J

The symbol (from the German Jahvist; Yahwist in English) used by German OT scholars and followed internationally to denote one of the sources of the Pentateuch, which uses Yahweh for the name of God. It was probably written in the south of the country in the 10th (or 9th) cent. BCE, though a few recent OT scholars think it might even be post-exilic. J is characterized by anthropomorphisms (e.g. Gen. 8:21) but above all records the faithfulness of God to the promises he made to the patriarchs.