THE REDACTION OF THE PRIMEVAL HISTORY: COMPARATIVE MODEL AND MATERIAL ASPECTS

This paper explores the redactional process behind the formation of the primeval history (Gen 1,1 – 11,26), supporting the two-source model, which views the text as a combination of Priestly and non-Priestly strands. It identifies two patterns of redactional intervention: notes bridging the seams between Priestly and non-Priestly material in Genesis 1–5 (with no interventions in 11,1–26) and more extensive interventions in Genesis 6–10, including harmonizing glosses and occasional omissions of non-Priestly material. Drawing on a recent analysis of major additions in the Samaritan Pentateuch (SP), the paper argues that the SP provides comparative evidence for a conservative-yet-interventive redactional approach that is also reflected in the formation of the primeval history. The paper further suggests that methods for revising texts written on scrolls influenced redactional decisions, offering a new perspective on the formation of the Pentateuch.