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It goes without saying that there are numerous problems in working with the text of the Bible from historical point of view, in textual criticism and in many other aspects. Julius Wellhausen has proposed an interesting theory, the Documentary Hypothesis revealing many new ideas and facts. Still, there are a lot of debates on how rational it is to build the analysis on literary features only. It seems to be more effective to unite the knowledge received from the literary analysis with the data received from the archaeological findings, as Albright has proposed. Still, the Documentary Hypothesis has a number of benefits and strengths which help us to lift the veil of unknown and collect new material for comparative analysis and other forms of knowledge. As Christine Hayes tells, the Torah roots from four primary sources: the J source, the E source, the D source and the P source. Overall, they differ in the periods they belong to, in their style and perspectives. The J source is considered as a southern source, while the E and D sources belong to the North. It means that the first one is devoted to the interests of the southern kingdom called Judah, and the other belong to the northern kingdom now known as Israel (the division tool place after the death of King Solomon).
The J source is the one where the God is called Yahweh and is presented in an anthropomorphic form. It means that here many human properties are attributed to the figure of God. This source is dated by the tenth century and appears first in the Genesis 2:4. Here the mountain where the Israelites concluded the covenant with God is called Senai.
In contrast, this mountain is called Horeb in the E source. In this source the God’s name is Elohim and He is much more remote here; no direct communication with people is disposed here. On the whole, this document is much less detailed than the first one, and it is more considered as a addendum to the J source. It begins from the Genesis 15, though chronologically it belongs to the 9th century.
The next is the D sources, the letter standing for the book of Deuteronomy. Here the authors concentrated on the affairs of the agrarians. And this is the one source which clearly restricts the cult to one central sanctuary (where God will cause his name to dwell). It is told that the D source was transferred to Jerusalem and only in one hundred years it was taken out from the temple and put into force by King Josiah.
The last is the P source. It is called so after the word “Priestly” and is found in some parts of the Numbers and the books of Levitus. These portions are devoted mostly to the sacrificial system and different prescriptions for everyday life. The unique facts are that this is the source for Genesis 1 and the one whose authors are believed to fulfill the final editing of all the other parts. Here God reveals Himself in His glory, in a kind of light-filled cloud.
In this way, the Documentary Hypothesis is effectively used in literary criticism of the Bible. It has been demonstrated, after all, that different sources are best working in being compared and used together.