The Pentateuch, in the Core Biblical Studies series, introduces the Five Books of Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. It combines a purely literary approach to reading the final form of the Pentateuch with a historical reading of the text. The literary approach emphasizes the structural role played by the so-called toledoth (generations) formulae that trace the history of humankind from Adam, through the ancestors of Israel, and finally to Moses and Aaron as the founders of Israel’s priesthood. The historical reading of the text challenges the older model of source analysis to argue instead for a model that traces the composition of the Pentateuch from its origins in northern Israel during the 9th-8th centuries B.C.E., (E), through its subsequent editions in Judah during the 8th-7th centuries B.C.E,. (J and D), and finally through the final redaction in the Persian period, (P). Discussion throughout the volume focuses on how the text presents the origins or early history of Israel and its ideals or how it employs narrative and law to provide the foundations for an ideal national and religious identity. The volume concludes with a brief treatment of how the Pentateuch is read in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. How the Pentateuch employs narrative and law to provide the foundations for an ideal national and religious identity. Marvin A. Sweeney is Professor of Hebrew Bible at Claremont School of Theology and Professor of Tanak at the Academy for Jewish Religion California. He is Vice-President of the National Association of Professors of Hebrew. The Pentateuch By Marvin A. Sweeney Abingdon Press Copyright © 2017 Abingdon Press All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-4267-6503-2 Contents General Preface, Acknowledgments, Abbreviations, Introduction, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Conclusion, Notes, Glossary, Selected Annotated Bibliography, Author Index, Subject Index, CHAPTER 1 Genesis I Genesis introduces the formation of the nation Israel. The formal, synchronic literary structure of Genesis leads the reader from creation to a focus on Israel by a succession of formulaic statements that include "these are the generations of PN." The first appears in Gen 2:4a, immediately following the account of creation in Gen 1:1–2:3, and reads, "These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created." Some have read this statement as the conclusion of the initial creation narrative in Gen 1:1–2:3, but several factors point to its introductory role for the following material. First, there is no conjunction that joins Gen 2:4a to the preceding narratives. Second, the term generations, toledoth in Hebrew, is based on the Hebrew verb root yld, which means "to give birth," and thereby points to the human beings generated or given birth by creation whose narratives then follow. Third, the other examples of the formula throughout Genesis focus on a figure who is the ancestor of those whose narratives follow the formula. The toledoth formulas shift the focus of the reader from all humanity to the tribes of Israel. They tie Genesis into the larger narrative structure of the Pentateuch as a whole. As the final example of the formula in Num 3:1 — "and these are the generations of Aaron and Moses on the day that YHWH spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai" — identifies Aaron and the tribe of Levi as the priesthood of Israel that would guide the nation in observance of YHWH's teachings throughout its history. The following toledoth formulas in Genesis demonstrate their function. Following the initial account of creation in Gen 1:1–2:3, the first toledoth formula, in Gen 2:4a, "these are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created," introduces the account of the first humans in Gen 2:4–4:26, which focuses on the origins of human beings and their characteristics. The second toledoth formula, in Gen 5:1, "this is the account of the generations of Adam," introduces the development of humans and the problems that arise among them in Gen 5:1–6:8. The third toledoth formula, in Gen 6:9, "these are the generations of Noah," introduces Noah and the flood in Gen 6:9–9:29. The fourth toledoth formula, in Gen 10:1, "these are the generations of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth," introduces the spread of human beings over the earth in Gen 10:1–11:9. The fifth toledoth formula, in Gen 11:10, "these are the generations of Shem," shifts the focus to the Semites, the ancestors of Israel, in Gen 11:10-26. The sixth toledoth formula, in Gen 11:27, "and these are the generations of Terah," shifts the focus to the family of Terah among the Semites in Gen 11:27–25:11. Insofar as Terah is the father of Abraham, Gen 11:27–25:11 focuses on the history of Abraham (and Isaac). The seventh toledoth formula, in Gen 25:12, "and these are the generations of Ishmael, son of Abraham," introduces the history of