Friedman's Theory
Where did these four sources come from? How did they come to be one source? Richard Elliott Friedman answers this in his book “The Bible with Sources Revealed.”
J: J originates from the southern kingdom of Judah, during the time of the divided kingdom in Israel (roughly 922 to 722 BCE). (Friedman, 3).
E: E originates from the northern kingdom of Israel/Ephraim. Likely written by a priest, it was a contemporary to J. (Again, sometime between 922 and 722 BCE). (Friedman 4)
After the fall of the northern kingdom in 722 BCE, the rivalry between the two national histories was put to an end. Sometime after the fall of Samaria, a redactor (referred to as “R”) joined J and E into one single source. Friedman refers to this editor, and the modifications to the text made by them, as “RJE”. (Friedman, 4)
P: While some scholars believe P originated from the time of the exile (6th or 5th century BCE), Friedman believes it was written earlier. He places it shortly after the joining of J and E, while the priesthood still remained in Jerusalem. Like E, P does not use the name “Yahweh” until the Book of Exodus. Many of the stories in J and E are retold in P, with new attention given to details relating to Jerusalem and its priesthood. (Friedman, 4-5)
D: Friedman believes the original D source to be the oldest of the four, although it was expanded upon in later years. The D sources were joined together during the reign of Josiah (622 BCE). (Friedman, 5).
Lastly, Friedman uses “R” to designate the final redactor, the scribe or group of scribes who joined the sources together into what we now know as the Pentatuch. This occurred much later, likely during or after the exile. (Friedman, 5).