The Theme of Diaspora in the Pentateuch

The themes "Pentateuch" and "diaspora" may seem an unlikely pair-but only if one fails to recognize that major portions of the Pentateuch were shaped in the exilic and postexilic periods. Kishiya Hidaka argues that many parts of the Pentateuch emerged in response to the rise of postexilic diaspora communities, reflecting the socio-historical discourse on the question of Israel's identity. These Pentateuchal layers, dating to the exilic and postexilic periods, engage particularly with the prophetic traditions-especially Jeremiah and Ezekiel-which also reflect the theological and political discourse on identity formation.