The Tent of Meeting

SOME YEARS AGO, in a monograph entitled 'Biblical Theophanies', I advanced the hypothesis, and supported it with to me seemingly incontrovertible proof, that Ex. 33.12-34.28 and Num. 10.29-32 contain the oldest document of the Hexateuch. Because of its manifest parallelism with the laws and narrative contained in Ex. 20.23-24.8 I have called this the Little Book of the Covenant, and labelled it C2.2 That was merely a first, provisional attempt to separate this ancient writing from its present Jahwistic setting. From the outset it was clear that Ex. 34.1-5 were from J. and altogether out of accord with the more ancient narrative. Likewise, vv. 6-9 have been considerably amplified by the Jahwistic editors who incorporated the ancient writing into the J code. Furthermore, vv. 10-26, consisting for the most part of the so-called 'Ten Commandments', have been considerably expanded by hortatory, Deuteronomic additions. What I did not realize at the time was that Ex. 33.12-23, the main narrative portion, contains considerable secondary matter, the work of the Jahwistic editors. This secondary, Jahwistic matter is characterized by repeated reference to Jahwe knowing Moses by name, and Moses having found favor in Jahwe's sight, and by Moses daring to seek to induce Jahwe to alter His purposes. This exaltation of Moses is characteristic of the secondary stratum of J.3 Accordingly in Ex. 33, vv. 12b, 13, 15-17 and 19b as well as 34.9 belong to this secondary J source. With these verses

Archaeology and Historical Studies · Biblical Studies and Interpretation · Historical and Linguistic Studies · History