Wiseman hypothesis

The Wiseman hypothesis, sometimes called the Tablet Theory, is an alternative view of the authorship of Genesis and is opposed to the far more popular JEDP documentary hypothesis as well as the traditional view of authorship by Moses. It suggests that the book was written before the time of Moses by various authors.

History

The Wiseman hypothesis was originally presented by Percy J. Wiseman (1888-1948), an air commodore for the Royal Air Force and neither a professional archaeologist nor a Middle East scholar. While on tour in the Middle East, Wiseman found it of interest to visit archaeological sites and learn of the ancient histories of the region. He visited such places as Ur and Kish, and along the way collected cuneiform tablets and inscriptions and familiarized himself with ancient Mesopotamian composition. Upon studying the tablets, Wiseman found that ancient convention was for the writer of a particular tablet to write his name at the end of the document, as opposed to modern practices of an author presenting his name at the beginning of many kinds of articles. Coupling this with the recent discovery that writing had existed at least as early as 3000 BC, he formulated a hypothesis that the authors of Genesis had actually signed their names within the text. He published his idea in the book "New Discoveries in Babylonia about Genesis" 1936. His son, Donald J. Wiseman, an Assyriologist at the University of London, presented a revised edition titled "Ancient Records and the Structure of Genesis" in 1985.

The hypothesis

The Wiseman hypothesis bears resemblance to the documentary hypothesis in that it proposes multiple authors for Genesis. What is radically different is that the hypothesis places these authors before the time of Moses rather than after. Also very different is that the authors would have been directly involved in the events described in the book and not temporally isolated, as would be the post-Moses scribes. Because the Wiseman hypothesis would, if true, imply that the events described in the book of Genesis are not mythical, its main adherents are evangelical Christians.

Authors

Instead of invoking unnamed individuals, the hypothesis takes the stance that colophon statements at the end of an account provide the identity of the author of a particular history segment. The first such claimed colophon by a human author is at Genesis 5:1-2, where Adam supposedly gives his name and a final summary of the account. The very first appearance of what may be interpreted as a colophon, however, is Genesis 2:4. Proponents of the hypothesis assert that God may have written the first chapter of Genesis himself.

The following lists the authors and account transitions as proposed by Curt Sewell: [Citation
url=http://www.trueorigin.org/tablet.asp
title=The Tablet Theory of Genesis Authorship
author=Curt Sewell
publisher=trueorigin.org
accessdate=2008-01-14 ©1998-2001, by Curt Sewell. All rights reserved. Used by permission; Originally published by the archaeological magazine Bible and Spade, Winter 1994, Vol. 7, No. 1]

Redacting

After the accounts were written and handed down through the generations, the hypothesis proposes that Moses compiled them together and edited portions of the text. In the case of the biblical dispersion of languages, Moses may have had to translate the accounts into Hebrew, though some Christians assert the possibility that the original language before Babel had been Hebrew. ["The Origin of Speeches: Intelligent Design in Language" by Isaac E. Mozeson, Lightcatcher Books, 2006.] Those who hold lower criticism views believe that the edits made by Moses were likely of such minor nature as adding updated place names as minor notes so that contemporary readers would understand geographical locations. An example is Genesis 23:19, where the place name Mamre is followed by “that is, Hebron.”

Material

The material that the accounts would have been written on is unknown. As suggested by the name Tablet Theory, the original writing could have been on clay tablets. The tablets would have been handed down from generation to generation, and eventually copied to another medium such as papyrus or parchment. In the compilation, as well as with the passage of time, certain colophon markers would have lost their meaning, and thus may have been dropped from the text.

Hypothesis compared to other views

Advantages

An advantage over the documentary hypothesis is that the Wiseman hypothesis presents a list of falsifiable authors rather than a number of unnamed scribes. It also incorporates known conventions of ancient writing. Unlike the hypothesis of authorship by Moses, it does not involve the necessity of God revealing past events directly to Moses. The Wiseman hypothesis also deals with some apparent breaks in flow, such as the recap of the creation at the beginning of Genesis chapter 2. [ [http://www.creationism.org/lang/Lang2DecadesCrtn/Lang2DecadesCrtn_8.htm Two Decades of Creationism CHAPTER VIII] Walter and Valeria Lang] Additionally, certain redactions make sense if it was a compilation by Moses of a much older source, such as place name notes. Furthermore, the Old Testament never explicitly states that Moses wrote the book of Genesis.

Disadvantages

Critics have claimed that not all of the colophons appear where one would expect were the hypothesis correct. Also, while it apparently takes into account various evidences from within the text as well as from archeology, the Wiseman hypothesis requires that a written record was preserved and handed down not only for the thousands of years from Adam until Moses, but also from Moses until the modern era. Supporters respond that, given the long lifespans recorded in Genesis, the early transmission of the text need only have required a few hand-offs, e.g., from Adam to Seth, Seth to Noah's family, Noah's son Shem to Abraham's family, and from Joseph through an intermediary to Moses. Finally, critics claim the accounts of Genesis, particularly in chapters 1-11, when taken literally do not line up with scientific and historical research into the ancient past.

References

* "Ancient Records and the Structure of Genesis: A Case for Literary Unity" by Wiseman, P. J., Wiseman, D. J., Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1985.
* [http://www.ssacmann.com/writinggenesis.html Who Wrote Genesis? A Third Theory] by Paul A. Hughes
* [http://www.specialtyinterests.net/Toledoth.html THE FIRST BOOK OF MOSES AND THE 'TOLEDOTH' OF GENESIS] by Damien F. Mackey
* [http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v18/i4/genesis.asp Genesis contradictions?] by Don Batten
* [http://www.answersingenesis.org/home/area/feedback/2006/1027.asp How was Moses able to read pre-Tower of Babel texts?]

ee also

* Documentary hypothesis
* Lower criticism
* Biblical criticism
* Dating the Bible