Prolegomena to the History of Israel

by Julius Wellhausen

Publisher:

A & C Black

, 1885

Overview

A seminal work in the history of Biblical studies, Julius Wellhausen’s Prolegomena to the History of Israel created an eruption of controversy after it was published in 1883. Challenging traditional beliefs, Wellhausen’s contentious book argues that the Torah, or the Five Books of Moses, was not written by Moses, but ascribed to him later by redactors from a series of completely independent chronicles.

While 18th and 19th century biblical scholars were already formulating this supposition under the documentary hypothesis, it was Wellhausen who culled a century’s worth of research into a singular, systematic theory of the Torah’s origination.

A divisive and fascinating work, it marked Wellhausen as one of the most important biblical scholars of his time and a significant figure in Old Testament studies. It altered the paradigm and discussion for scholars studying the origins of the Pentateuch for much of the 20th century, and remains as an engaging polemic for researchers today.

Key Features

• Detailed Table of Contents
• Comprehensive Introduction by the author

Contents

Top Highlights

“For the truth is, that the tabernacle is the copy, not the prototype, of the temple at Jerusalem.” (Page 37)

“But this oneness of the sanctuary in Israel was not originally recognised either in fact or in law; it was a slow growth of time.” (Page 17)

“As the Book of the Covenant, and the whole Jehovistic writing in general, reflects the first pre-prophetic period in the history of the cultus, so Deuteronomy is the legal expression of the second period of struggle and transition.” (Page 33)

“From the exile there returned, not the nation, but a religious sect,—those, namely, who had given themselves up body and soul to the reformation ideas.” (Page 28)

“It is historical only in form; the history serves merely as a framework on which to arrange the legislative material, or as a mask to disguise it.” (Page 7)

Product Details

• Title: Prolegomena to the History of Israel
• Author: Julius Wellhausen
• Publisher: A & C Black
• Print Publication Date: 1885
• Logos Release Date: 2010
• Pages: 552
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subjects: Jews › History--To 953 B.C; Judaism; Bible. O.T. › Criticism, interpretation, etc
• Resource ID: LLS:HISTISRWELLHAUSEN
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2022-02-12T08:26:17Z

About Julius Wellhausen

Julius Wellhausen, was a German biblical scholar and orientalist, noted particularly for his contribution to scholarly understanding of the origin of the Pentateuch/Torah.