History Wiseman hypothesis

1 history

1.1 p. j. wiseman
1.2 r. k. harrison
1.3 donald wiseman

history
p. j. wiseman

air commodore p. j. wiseman, british officer visited many active archaeological sites during career in middle east, found ancient narrative tablets ended in colophons had specific format consisting of 3 parts; 1) has been history/book/genealogy of... , 2) name of person wrote or owned tablet, , 3) date (such in year of great earthquake, or 3rd year of king so-and-so , etc. wiseman noted there eleven phrases in genesis have same colophon format, have long been identified toledoth (hebrew generations ) passages; book divided thematically along lines of toledot. wiseman brought new table idea these apparent colophons indicated genesis had been collection of narrative clay tablets written in cuneiform, ancient tablets had seen, moses had edited single document on parchment or papyrus. in contrast traditional views moses wrote genesis entirely on own without outside sources , documentary hypothesis genesis compiled later , unknown redactors.

once link had been made between tolodoth in genesis , ancient colophons, point became apparent. colophons came @ end of narratives, too, tolodoths may come @ end of narratives. first of these toledoth passages, genesis 2:4, refers preceding creation account beginning in genesis 1, rather being introduction succeeding account. traditional understanding has been since tolodoths followed list of descendants of person named in tolodoth, tolodoths thought beginning of sections in genesis.

in creation revealed in 6 days, p. j. wiseman argued days of creation represented time period in god took reveal work of creation, , genesis 1 account of god said things god made ... revelation men creative acts in time past.

r. k. harrison

support wiseman hypothesis found in works on textual criticism , literary analysis of hebrew bible r. k. harrison in introduction old testament, wrote [wiseman s] approach had distinct advantage of relating ancient mesopotamian sources underlying genesis authentic mesopotamian life-situation, unlike attempts of graf–wellhausen school, , showed methods of writing , compilation employed in genesis in essential harmony processes current among scribes of ancient babylonia.

harrison states these examples discounted scholars follow wellhausen documentary hypothesis, since central basis of documentary hypothesis pentateuch work composed unknown redactors , authors lived later time of moses. further states approach means these scholars miss valuable information, derived archaeology , knowledge of literary conventions in ancient near east, explain biblical text.

donald wiseman

donald wiseman noted in foreword revised edition of father’s book since had first been written (1936) many more colophons have been discovered among babylonian cuneiform texts substantiated use of scribal device. texts syria , mesopotamia show continuity in tradition of scribal education , literary practices more 2 millennia, giving fixed , dated points. particularly valued implication of theory use of writing. genesis 1-37 transcript of oldest written records.