Julius Wellhausen, a pioneering German educator, revolutionized the study of the Bible with his groundbreaking theories on its composition and development. Through his meticulous scholarship and rigorous analysis of biblical texts, Wellhausen laid the foundation for modern biblical criticism, reshaping our understanding of the origins and evolution of the Hebrew Bible.
"As we learn from the New Testament, the Jews and the Samaritans in the days of Jesus were not agreed on the question which was the proper place of worship, but that there could be only one was taken to be as certain as the unity of God Himself."
"One other fact is significant: the domestic feasts and sacrifices of single families, which in David's time must still have been general, gradually declined and lost their importance as social circles widened and life became more public."
"The Priestly Code preponderates over the rest of the legislation in force, as well as in bulk; in all matters of primary importance it is the normal and final authority."
"The representation of the tabernacle arose out of the temple of Solomon as its root, in dependence on the sacred ark, for which there is early testimony, and which in the time of David, and also before it, was sheltered by a tent."
"Solomon's temple also was designed to increase the attractiveness of the city of his residence."
"Until the building of Solomon's temple the unity of worship according to it had, properly speaking, never had any existence; and, moreover, it is easy to read between the lines that even after that date it was more a pious wish than a practical demand."