The Documentary Hypothesis Trivia Quiz

Answer: Thomas Hobbes

The traditional view is that Moses authored the Pentateuch, drawing on oral tradition for the earlier source material. The account of his death, however, would have been added by another author, sometimes thought to have been Joshua. Many later scholars, however, did not accept the traditional view of Mosaic authorship, and they began to postulate other possible sources. Eventually, they decided on four sources, to be discussed in this quiz: J, E, P, and D. Sometimes they went so far as to divide a single verse in scripture into several separate sources.

These sources, they argued, were edited together into a single book sometime during or after the Babylonian exile. Thomas Hobbes is the famous author of "The Leviathan."

Answer: 19th century

It is sometimes called the Graf-Wellhausen Hypothesis, after the names of two of the scholars who first clearly detailed the concept. Keunen was another scholar who contributed to the eventual development of the Hypothesis.

Answer: Q

"Q" is used to designate a hypothetical source for the Gospels. Some scholars believe the Gospel writers Matthew and Mark drew from a collection of the sayings of Jesus, which they call "Q", and which has been lost to us.

Answer: YHWH and Elohim

When "YHWH" is used for God, scholars speculate a "J" source; when "Elohim" is used, they speculate a different "E" source. The "J" source author is regarded as being responsible for most of the material in Genesis.

Answer: All of these

The "D" source is usually credited for all of these books as well as Samuel, though there is some disagreement even among adherents to the Documentary Hypothesis.

Answer: The Priestly

Scholars once speculated that a priestly class later edited the earlier sources, adding information on genealogies and worship. Many modern scholars, however, now speculate that the P source contains some material prior to the exile.

Answer: All of these

The Documentary Hypothesis was created in an attempt to explain why different terms were used to describe God, why many of the stories seem to repeat (i.e. three stories of a patriarch passing off his wife as his sister, for instance), why there are slight discrepancies (for instance, one chapter of Genesis having the animals created before man, another chapter having them created after man), and why there are anachronisms (i.e. laws regarding monarchy prior to one).

Answer: There was no writing in the time of Moses

Scholars who argued in favor of the Documentary Hypothesis once claimed that Moses could not have written the Torah because there was no writing in the time of Moses. Then archeologists unearthed a black stele containing Hammurabi's code, written 300 years before the time of Moses. Clearly there was writing by Moses's lifetime, therefore, and if he was indeed raised by Pharaoh, he would likely have been educated.

This argument, therefore, is no longer used in support of the Hypothesis.

Answer: J

Q, as we learned earlier, is not a source in this hypothesis. J is considered the earliest source, and scholars maintaining this hypothesis usually date it to the time of Solomon.

Answer: The Pentateuch does not mention the temple

If large portions of the Pentateuch were written during or after the reign of Solomon, as Documentary hypothesists believe, then one might expect to find some mention of the temple. Yet there is no mention anywhere in the Pentateuch of a fixed place of worship, of a temple, or of Jerusalem as the capital.

The fact that the Pentateuch mentions a monarchy is usually used to support, not disprove, the Documentary Hypothesis, as are the different names for God and the different literary styles.