--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The document that was associated with the…" description: "\"“The document that was associated with the divine name Yahweh/Jehovah was called J. The document that was identified as referring to the deity as God (..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f1/richard-elliott-friedman-42751_different-ways_the-document-that-was-associated-with-th_83034.jpg" --- # The document that was associated with the divine name… ![“The document that was associated with the divine name Yahweh/Jehovah was called J. The document that was identified as referring to the deity as God (in Hebrew, Elohim) was called E. The third document, by far the largest, included most of the legal sections and concentrated a great deal on…” quote by Richard Elliott Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f1/richard-elliott-friedman-42751_different-ways_the-document-that-was-associated-with-th_83034.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f1/richard-elliott-friedman-42751_different-ways_the-document-that-was-associated-with-th_83034.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f1/richard-elliott-friedman-42751_different-ways_the-document-that-was-associated-with-th_83034.jpg) > ““The document that was associated with the divine name Yahweh/Jehovah was called J. The document that was identified as referring to the deity as God (in Hebrew, Elohim) was called E. The third document, by far the largest, included most of the legal sections and concentrated a great deal on matters having to do with priests, and so it was called P. And the source that was found only in the book of Deuteronomy was called D. The question was how to uncover the history of these four documents—not only who wrote them, but why four different versions of the story were written, what their relationship to each other was, whether any of the authors were aware of the existence of the others’ texts, when in history each was produced, how they were preserved and combined, and a host of other questions. The first step was to try to determine the relative order in which they were written. The idea was to try to see if each version reflected a particular stage in the development of religion in biblical Israel. This approach reflected the influence in nineteenth-century Germany of Hegelian notions of historical development of civilization. Two nineteenth-century figures stand out. They approached the problem in very different ways, but they arrived at complementary findings. One of them,”” [Richard Elliott Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-elliott-friedman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage outlines a scholarly method for dissecting the Pentateuch into four source documents (J, E, P, D) to trace their composition, interrelationships, and historical contexts, reflecting 19th‑century German historicist influence. **In simple terms:** Analyzing biblical source documents to map their origins and development. Key Takeaway Source criticism reveals layered religious evolution. Themes historical criticism source analysis biblical studies religious development textual criticism German historicism Mood analytical inquisitive critical Type explanatory academic historical When to use this quote - academic research on the Pentateuch - theological education - archaeological correlation - textual comparison - historical reconstruction Key Concepts documentary hypothesis source identification authorial intent chronology Practical Applications - scholarly publications - curriculum design for religious studies Questions to Reflect On - What does each source reveal about Israelite society? - How does the documentary hypothesis shape modern faith perspectives? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [First step](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-step/) [Judaism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judaism/) ## Related quotes > [“Micah Goodman, a popular teacher on the Israeli scene and one of its young public intellectuals, wrote his first three books on Maimonides’s Guide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-gordis/micah-goodman-a-popular-teacher-on-the-israeli-scene-and-one-of-its/) [Daniel Gordis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-gordis/) > [The text says Deuteronomy was lost, but you say it was written then.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-moore-cross/the-text-says-deuteronomy-was-lost-but-you-say-it-was-written-then/) [Frank Moore Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-moore-cross/) > [There was certainly an old law code which stands behind the earliest form of Deuteronomy. Presumably that is what was lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-moore-cross/there-was-certainly-an-old-law-code-which-stands-behind-the-earliest/) [Frank Moore Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-moore-cross/) > [In Deuteronomy 11, God offers Israel a choice; either a life of productivity and enjoyment made possible by obedience to Him, or a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-anders/in-deuteronomy-11-god-offers-israel-a-choice-either-a-life-of/) [Max Anders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-anders/) > [And finally, it was Deuteronomy that brought about the historical result of Josiah's reformation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-wellhausen/and-finally-it-was-deuteronomy-that-brought-about-the-historical/) [Julius Wellhausen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-wellhausen/) > [And you shall not commit adultery. -Deuteronomy 5:18](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bible/and-you-shall-not-commit-adultery-deuteronomy-5-18/) [Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bible/) > [Well the book of Leviticus and Deuteronomy, the law of the jungle and the sea are your only teachers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/well-the-book-of-leviticus-and-deuteronomy-the-law-of-the-jungle-and/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [“DEUTERONOMY 30  h “And  i when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before you, and  j you call…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/deuteronomy-30-h-and-i-when-all-these-things-come-upon-you-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The Bible decrees that ‘If a man meets a virgin who is not betrothed, and seizes her and lies with her, and they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/the-bible-decrees-that-if-a-man-meets-a-virgin-who-is-not-betrothed/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot. -Deuteronomy xix. 21.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bible/eye-for-eye-tooth-for-tooth-hand-for-hand-foot-for-foot-deuteronomy/) [Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bible/) > [“At the heart of Deuteronomy stands chapter 15, with its laws on the release of debts and slaves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-j-h-wright-2/at-the-heart-of-deuteronomy-stands-chapter-15-with-its-laws-on-the/) [Christopher J.H. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-j-h-wright-2/) > [To my thinking, this: - that the Priestly Code rests upon the result which is only the aim of Deuteronomy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-wellhausen/to-my-thinking-this-that-the-priestly-code-rests-upon-the-result/) [Julius Wellhausen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-wellhausen/) > [Thread of Selfishness in Web of Life.—Deuteronomy contains much instruction regarding what the law is to us, and the relation we shall sustain to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-g-white/thread-of-selfishness-in-web-of-life-deuteronomy-contains-much/) [Ellen G. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-g-white/) > [“Deuteronomy 6:6, 7: These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-arthur/deuteronomy-6-6-7-these-words-which-i-am-commanding-you-today-shall/) [Kay Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-arthur/) > [“My positive interpretive thesis is thus straightforward. In response to the puzzle as to why Deuteronomy should promote and prioritize ḥērem if it “was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-w-l-moberly-2/my-positive-interpretive-thesis-is-thus-straightforward-in-response/) [R. W. L. Moberly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-w-l-moberly-2/) ## More by Richard Elliott Friedman > [“missîm. The term missîm in Hebrew refers to a sort of tax, not of money but of physical labor. 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It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-elliott-friedman/no-word-in-the-hebrew-language-of-that-period-for-religion-religion/) [Richard Elliott Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-elliott-friedman/) > [“of the story would refer to the deity simply as “God.” That is, the doublets lined up into two groups of parallel versions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-elliott-friedman/of-the-story-would-refer-to-the-deity-simply-as-god-that-is-the/) [Richard Elliott Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-elliott-friedman/) [Explore all 8 Richard Elliott Friedman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-elliott-friedman/) ## More Different ways quotes > [“Picking locks was not a skill he had ever cultivated, but he persisted day after day, turning the tip of his talon into different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/picking-locks-was-not-a-skill-he-had-ever-cultivated-but-he-persisted/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [Some shows just go away - and that's fine. 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The third document, by far the largest, included most of the legal sections and concentrated a great deal on matters having to do with priests, and so it was called P. And the source that was found only in the book of Deuteronomy was called D. The question was how to uncover the history of these four documents—not only who wrote them, but why four different versions of the story were written, what their relationship to each other was, whether any of the authors were aware of the existence of the others’ texts, when in history each was produced, how they were preserved and combined, and a host of other questions. The first step was to try to determine the relative order in which they were written. The idea was to try to see if each version reflected a particular stage in the development of religion in biblical Israel. This approach reflected the influence in nineteenth-century Germany of Hegelian notions of historical development of civilization. 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