle or the Temple.
An interesting specific story that shows the two sources is Joseph's brothers selling him to the Ishmaelite merchants, effecting his transport to Egypt. The story is related in Genesis 37:18-36. If you read the story carefully, it's a mess. Most people don't notice because they skim it, but there are several important inconsistencies. Are the traders Midianites or Ishmaelites? Was it Reuben or Judah that prevented Joseph's death? Who pulled Joseph out of the pit? The inconsistencies disappear once one realizes that it's two stories that are interwoven. Whoever did this apparently thought that the words themselves were sacred and so couldn't be changed, rearranged, or removed. It was apparently OK to interleave them, though, even if the result changed some details about the story.
Read the story first straight through, paying close attention to what's going on and in particular, to whom each pronoun refers. Then read the red and blue stories separately.
18 They saw him afar off, and before he came near to them, they conspired against him to kill him. 19 They said to one another, “Behold, this dreamer comes. 20 Come now therefore, and let’s kill him, and cast him into one of the pits, and we will say, ‘An evil animal has devoured him.’ We will see what will become of his dreams.”
21 Reuben heard it, and delivered him out of their hand, and said, “Let’s not take his life.” 22 Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood. Throw him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but lay no hand on him”—that he might deliver him out of their hand, to restore him to his father. 23 When Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the tunic of many colors that was on him; 24 and they took him, and threw him into the pit. The pit was empty. There was no water in it.
25 They sat down to eat bread, and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing spices and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt. 26 Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? 27 Come, and let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites, and not let our hand be on him; for he is our brother, our flesh.” His brothers listened to him. 28 Midianites who were merchants passed by, and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. The merchants brought Joseph into Egypt.
29 Reuben returned to the pit, and saw that Joseph wasn’t in the pit; and he tore his clothes. 30 He returned to his brothers, and said, “The child is no more; and I, where will I go?” 31 They took Joseph’s tunic, and killed a male goat, and dipped the tunic in the blood. 32 They took the tunic of many colors, and they brought it to their father, and said, “We have found this. Examine it, now, and see if it is your son’s tunic or not.”
33 He recognized it, and said, “It is my son’s tunic. An evil animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn in pieces.” 34 Jacob tore his clothes, and put sackcloth on his waist, and mourned for his son many days. 35 All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. He said, “For I will go down to Sheol to my son, mourning.” His father wept for him. 36 The Midianites sold him into Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s, the captain of the guard.
Once the stories are separated, the first (red) story has the brothers plotting to kill Joseph, but Judah convinces the brothers that they should sell him instead. An Ishmaelite caravan comes by and the brothers sell Joseph for 20 silvers, then fake his death. The second (blue) is the brothers planning to kill Joseph, but Reuben
secretly decides to rescue him. While the brothers were eating, Midianites wandered by, pulled Joseph out of the pit, then took him to Egypt. When Reuben came back and found Joseph gone, he thought Joseph had actually been killed.