Archival Unity: A Neo-Analytic Model of the Priestly Text

• Main Author: Kelley, Tyler Edward
• Format: Dissertation
• Language: English
• Published: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses 01-01-2023
• Subjects: Biblical studies; Religion; Theology
• ISBN: 9798381420531

Many compositional models for the Priestly text of the Pentateuch envision a process of serial revision and editorial supplements to a Priestly Grundschrift. Scholars who work within these models—termed Analyst approaches here—separate the Priestly text (P) into a series of compositional strata in an attempt to understand how this document was composed. This dissertation presents a thorough review of these approaches to the Priestly text. Its major proposal is that a different model, termed Neo-analytic, better accounts for both the unity and the diversity of the Priestly text and allows us to understand its composition in a more holistic manner. The Neo-analytic model proposes that the Priestly author drew on a variety of archival texts as the sources of the non-narrative materials embedded into his narrative. This model’s approach is grounded in a study of ancient Near Eastern scribal culture, ritual texts, and archival collections. In the course of this work, various chapters review and compare the Analytic and Neo-analytic approaches to major parts of the Priestly text in Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers. Ultimately, this dissertation concludes that the Neo-analytic framework provides a more robust and historically-grounded model for the composition of the Priestly text.