(6) Scriptural scholars emphasize the extent to which the biblical traditions present in Genesis--the Yahvist (J), the
Elohist (E), and the Priestly (P)--seek to overcome the struggles of the gods in creation myths among the peoples surrounding Israel (Rad 6465).
He rejects that the boy could be an angel--though there is mention of an angel in the
Elohist version of the Scripture--or God, who would never have been visible.
Specifically, they found four major time periods and four voices: the Yahwist from the kingdom of Judah, the
Elohist from the kingdom of Israel, the Deuteronomist from the Reformist period and the Priestly from the Kohen period of exile.
Since the eighteenth century scholars have detected multiple authors in the Pentateuch, called JEDP--the Yahwist, the
Elohist, the Deuteronomist, and the priestly writer.
(6) A century after Astruc, Hermann Hupfeld (1853) became the first to isolate the priestly source (which he called the "older
Elohist"), even though a long tradition had already developed for over a century distinguishing between the two accounts of creation.
Of the two, history is the more honest, and at first it seems that Auerbach is on the
Elohist's side against Homer for this reason: "Homer remains within the legendary with all his material," he says, "whereas the material of the Old Testament comes closer and closer to history as the narrative proceeds" (19).
Paul installed women as leaders in the churches he founded; 43-A; 44-C; 45-B, John's gospel has the washing of the feet story but no bread and wine; 46-B; 47-D; 48-C, the seamless garment is an image for a comprehensive respect for human life; 49-B; 50-C, the four sources are: Yahwist (J),
Elohist, Deuteronomic, and Priestly, referring to characteristics of each source.
There have been five authors identified in the production of these books: the Yahwist (J), the
Elohist (E), the Priestly (P), the Deuteronomist (D), and the Redactor (R).
But when the
Elohist makes God say to Abraham: "Take Isaac, thine only begotten son whom thou lovest," we are not to think that Hebrew is the language spoken by God or that Jehovah, like Zeus, has vocal chords which make audible sounds.
(7) Juan Luis Segundo criticized this interpretation and insisted that in the three great, most ancient sources, the Yahwist, the
Elohist, and the Deuteronomist, "there is no trace of this supposed purpose." (8) The text states that the essential purpose of the Exodus is that an oppressed people might have life and live in freedom as a people, which seems to me the most correct exegesis.
Burnett suggests that biblical spokespersons, including those of the
Elohist tradition in the Pentateuch, the Elijah cycle, and Hosea used Elohim to denote Yahweh and were intent upon leading their audience to make the connection that the historical Elohim whom they worshipped was Yahweh and none other.