The Pentateuch in an imperial setting.
Explore competing models for the formation of a textual collection and the historical contexts used to study it.
A collection has a history
Opening the Books of Moses introduces research on the Pentateuch in its historical setting. The question involves the formation of a collection, not just a single author or year. Cambridge University Press ↗
Imperial context is not an instruction sheet
The Oxford chapter examines imperial context. Claims of direct authorization, indirect influence, and local textual development should be evaluated separately. Oxford Academic ↗
Ask what each model explains
Compare the textual passages, institutions, and chronology each model uses. Keep traditional attribution distinct from historical composition and later manuscript evidence. Cambridge University Press ↗