J. Wellhausen

This German scholar is renowned for his rigorous examination into the origins of the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible. He is credited as a principal originator of the documentary hypothesis, a framework that seeks to explain the composition of these Old Testament texts. His work is characterized by a detailed synthesis of existing scholarship, placing the development of these books within a historical and social context. His scholarly approach profoundly influenced biblical criticism, with his hypothesis remaining a dominant model for decades.