Theme of the Pentateuch

by David J.A. Clines

This popular textbook regards the Pentateuch as a literary whole, with a single theme that binds it together. The overarching theme is the partial fulfilment of the promises to the patriarchs. Though the method of the book is holistic, the origin and growth of the theme is also explored using the methods of traditional source analysis. An important chapter explores the theological function of the Pentateuch both in the community for which the Pentateuch was first composed and in our own time. For this second, enlarged edition, the author has written an Epilogue reassessing the theme of the Pentateuch from a more current postmodern perspective.

Genres: Religion, Old Testament, Theology, Reference

152 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1978

Reviews

[Bob Breckwoldt · Rating 3 out of 5]

A worthwhile read, but reminds the reader why the question of when the Pentateuch was written and for what purpose was it produced remains as interesting as ever.

[Josh Trice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, I found Clines’ work to be interesting and insightful. He provides the necessary background and explanation at the beginning of the book upon which he will build and explain his process and conclusions. I found the inclusion of the context behind his reasoning for authoring this book to be very helpful in understanding his later arguments and scholarly comparisons. He explains well, in easy to grasp terminology, the fallacy he sees in contemporary Biblical literary analysis (atomism and geneticism). By also including explanation about the function, definition and importance of the theme, Clines guides readers to a place of comfortable understanding before stepping into the deep end of Biblical exploration and literary analysis.

I found the first half of the book to move at a brisk pace, finding myself lost (in a good way) in the deep Biblical exploration Clines guides the reader on. Be it the key indicators of thematic elements in the Pentateuch (chapter 3), Clines’ own thematic statement (chapter 4), or the exposition on the intertwining elements of the Pentateuchal books (chapter 6), I found the discussion fascinating and informative. Though he does not sacrifice scholarly credibility, Clines remains on the same grammatical and lexical level (for the most part) of an average reader. This helps draw the reader into the discussion and be able to engage the text in a meaningful way.

The text continually had me reflecting on my own observations of the Pentateuchal books (especially Leviticus and Numbers) while I followed Clines’ exploration and explanation of the works. Clines had me questioning previous assumptions I had while at the same time reiterating deep respect for the ancient texts.

However, some of the latter chapters (especially chapters 8 and 9) break away from the brisk pace of those preceding. I found chapter 8 (Divergences) and 9 (Literary History) to be much more scholarly (in both focus and grammar) and seemingly out of place in the overall order of Clines’ chapters. While he does try to briefly explain why he structured the book the way he did (seemingly taking a rabbit trail into scholarly debate) I found it to be both unsatisfactory and difficult to comprehend compared to the content offered before.

While the content within the chapters is fair enough, I find the main sin to be that they are out of place. It would flow much better had Clines opted to include such scholarly debate at the end of his work instead of the middle, muddling up the overall flow of the work. The way it is now, the flow of the book comes to a halt by chapter 9, which has two chapters following. This kills the momentum the reader has built up and makes the final section of the book harder to get through than need be.

Another negative aspect of the book is within these chapters. There are what I assume to be scholarly abbreviations mentioned many times throughout the discussion Clines has between himself and other scholars. Clines fails to provide adequate context and explanation of such references, leaving the less informed reader stranded on a proverbial lexical island of confusion. From what I noticed, Clines mentions “Yahwist,” “J,” “JE,” “D,” “I” and “P” without providing a single clue to the reader as to what they mean. I found it to be frustrating considering Clines takes great lengths early in the book to explain and expound upon the singular word “theme,” yet here offers not the slightest inclination to aid the reader. I also found this lack of explanation to compound the difficulty of following the train of thought in these chapters, further dragging down the momentum I had built up while reading.

Despite the criticism, this book is still offers plenty of interesting insight and content to the reader. The academic approach to that Clines takes offers an average reader insight into the approach scholars take in exploring and discussing Biblical texts. Similarly, Clines challenges common notions and approaches while at the same time offering a new paradigmatic approach to the Pentateuch. I found his explanations and method to be helpful (for the most part). Specifically, I liked Clines’ explanation of the historical function of the Pentateuch, which he shares as being
"An address to exiles, or, perhaps it would be better to say, the self-expression of exiles, who find themselves at the same point as that reached by the Israelite tribes at the end of Deuteronomy: the promise of God stands behind them, the promised land before them…The Pentateuchal theme, in its several forms, functioned among exiles as an interpretation of their history, a summons to obedience in their present, and a hope that led to action. Literature arising out of a vast array of historical situations had been welded into a new unit with a definite and effective function."

The Pentateuch then, is a work from previous generations meant to inspire and inform future generations. If the people of Israel have been there before (namely, exile) and God remained faithful, then surely they can rest in their present state of exiled silence. I found this conclusion by Clines to be helpful in framing the Pentateuch in a richly Jewish historical tradition that includes theological explanation of previous (and present for past and present Jews and Christians) experiences.

Secondly, Clines notes the theological function of the Pentateuch, which I found to be commendable. He offers two ways by which someone can respect the historicity of the Pentateuch while at the same time receiving fresh theological insight from it. The first approach Clines offers is to approach the literature as a narrative, or story. I think this is a strong approach to take, as it links the Pentateuch, literarily as well as theologically, to the rest of the Old Testament let alone the rest of the Biblical canon. I find myself in agreement with Clines conclusion in seeing that the Bible containing a literary link is as foundational to the authority of the text as it containing a theological link. To see the Bible as one, unified story is to breathe life into the text that reflects deeper insight than it just being Torah, or religious literature to be memorized and recited. The cool thing about a story is, especially the one of the Bible, is it is a story of invitation. The reader is not only a passive observer of a bygone era, they are invited into the ongoing narrative put forward in scripture.

Though chapters 8 and 9 slow the reader, I feel that Clines left his best reflection for the end. Chapter 10 concludes the book on a high note that leaves the reader eager to explore and discover all that is contained in the wonderfully mysterious work of the Pentateuch (and the rest of scripture!). The Theme of the Pentateuch achieves its goal by effectively exploring the ancient literature of the Israelites and presenting a solid thematic statement about the work. However, the book excels at leaving the reader with a sense of awe at the literary accomplishment of the ancient Israelite authors, with some help from divine inspiration. As Clines concludes:
"I am delighted if anyone will enter the text of the Pentateuch and experience its intellectual richness and its religious power with the help of this book."

[James Harmeling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clines main contribution to the study of the Pentateuch is his attempt to promote reading the Pentateuch as a whole rather than the usual tendency of immediately carving it up according to various authors at different times and despairing of any central themes at all. Clines rightfully holds that the prominent idea of the Pentateuch is the partial fulfillment of the divine promise to Abraham. He then helpfully reveals the progressive fulfilling of the three parts of the Abrahamic covenant. First, Genesis emphasizes the promise of posterity while Exodus and Leviticus draw out the promise of divine-human relationship. Finally, Numbers and Deuteronomy focus upon the land promise. It is here that the Pentateuch leaves the reader without completion of the covenant even as it forms a bridge to the subsequent texts. Thus, there is near complete fulfillment of this covenant but not yet.

[Batseba · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved reading this book until the afterword where the author himself demolishes his work in his second edition with a subscription to unbelieving critical thoughts on the Pentateuch itself.

This is the last paragraph of his afterword:

"In practice, that means that I cannot now automatically assume that the theme of the Pentateuch is a wholly desirable position to adopt theologically speaking. Nowadays I have my misgivings, for example, about the claim the Pentateuch makes that one nation was chosen by God, and that that nation was promised by God a land where other people were living. Nowadays I have my misgivings about promises that never seem to be fulfilled, or at least are only ever partially fulfilled. I worry about whether living in hope, despite all the appearances is as laudable a way of being in the world as I assumed it was when I wrote The Theme of the Pentateuch. These days, I am not so sure that the authors of the Pentateuch were speaking on every page in the name of God, and not also (or rather) speaking in the name of the interests, social, political and ideological, that they represented. I have to raise these questions for the sake of a critical reading of the Bible, which my own social and professional location as a university professor rather than, for example, a minister of a church, obliges me to, and which in any case I believe in. So I cannot now urge my readers to adapt themselves to the ideas of the Pentateuch or to let themselves be irresistibly seized by the world that the Pentateuchal story creates. I do not deny its power, and I am happy to admit my own continuing fascination with its challenge to our notions of what it means to be truly human. If I were to write The Theme of the Pentateuch again, I should have to explore in depth the critique I have hinted at here. In the meantime, I am delighted if anyone will enter the text of the Pentateuch and experience its intellectual richness and its religious power with the help of this book."
Exactly why I disagree by a divide between the scholarly and the ecclesiastical

[Matthew Prydden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very helpful to my studies of the Pentateuch and for my Pentateuchal assignment, and (I believe) a quite significant work in the healthy move in the world of academia towards greater study regarding what the Pentateuch says, as oppose to the focus being solely on the when's, how's and by whom's of how the Pentateuch was written.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the thesis of the book proper. But, more importantly, I have never been more appreciative of an Afterword in a book like this. Overall, I considered the thesis and argument of Clines to be well thought out and convincing. The Afterword of the 2nd edition was a very fine reminder of the place for hermeneutical honesty in biblical studies--a very good critique for those of us with a propensity toward modernist hermeneutics.

[Jacob O'connor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm sorry but I'm just thinking of the right thing to say…

Have you ever listened to a song a dozen times before realizing you have no idea what it's about? I suppose a song can still be enjoyed for it's melody minus the message, but we'd better know our Bible more intimately.

Clines argues the theme is God's promise. "My proposal is this: the theme of the Pentateuch is the partial fulfillment--which implies also the partial non-fulfillment--of the promise or blessings of the patriarchs. (2). Examples Clines cites are Exodus 2:24, 6:8 and 26:44, etc, God's promises of land, lineage, and a loving relationship.

10 points to the person who can identify the above lyric. (Without googling)

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The worth of this book is primarily in its afterword, which was written about twenty years after the original publication of the book. It was good to see Clines acknowledge many of the problems I found throughout the book, and its always great to see how scholars develop their thinking over time. The time it takes you to get through the book is worth it just for the afterword alone.

[Ezekiel A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

His themes tally with an approach that I found useful in my work as a student of the Bible and a teacher of the Word

[Dan Omar]

I love his conviction and endeavor in finding out one unifying and coherent theme for the Pentateuch. but when he wrote his after phase, I am disappointed with him because he no longer wants to associate himself with finding out the theme of the Pentateuch because he claims that there are many aspects he left out. To me regardless of the outcome of his work his stand should not be changed in regards to what he said that the passages can change one's perspective.