DH 26: More mistrepresentation

Over on the anonymous “Faith Promoting Rumor” David Bokovoy claimed the following:

“There is a consensus in biblical scholarship that the Pentateuch is an amalgamation of separate documentary sources that cannot be attributed to a single author.”

Have I EVER denied that?  Please cite my specific language where I have argued for single authorship?  I agree that the Pentateuch is composed of multiple sources. I’ve explained this several times. Why do you keep bringing it up? Consensus on multiple sources for the Pentateuch does not imply consensus on the JEDP theory. That’s what I’m arguing. There is no scholarly consensus today on JEDP, correct?

I also wonder why you and your anonymous allies continually malign my motives? What’s with the mind reading? Can an informed, intelligent, sincere individual disagree with the JEDP-hypothesis on rational grounds or not? If so, why do you insist that I must have non-rational grounds for rejecting a theory that has already been rejected by numerous secular scholars.

Finally, to demonstrate that the JEDP hypothesis is inadequate does not require that I propose an alternative theory. Indeed, it is quite possible that there is no unified theory that adequately explains the data. To anticipate my conclusion, I believe it is epistemologically inherently unknowable. The proper answer is not only “we don’t know,” but indeed “we cannot know.”  That is a perfectly legitimate response to these issues.