FRAGMENTARY HYPOTHESIS, THE. This expres sion is used of one of the theories which has been put forth by the Higher Critics (see CRITICISM, HIGHER) to explain the composition of the Hexateuch. It followed the Documentary Hypothesis (q.v.). The Frag mentary Hypothesis was advocated, in particular, by Alexander Geddes (1737-1802) in England, and J. S. Vater in Germany. They believed that fragments of different date and authorship were added to one original Mosaic work. Geddes (as quoted by C. A. Briggs) thought it indubitable that : " (1) The Pentateuch in its present form was not written by Moses. (2) It was written in the land of Chanaan, and most probably at Jerusalem. (3) It could not be written before the reign of David. nor after that of Hezekiah." He believed, however, that " it was compiled from ancient documents, some of which were coeval with Moses, and some even anterior to Moses. Whether all these were written records or many of them only oral traditions, it would be rash to determine." The Book of Joshua he considered to belong closely to the Pentateuch, because it seems to have been " compiled by the same author, and because it is a necessary appendix to the history contained in the former books." W. E. Addis (Documents of the
Fleanteuch, i., p. xxvii.) thinks that in some respects the position of Geddes and Vater marked an advance upon that of Astrue and Eiclaborn (see DOCUMENTARY HYPOTHESIS). " It extended the investigation from Genesis and the beginning of Exodus to the whole Penta teuch, and ceased to assume that the only documents in the Pentateuch were documents used by Moses. It argued, with justice, that the Pentateuch is composed of sections, some of which had no original connection with each other, and that even the documents which use the word Elohim or Yahweh [commonly pronounced Jehovah] may be, and are, of various origin." Its weakness consisted in failing to see " that the supposed ` fragments might, on closer inspection, form them selves into two or three documents." See T. K. Oheyne, Founders of O.T. Grit., 1893; C. A. Briggs, Her.; A. Duff, History of O.T. Grit., 1910.