A name commonly used by the critics to designate the first six books of the Old Testament, i.e. the Pentateuch and Josue. The purpose of the name is to show that the five books of the Pentateuch, together with the book of Josue, form a literary whole. The name Hexateuch, in the intention of the critics, does not mean that the sources of these books are to be found only in the six books herein included. (See PENTATEUCH and JOSUE.)

WALTER DRUM