Chapter 3 Two Kingdoms, Two Writers Summary and Analysis

Friedman builds the case that the author E favors Israel and is, in fact, from Israel, probably the city of Shiloh, through analysis of the Ten Commandments story. In the version that E writes, Aaron plays a significant role. He builds a golden calf and encourages the people to celebrate wildly while Moses receives the tablets from God. God wants to destroy the people because they worship a rival god, the golden calf, but Moses pleads for mercy. God grants it. When Moses returns to the people, he smashes the stone tablets. Aaron and the Levites kill everyone else.

The primary role of Aaron indicates the hero status that he has among the Israelites, while the golden calf image parallels the golden calves of the northern religion. The smashing of the stone tablets...