For well over two centuries the question of the composition of the Pentateuch has been among the most widespread and hotly debated issues in the field of biblical studies. In this book, Joel Baden presents a synthesized history of these disagreements and the varying methodologies each school has defended. Advocating a modified approach, Baden offers an introduction to the history of Pentateuchal scholarship, a critical argument suggesting ways out of these methodological impasses, and a practical application of various theories to the text itself.

Joel Baden is assistant professor of the Old Testament at Yale Divinity School.