Priestly source

This article describes the opinion of the DH without taking into account alternative opinions; see the Documentary Hypothesis article for details on the disputes to this theory. The Priestly Source (P) is the most recent of the four chief sources of the Torah , according to the long-established "standard" Wellhausen (or Graf-Wellhausen) formulation of the Documentary Hypothesis (DH). It was work of an Aaronid priest and as such reflects, among other characteristics attributable to priests , the rigorous emphasis of censuses and genealogies. It describes conditions during and after the Babylonian exile , c 550-400 BCE and hence is thought to have been incorporated into the Torah c 400 BCE.

The Priestly source (or simply P ) is one of the sources of the Torah , together with the Yahwist , Elohist and the Deuteronomist . P was written to show that even when all seemed lost, God remained present with Israel . The characteristics of the Priestly source include a set of claims that are contradicted by non-Priestly passages and therefore uniquely characteristic: no sacrifice before the institution is ordained by God at Sinai , the exalted status of Aaron and the priesthood, and the use of the divine title El Shaddai before God reveals his name to Moses , to name a few.

One of the four sources of the Torah in the documentary hypothesis Diagram of the supplementary hypothesis , a popular model of the composition of the Torah . The Priestly source is shown as P . The Priestly source (or simply P ) is perhaps the most widely recognized source underlying the Torah . It is both stylistically and theologically distinct from other material in the Torah, and includes a set of claims that are contradicted by non-Priestly passages and therefore uniquely characteristic: no sacrifice before the institution is ordained by Yahweh (God) at Sinai , the exalted status of Aaron and the priesthood, and the use of the divine title El Shaddai before God reveals his name to Moses , to name a few. In general, the Priestly work is concerned with priestly matters – ritual law, the origins of shrines and rituals, and genealogies – all expressed in a formal, repetitive style. It stresses the rules and rituals of worship, and the crucial role of priests, expanding considerably on the role given to Aaron (all Levites are priests, but according to P only the descendants of Aaron were to be allowed to officiate in the inner sanctuary). P was written to show that even when all seemed lost, God remained present. Kugler & Hartin 2009 , pp. xix, 49.

One of the four sources of the Torah in the documentary hypothesis Diagram of the supplementary hypothesis , a popular model of the composition of the Torah . The Priestly source is shown as P . The Priestly source (or simply P ) is perhaps the most widely recognized of the sources underlying the Torah . It is both stylistically and theologically distinct from other material in the Torah, and includes a set of claims that are contradicted by non-Priestly passages and therefore uniquely characteristic: no sacrifice before the institution is ordained by Yahweh (God) at Sinai , the exalted status of Aaron and the priesthood, and the use of the divine title El Shaddai before God reveals his name to Moses , to name a few. In general, the Priestly work is concerned with priestly matters – ritual law, the origins of shrines and rituals, and genealogies – all expressed in a formal, repetitive style. It stresses the rules and rituals of worship, and the crucial role of priests, expanding considerably on the role given to Aaron (all Levites are priests, but according to P only the descendants of Aaron were to be allowed to officiate in the inner sanctuary). Kugler & Hartin 2009 , pp. xix, 49.

One of the four sources of the Torah in the documentary hypothesis Diagram of the supplementary hypothesis , a popular model of the composition of the Torah . The Priestly source is shown as P . The Priestly source (or simply P ) is perhaps the most widely recognized of the sources underlying the Torah, both stylistically and theologically distinct from other material in it. It is considered by most scholars as the latest of all sources, and “meant to be a kind of redactional layer to hold the entirety of the Pentateuch together,” It includes a set of claims that are contradicted by non-Priestly passages and therefore uniquely characteristic: no sacrifice before the institution is ordained by Yahweh (God) at Sinai , the exalted status of Aaron and the priesthood, and the use of the divine title El Shaddai before God reveals his name to Moses , to name a few. In general, the Priestly work is concerned with priestly matters – ritual law, the origins of shrines and rituals, and genealogies – all expressed in a formal, repetitive style. It stresses the rules and rituals of worship, and the crucial role of priests, expanding considerably on the role given to Aaron (all Levites are priests, but according to P only the descendants of Aaron were to be allowed to officiate in the inner sanctuary). Kugler & Hartin 2009 , pp. xix, 49.