Page:A critical and exegetical commentary on Genesis (1910).djvu/35



The Book of Genesis (on the title see at the end of this §) forms the opening section of a comprehensive historical work which, in the Hebrew Bible, extends from the creation of the world to the middle of the Babylonian Exile (2 Ki. 25$30$). The tripartite division of the Jewish Canon has severed the later portion of this work (Jos.-Kings), under the title of the "Former Prophets", from the earlier portion (Gen.-Deut.), which constitutes the Law ,—a seemingly artificial bisection which results from the Tôrāh having attained canonical authority soon after its completion in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, while the canonicity of the Prophetical scriptures was not recognised till some centuries later. How soon the division of the Tôrāh into its five books (: 'the five fifths of the Law') was introduced we do not know for certain; but it is undoubtedly ancient, and in all probability is due to the final redactors of the Pent. In the case of Genesis, at all events,