Karl Heinrich Graf
Encyclopedia
Karl Heinrich Graf was a German Old Testament
scholar and orientalist
. He was born at Mulhausen in Alsace
and died in Meissen
in Saxony.
He studied Biblical exegesis
and oriental languages at the University of Strassburg under Édouard Reuss
, and, after holding various teaching posts, was made instructor in French
and Hebrew
at the Landesschule of Meissen, receiving in 1852 the title of professor.
Graf was one of the chief founders of Old Testament criticism. In his principal work, Die geschichtlichen Bücher des Alten Testaments (1866) he sought to show that the priestly legislation of Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers
is of later origin than the book of Deuteronomy. He still, however, held the accepted view, that the Elohist
ic narratives formed part of the Grundschrift and therefore belonged to the oldest portions of the Pentateuch.
The reasons urged against the contention that the priestly legislation and the Elohistic narratives were separated by a space of 500 years were so strong as to induce Graf in an essay, Die sogenannte Grundschrift des Pentateuchs,
published shortly before his death, to regard the whole Grundschrift as post-exilic and as the latest portion of the Pentateuch. The idea had already been expressed by Reuss, but since Graf was the first to introduce it into Germany, the theory, as developed by Julius Wellhausen
, has been called the Graf–Wellhausen hypothesis (here documentary hypothesis
).
Graf also wrote, a study of Jacques Lefèvre d'Étaples
(Strassburg, 1842), Der Segen Moses Deut. 33 (1857) and Der Prophet Jeremia erklärt (1862). See T. K. Cheyne
, Founders of Old Testament Criticism (1893); and Otto Pfleiderer
's book translated into English by J. F. Smith as Development of Theology (1890).
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
scholar and orientalist
Oriental studies
Oriental studies is the academic field of study that embraces Near Eastern and Far Eastern societies and cultures, languages, peoples, history and archaeology; in recent years the subject has often been turned into the newer terms of Asian studies and Middle Eastern studies...
. He was born at Mulhausen in Alsace
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
and died in Meissen
Meissen
Meissen is a town of approximately 30,000 about northwest of Dresden on both banks of the Elbe river in the Free State of Saxony, in eastern Germany. Meissen is the home of Meissen porcelain, the Albrechtsburg castle, the Gothic Meissen Cathedral and the Meissen Frauenkirche...
in Saxony.
He studied Biblical exegesis
Exegesis
Exegesis is a critical explanation or interpretation of a text, especially a religious text. Traditionally the term was used primarily for exegesis of the Bible; however, in contemporary usage it has broadened to mean a critical explanation of any text, and the term "Biblical exegesis" is used...
and oriental languages at the University of Strassburg under Édouard Reuss
Edouard Guillaume Eugène Reuss
Edouard Guillaume Eugène Reuss , was a Protestant theologian from Alsace.-Life:He was born at Strasbourg, where he studied philology . He went on to study theology at Göttingen under Johann Gottfried Eichhorn; and Oriental languages at Halle under Wilhelm Gesenius, and afterwards at Paris under...
, and, after holding various teaching posts, was made instructor in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
at the Landesschule of Meissen, receiving in 1852 the title of professor.
Graf was one of the chief founders of Old Testament criticism. In his principal work, Die geschichtlichen Bücher des Alten Testaments (1866) he sought to show that the priestly legislation of Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers
Book of Numbers
The Book of Numbers is the fourth book of the Hebrew Bible, and the fourth of five books of the Jewish Torah/Pentateuch....
is of later origin than the book of Deuteronomy. He still, however, held the accepted view, that the Elohist
Elohist
The Elohist is one of four sources of the Torah described by the Documentary Hypothesis. Its name comes from the term it uses for God: Elohim; it is characterised by, among other things, an abstract view of God, using "Horeb" instead of "Sinai" for the mountain where Moses received the laws of...
ic narratives formed part of the Grundschrift and therefore belonged to the oldest portions of the Pentateuch.
The reasons urged against the contention that the priestly legislation and the Elohistic narratives were separated by a space of 500 years were so strong as to induce Graf in an essay, Die sogenannte Grundschrift des Pentateuchs,
published shortly before his death, to regard the whole Grundschrift as post-exilic and as the latest portion of the Pentateuch. The idea had already been expressed by Reuss, but since Graf was the first to introduce it into Germany, the theory, as developed by Julius Wellhausen
Julius Wellhausen
Julius Wellhausen , was a German biblical scholar and orientalist, noted particularly for his contribution to scholarly understanding of the origin of the Pentateuch/Torah ....
, has been called the Graf–Wellhausen hypothesis (here documentary hypothesis
Documentary hypothesis
The documentary hypothesis , holds that the Pentateuch was derived from originally independent, parallel and complete narratives, which were subsequently combined into the current form by a series of redactors...
).
Graf also wrote, a study of Jacques Lefèvre d'Étaples
Jacques Lefèvre d'Étaples
Jacques Lefèvre d’Étaples or Jacob Faber Stapulensis was a French theologian and humanist. He was a precursor of the Protestant movement in France. The "d’Étaples" was not part of his name as such, but used to distinguish him from Jacques Lefèvre of Deventer, a less significant contemporary, a...
(Strassburg, 1842), Der Segen Moses Deut. 33 (1857) and Der Prophet Jeremia erklärt (1862). See T. K. Cheyne
Thomas Kelly Cheyne
Thomas Kelly Cheyne was an English divine and Biblical critic. He was born in London and educated at Merchant Taylors' School, London, and Oxford University....
, Founders of Old Testament Criticism (1893); and Otto Pfleiderer
Otto Pfleiderer
Otto Pfleiderer was a German Protestant theologian.-Biography:He was born at Stetten in Württemberg. From 1857 to 1861 he studied at the University of Tübingen under FC Baur, and afterwards in England and Scotland...
's book translated into English by J. F. Smith as Development of Theology (1890).