Comp. Genesis xxvii. 46,
with xxv: 22.
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This, however, is not the place to attempt a history of the
development of the Israelite legend. We are only to lay the
foundation for such a work, by comparing the narrative of the
Priestly Code with the Jehovistic one. In doing so we shall see
that Buttmann (Mythologus, i. p. 122 seq.) is right in asserting
against de Wette (Beitraege, ii.), that, the Jehovistic form of the
legend is the earlier of the two . /2/
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2. The line indicated by Buttmann was first taken up again by
Th. Noldeke in his Essay on the main-stock of the Pentateuch,
which opened the way to a proper estimate of the narrative part
of the work.
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VIII.I.
VIII.I.1 The Bible begins with the account of the Priestly Code of the
creation of the world. In the beginning is chaos; darkness,
water, brooding spirit, which engenders life, and fertilises the
dead mass. The primal stuff contains in itself all beings, as yet
undistinguished: from it proceeds step by step the ordered
world; by a process of unmixing, first of all by separating out
the great elements.
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