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What are strengths and weaknesses of the Documentary Hypothesis?
The Documentary Hypothesis is one of the most popular and widely-spread theories which explain the origin and creation of the Tora. In actuality, the Documentary Hypothesis holds the premise that the Toa was created by different authors in different places. Parallel texts were, thus, created and later they were combined by editors who had actually created the Tora as the sacred book for Judaists. At the same time, the Documentary Hypothesis is far from perfect and it still has not only strengths but also weaknesses. At first glance, the Documentary Hypothesis offers a logical solution to the dilemma concerning the difference between different parts of the Tora which can be traced not only in content but also in the style and language which is too different to belong to one and the same author. In addition, the volume of the Tora and the scope of the book make the work truly titanic and virtually impossible to be created by one author solely. At the same time, the location and common culture of authors living in Palestine and Israel admit the possibility of creating texts that could be united in the Tora. On the other hand, it is possible to single out some weaknesses.

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First, the Tora is still united by editors but it is unclear whether they really composed the book or they just edited the book, which had been already composed by unknown authors. In addition, the book contains quite different texts which focus on the history of the Jewish people and religious themes and the texts do not exceed the Jewish background. Therefore, it is possible to debate the extent to which the authors of the book are different. In fact, there is still a possibility that there was some link between the authors of the book and it was not parallel, independent texts as the Documentary Hypothesis holds.
What does Prof. Hayes have to say about how the sources differ somewhat in terms of the time each of them come from, and where they come from?
Prof. Hayes argues that the sources of the Torah differ in terms of time and location. He stands on the ground that they were created in different places and in different time. To put it more precisely, the Jahwist source was created in 950 BCE in Southern Kingdom of Judah; the Elohist source was created in 850 BCE in Northern Kingdom of Israel; the Deuteronomist source dates back to 600 BCE and created in Jerusalem during the period of religious reform; the Priestly source created in 500 BCE by Aaronic priests in exile in Babylon.
What are differences between northern and southern perspectives?
The Northern and Southern perspective present different views on God and Human. The Southern perspective presents God, who has certain human features and characteristics, which are attributed to God. In this regard, the Northern perspective is totally different because it distinguishes humans and God making the latter less anthropomorphic. In such a way, the evolution of views on God evolved and became less anthropomorphic.
What is unique about the Priestly (P) source?
The Priestly source is unique and different from others because it focuses on censuses and genealogies. This source is very important in terms of the study of history and origin of Jewish people.