5. Priestly Document (P)

5. Priestly Document (P)The Priestly document is the last of the great pentateuchal documents. It comes out of the circle of priests who reassembled Israel, theologically speaking, after the tragedy of the Babylonian exile. Judah had been conquered by the Babylonians in the sixth century B.C.E. and many survivors of the disaster were taken to Babylonia as refugees. The trauma of this exile prompted the survivors to conclude that the tragedy happened because they had forsaken their covenant with God. In exile they were at risk of losing their social and religious identity. Priests took the initiative to sustain the faith of the refugees and rebuild their identity. In the absence of temple worship, these priests gave traditional religious practices new significance, particularly the observance of the Sabbath day and the covenant ritual of circumcision.
   The Priestly source is usually dated to the period of the Babylonian exile (587-539 B.C.E.) or to the postexilic period immediately thereafter. The priests recovered and recorded religious traditions so that the identity of the community would not be lost. They sought to reinforce covenant practices in repentance for past neglect and to avert a subsequent and possibly worse tragedy.
   The Priestly tradition also dealt with the problem of defining Judean faith in contrast to Babylonian religion. How do other nations and empires fit into our God's plan? How can we affirm the power of our God when we live in a world dominated by Babylonians, who trumpet the power of their god Marduk? Why does our God seem to be silent as we suffer? Priestly theology sought to adapt Israelite faith to their circumstance in the sixth century B.C.E.
   The writer of the Priestly source envisioned a world ordered and controlled by God. Israel's history was progressing according to God's predetermined plan. God was in total control, and the world was secure and stable. Israel's relationship with God was ordered by covenant. Even when Israel alienated itself from God, there were sacrifices and rituals that could atone for faithlessness. Indeed, Yahweh was a demanding God, but what he really wanted was to bless Israel. These assurances inspired hope in the hearts of exiled Israelites struggling to keep hope alive.
   As you read the Pentateuch, watch for these features of the Priestly document:

• blessing realized as fruitfulness and multiplying
• covenants with God that mark important moments
• genealogies that establish connections among people and events
• social and religious role of priests
• Word of God as a driving force in history
• use of the divine name Elohim in the primeval era, El Shaddai in the ancestral era, and YHWH in the Moses era

 Table C Priestly Document (story line, style, and theology) provides additional details and a list of Priestly passages in the Pentateuch.