186 JOEL S. BADEN to fully possess the land. In other words, it demands a story like that of the exodus and conquest. At the same time, the exodus narrative de- mands some sort of introduction, in which it is described who the Is- raelites are, how they came to be a foreign nation within Egypt’s borders, and why God considers them his people. In other words, it de- mands a story like that of the patriarchs. Each text is missing a crucial element — and that element happens to be perfectly well represented by the other text. It certainly seems the most economical solution to see the exodus account as the necessary continuation of the patriarchs, and the patriarchs as the necessary introduction of the exodus21. They are not separate texts, secondarily connected; they are a single narra- tive work, each dependent on the other, linked through disparate and scattered coherences of historical claim and style. Yale Divinity School Joel S. BADEN 409 Prospect Street New Haven, CT 06511 (USA) SUMMARY The question of the continuity of the non-priestly narrative from the patriarchs to the exodus has been the center of much debate in recent pen- tateuchal scholarship. This paper presents as fully as possible, in the space allowed, one side of the argument, namely, that the non-priestly narrative is indeed continuous from Genesis through Exodus. Both methodological and textual arguments are brought in support of this claim, as well as some critiques of the alternative theory. Note that Schmid’s comments below (p. 45-46) suggest that he takes an 21 alternative view: that economy and simplicity of theory are not necessarily an indication of its likelihood. © Gregorian Biblical Press 2012 - Tutti i diritti riservati