Etymology

documentary hypothesis

Today it means: The hypothesis that the Pentateuch consists of two or more, usually four, originally distinct major documents. Full definition →

German Urkundenhypothese
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The story

  1. German · calque ofUrkundenhypothese
  2. English todaydocumentary hypothesis

Calque of German Urkundenhypothese.

First known use, by meaning

  • ca. 1840 The hypothesis that the Pentateuch consists of two or more, usually four, originally distinct major documents.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.