The Pentateuch

A Social-Science Commentary

John Van Seters

• Publisher: T&T Clark
• Year: 2015
• Print ISBN: 9780567658791
• eBook ISBN: 9780567658807
• Edition: 3
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Studies

In this magisterial overview of the Pentateuch John Van Seters reviews the various historical-critical attempts to read it that arise from notions about the social evolution of Israel's religion and culture. Is the Pentateuch an accumulation of folk traditions, a work of ancient historiography, a document legitimizing religious reform? In dialogue with competing views, Van Seters advocates a compositional model that recognizes the social and historical diversity of the literary strata. Van Seters argues that a proto-Pentateuchal author created a comprehensive history from Genesis to Numbers that was written as a prologue to the Deuteronomistic History (Deuteronomy to 2 Kings) in the exilic period and later expanded by a Priestly writer to make it the foundational document of the Jerusalem temple community. This social-science commentary on the Pentateuch is renowned as one of the most influential volumes on this group of texts. For the new edition Van Seters has revised several sections of the text, updating and integrating new bibliographical items, and refining the text where necessary. A reflective preface summarizes these changes and developments for the reader's convenience.

Table of contents

• Cover page
• Halftitle page
• Series page
• Title page
• Copyright page
• Contents
• Preface to the Second Edition
• Preface to the First Edition
• Abbreviations
• 1 Introduction
• 2 The Pentateuch as a Whole: Basic Features and Problems
• 3 A Survey of Historical-Critical Research on the Pentateuch
• 4 New Currents in Pentateuchal Studies from 1975 to the Present
• 5 Deuteronomy
• 6 The Yahwist (J)
• 7 The Priestly Writer (P)
• 8 Law in the Pentateuch
• 9 Conclusion
• Bibliography
• Index of References
• Index of Authors