La formation du Pentateuque à la lumière de l'exégèse historico-critique

The documentary hypothesis, which has dominated the critical exegesis of the Pentateuch/ Hexateuch, has récent ly been the object of a séries of fundamental criticisms : some place the date of J, the basis of the theory, during the sixth century ; others contest even the existence ofthe document andfavor the return to the old fragmentary hypothesis ; still others speak of a basic document which was completed on several occasions, or they propose a sort of Redaktionsgeschichte. It seems that it is in this last proposition that a solution is to be found. Careful analysis confirms the existence ofa document J at the time ofSolomon which made use ofa séries of older mater ials ; this document seems to respond to certain polit ical concerns. In the eighth century, J is enriched by complementary éléments ofthe type E which are the fruit ofa theological reflection on the older narratives. During the exile, the new work JE was «re-read» and completed in the perspective of the Deuteronomistic school on several occasions. Finally, the P texts seem to be the resuit of two final «re-readings». Thus, the Pentateuch is to be explainednot by the juxtaposition of independent oral or written sources but by the organic growth ofa single narrative, «re-read» several times and enriched under the influence of the vital questions which Israël encountered in the course of its history.Vermeylen Jacques. La formation du Pentateuque à la lumière de l'exégèse historico-critique. In: Revue théologique de Louvain, 12ᵉ année, fasc. 3, 1981. pp. 324-346