HEXATEUCH. - Name given by many modern Protestant and rationalist critics (Ewald, Knobel, Kuench, Wellhausen, Holzinger, Driver, Cornill, Gautier, etc.) to the complex of the first 6 books of the Bible, because they hold that Joshua (v.) forms with the Pentateuch a single compilation. Joshua too is held to be composed of the same "documents" as the Pentateuch: in the historical part there would be the "documents" J (Yahwistic) and E (Elohistic); in the geographical part P (priestly code); the Deuteronomist (D) would also have set his hand to it. The followers of the "critical" theory are, however, far from agreeing as to the identification of these "documents."
Setting aside the fundamental arguments against the critical theory of J. Wellhausen (v. PENTATEUCO), the theory of the Hexateuch is to be rejected, because Joshua, the first of the "former prophets," was historically always distinguished from the Law (or books of Moses); the Samaritans, who admit only the Mosaic Pentateuch, do not have it either.
The Wellhausenian theory was extended by other critics also to Judges and Samuel ("Octateuch"), sometimes also to Kings ("Enneateuch").
Vincento M. Iacono