Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy were believed to have been written by Moses, up until 1883.
In 1883, the efforts of leading German and French scholars in the field of scientific biblical scholarship discovered textual patterns in the Old Testament Bible. This discovery led to the JEDP Theory (or "Graf-Wellhausen Hypothesis") that established the possibility of several 'independent' source writings, later edited ('redacted') to produce a single document, the Torah.Julius Wellhausen (1844-1918) was a German biblical scholar and orientalist who set the chronological order of the independent sources as J, E, D and P with reference to the evolving religious history of Israel, which he saw as one of ever-increasing priestly power.
JEDP Theory (or "Graf-Wellhausen Hypothesis")
The Torah: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers & Deuteronomy is not a unified work from a single author (Moses) but is made up of independent writings combined over many centuries by many editors ('redactors'). Wellhausen contributed little that was new, but sifted and combined the previous scholarship works into a coherent, comprehensive theory on the origins of the Torah and of Judaism. One so persuasive that it dominated scholarly debate on the subject ever since.
The Torah: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers & Deuteronomy is not a unified work from a single author (Moses) but is made up of independent writings combined over many centuries by many editors ('redactors'). Wellhausen contributed little that was new, but sifted and combined the previous scholarship works into a coherent, comprehensive theory on the origins of the Torah and of Judaism. One so persuasive that it dominated scholarly debate on the subject ever since.
| JEDP Theory / 'Graf-Wellhausen' | ||||
| TRADITION | 'J'Yahwist |
'E'Elohist |
'D'Deuteronomist |
'P'Priestly |
BIBLE BOOKS'what' |
Exodus (50%) Genesis (50%) Numbers (minor) |
Exodus (50%) Genesis (33%) Numbers (minor) |
Deuteronomy (most) | Leviticus (most) Genesis (20%) Exodus (minor) Numbers (minor) |
DATE'when' |
950-920 BCE United Monarcy A Judean Source written during the United Monarcy period (1030-920 BCE). Written in the South, just before the South split from the North in 922 BC. Interest in territory of the Kingdom of Judah, and individuals connected with its history. |
870-840 BCE North-South Divide Written in the North at the time when the North broke away from South (870-840 BCE). |
650-620 BCE Josiah's Reform Writing reflects literary style/ theology prevalent at the time of Josiah's reform (621 BCE). |
550-520 BCE Babylonian Exile After the fall of Jerusalem (587 BCE), Israelite priests were exiled in Babylon. |
LOCATION'where' |
Southern Kingdom of Judah Capital: Jerusalem Text contains Southern geographical references and propoganda i.e. David's line |
Northern Kingdom of Israel Capital: Samaria (Shomron) Northern tribes and Ephraim, so its suppoused it was. Prophet over King (Northern concern then) |
Jerusalem During a period of religious reform. May have originated in the Northern Kingdom |
Kohanim Jewish priests were exiled in Babylon. Writing at a time of great loneliness and despair; God far away. |
| God | ||||
| NAME | Yahweh 'YHWH' |
Elohim Elohim used until Exodus 3-6; a human-like God Yahweh used after Exodus 3 (burning bush incident) when Elohim reveals himself as Yahweh |
Yahweh | Elohim El Shaddai Other El combinations |
| PERSONALITY | Anthropomorphic Yahweh walks and talks. He makes personal visits. |
Less Anthropomorphic Elohim speaks through dreams, prophets and angels; not personal appearances. |
Non-Anthropomorphic Elohim is remote, distant, and unmerciful. He appears on a quest for glory. |
|
| Authors | ||||
WRITING STYLE |
||||
| AUTHORS 'who' |
Ephraimitic Tribe Someone from Tribe of Ephraim or a North Israelite source |
Josiah's Reform Reflects style and religious attitudes of Josiah's reform (c.621) |
Priesthood A literary corpus, marked by the style and cultic interests of the priestly circle of Jerusalem Israelite priests retrieved, revised and 'redacted' Torah text |
|
| Content | ||||
| KEY POINTS | Southern Propoganda Ancient stories i.e. Creation of mankind, flood, Babel etc. Yahweh close to His people |
Northern Focus Elohim is distant and away from His people. Kingdom of Israel and on Shiloh priesthood. |
Yahweh's favours God's love dominates Israel's history and law. |
Obedience to Covenant Priestly concerns, legal and cultic aspects Lists of genealogies, dates, numbers and laws. |
| MOUNT SINAI | Place of Mosaic covenant. Emphasis on term 'Sinai' | Horeb is mountain where covenant takes place | Idea of a central sanctuary Horeb |
Holy mountain Sinai |
| COVENANT | Mosaic Abrahamic promise of land, descendants and blessing |
Exodus 24 ceremony Establishment of the tent of meeting Israel's rebellion at Sinai with worship of the golden calf |
Sabbath and circumcision | |
| ISRAEL | Israel's faith in Yahweh and their leaders | Explicitly religious: to be "a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" | Elohim grants his presence to the people "who know his name." Israel's role in salvation |
|
| PEOPLE | Moses father-in-law is Reuel | Begins story with Abraham | Some connections to E; Horeb, prophecy. | Normally starts with "These are the generations" |
| Text | ||||
| Fragmentary texts Often combined with J, to create J+E |
Possibly
referenced in 2 Kings 22:8. The "book of the law" found by King Josiah in the Temple in Jerusalem (621 BC) Some scholars believe 'D' is an independent text |
Some scholars believe P is a redactor (revision of pre-existing texts) Others believe 'P' shows signs of a seperate, independent text |
||
In Islam, Moses received the 'Oral' Torah
Islam teaches that Moses received the Torah from God. This was an 'oral transmission' from God through the Angel Gabrial to Moses. Today, the Torah is presented in a written book format. This is a corrupted version of the original Oral Torah. The JEDP Theory (or "Graf-Wellhausen Hypothesis") supports the Islamic position on Biblical corruption.
Maurice Bucaille (d. 1998), a Muslim scholar supported Documentary Hypothesis (DH)
Maurice Bucaille (1920-1998), a French medical doctor, author, convert and scholar of Islam. Bucaille writes the Old Testament has been distorted due to the numerous translations and corrections, as it was transmitted orally. Bucaille argued for biblical criticism, including the Documentary Hypothesis (DH) and JEDP Theory.CREDIT
https://www.slideserve.com/dareh/the-writing-of-the-old-testament-the-four-4-original-sources-jedp
https://www.plonialmonimormon.com/2014/02/jedp-and-me-some-thoughts-on.html
https://annawhitehead96.wordpress.com/2015/12/30/jepd-theory/
http://helpmewithbiblestudy.org/5system_moses/notes/dh6.aspx
141-jedp-wellhausen
| Author: Guest • Updated: 04 Sep 2026 • 22,549 views | 2 hrs ago |
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Who was Wellhausen?Julius Wellhausen's (1844-1918) 19th century classic, the Graf-Wellhausen Hypothesis ("JEDP Theory") explored the tradition of assigning Torah authorship to Moses. Wellhausen's work proved very influential. He was able to correlate the development of the Torah with Israelite and Jewish history
This hypothesis became later known as the Documentary Hypothesis. The documentary hypothesis (DH) is one of three models used to explain the origins of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible or Torah. All three models agree the Torah is not a unified work from a single author (traditionally Moses) but is made up of sources combined over many centuries by many writers. Modern scholars increasingly see the completed Torah as a product of the time of the Achaemenid Empire (probably 450-350 BC), although some would place its production in the Hellenistic period (333-164 BC) or even the Hasmonean dynasty (140-37 BC).
What is the Torah?Torah, "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law" has a range of meanings. Common to all these meanings, Torah consists of the origin of Jewish peoplehood: their call into being by God, their trials and tribulations, and their covenant with their God, which involves following a way of life embodied in a set
of moral and religious obligations and civil laws. In rabbinic literature the word Torah denotes both the five books "Torah that is written" and the Oral Torah "Torah that is spoken". The Oral Torah consists of interpretations and amplifications which according to rabbinic tradition have been handed down from generation to generation and are now embodied in the Talmud and Midrash. According to rabbinic tradition, all of the teachings found in the Torah, both written and oral, were given by God through the prophet Moses, some at Mount Sinai and others at the Tabernacle, and all the teachings were written down by Moses, which resulted in the Torah that exists today. The majority of Biblical scholars believe the written books were a product of the Babylonian captivity (c. 600 BCE), based on earlier written and oral traditions, which could only have arisen from separate communities within ancient Israel, and that it was completed by the period of Achaemenid rule (c. 400 BCE).
