Anonymous works.

Tradition of Moses writing.

1) in Pentateuch. Exod. 17.14; 24.4; 34.27; Deut. 32.22; Num. 33.2, Israelite travel narr.; his song, Dt. 31.22 & ch. 32. The very fact that Moses is said to write some things--but does not claim authorship for an entire book or Pent.--may suggest a later hand writing about him & using his works.

2) Preexilic historical books. Josh. 8.30-35; 23.6 (both refer to "the book of the law of Moses"); 1 Kings 2.3 (=Dt 17.18-20; 29.9); 2 Kings 14.6 (=Dt 24.16); 18.6; 21.8; 23.25.

3) Prophetic literature. Daniel 9.11-13; Malachi 4.4

There are, in addition to the above, other references to Moses, his calling and prophetic work (e.g. 1 Sam 12.6-8; Isa. 63.11-14; Jer. 15.1; Micah 6.4-5).

J = Jehovah / YHWH, the "Yahwist source" (Wellhausen: ca. 850 B.C., Southern)

E = Elohim, the "Elohist source" (Wellhausen: ca. 750 B.C., Northern)

D = Deuteronomy (Wellhausen: ca. 621 BC, under Josiah; added by another editor to JE ca. 550 BC)

P = Priestly code (Wellhausen: originated 500-450 BC, added to JED ca. 400 BC)

Variable use of divine name (Yahweh/Elohim). "even though these names often occur without any discernible reason for using a particular name, a number of chapters, or sections of chapters, especially in Genesis, use exclusively or predominately one name or the other and a correlation can be seen between the name chosen and the theological concepts and literary characteristics of the passages"

Narrative is interspersed with blocks of legal material.

Doublets: 2 Decalogues, Ex. 20 & Dt. 5. Abraham risks Sarah 2x calling sister, Gen. 12.10-16 & 10.1-7. Beersheba marks a covenant, (21.22-31; 26.26-33)

Comments, editorial or other, suggesting later era: Deut. 3.13-14 ("so that to this day Bashan is called Havvoth Jair); 34.6 ("to this day no one knows where his grave is").
   Gen. 36.31, "these were the kings who reigned in Edom before any Israelite king reigned". !!

Ancient sites re-named: Gen. 14.14 (Dan); Deut. 34.1 (Dan); Gen. 13.18; 23.2 (Hebron).

Sources cited: "the book of the generations of Adam", Gen. 5.1; "the book of the wars of the Lord" (Num. 21.14); "the book of the covenant" (Ex. 24.7; 2 Kgs 23.2); "the book of Jashar" (Josh. 10.13; 2Sam. 1.18).

Hebrew. evidence of late Hebrew in Pentateuch. Differences in syntx, style, vocabulary between different sections of Pentateuch (e.g. Leviticus vs. Deuteronomy)

Wellhausen's conclusion: the Law came late, built the idea of covenant-law upon later prophets.

Hebrew: arguments for dating can be notoriously circular, unless supported by inscriptional or other evidence which can be securely dated.

Ancient scribal techniques, known from Egypt: updating language and place names as documents are copied.

Names of God. Harrison compares to Quran suras using distinct names of God. Common for gods at Ugarit to have compound (multiple?) names (Harrison: 517, 519).

Moses & writing. Contrary to some opinions in 19th century (incl. Wellhausen), we now know the Egyptians and peoples of Mesopotamia were extremely literate from a time long before Moses.

Plurality of literary styles used by a single author are also attested in Egypt (poetry & prose)

Covenant concept used by prophets. Their work presupposes a normative law of God which Israel ought to know, but has violated. Divine law and covenant must exist some time prior to these writing prophets.

Hosea (ca. 740-722 B.C.) 12.9 (= Ex. 20.2); 12.13; 4.6 ("law of your God"); 8.1 ("the people have broken my covenant and rebelled against my law").

Isaiah (ca. 740-700 B.C.) 24.5 ("The earth is defiled by its people; they have disobeyed the laws, violated the statutes and broken the everlasting covenant"); 54.10; 55.3 (referring to a renewal of covenant; also 59.21; 61.8); 56.4, 6 (reference to the Sabbath command as part of God's covenant). Law: 1.10; 2.3; 5.24-25; 8.16, 19-20; 30.9; 42.21, 24-25.

Jeremiah (ca. 626-586 B.C.) 3.16 ("the ark of the covenant of the Lord"); 11.1-5, 10; 14.21; 22.9; 31.31-34 (a new covenant, implying an old one); 33.19-22? Law: 2.8; 6.19; 8.8; 9.13; 16.11; 26.4; 32.20-31 (exodus, law); 44.10, 23.

Also Amos 2.4; Micah 4.2; Malachi 4.4.

The Temple. Dating of sources post-monarchy, in era after building of temple: no mention of a fixed temple or place of worship; no mention of Jerusalem or glorification of a national capital.

Date of editing not = date of original composition; date of compilation not = date of original sources for narrative or law. What, where, when did contents of these sources originate? Example of modern history book.

Patriarchal narratives echo what archaeologists have discovered of the culture of early second millenium B.C. West Semitic names; Abraham's journey fits conditions of Middle Bronze II era; nomadic lifestyle; social & legal customs (wives, concubines, purchase of land); religion.

Exodus & Conquest. memory of city of "Rameses" (only so called from 13th to 11th c. B.C.); semitic slaves in Egypt; evidence of invasion, destructions of cities, new settlements in Palestine from late 13th c. to 12th c. B.C.

The tradition of Ezra as a "scribe trained in the Law of Moses" puts an upper limit on the finishing of the collection (Ezra 7; Nehemiah 8.1-8; tradition of Babylonian Talmud). Ezra may have had a hand in the preservation and final editing of the text.

Missing the forest: search for sources tends to diminish appreciation for final form of books as we have them.