Includes bibliographical references (pages 355-395) and indexes

Introduction: the importance of empirical models to assess the efficacy of source and redaction criticism / Raymond F. Person Jr. and Robert Rezetko -- Outsourcing Gilgamesh / Sara J. Milstein -- Scribal revision and textual variation in Akkadian šuila-prayers: two case studies in ritual adaptation / Alan Lenzi -- Dissimilatory reading and the making of biblical texts: the Jewish Pentateuch and the Samaritan Pentateuch / Stefan Schorch -- Text-critically studying the biblical manuscript evidence: an "empirical" entry to the literary composition of the text / Bénédicte Lemmelijn -- Division markers as empirical evidence for the editorial growth of biblical books / Julio Trebolle Barrera -- The problem of "literary unity" from the perspective of the study of oral traditions / Raymond F. Person Jr. -- The (dis)connection between textual and linguistic developments in the book of Jeremiah: Hebrew Bible textual criticism challenges biblical Hebrew historical linguistics / Robert Rezetko -- The original problem: the Old Greek and the Masoretic text of Daniel 5 / Ian Young -- Community rule or Community rules: examining a supplementary approach in light of the sectarian Dead Sea scrolls / Maxine L. Grossman -- Limited efficacy in reconstructing the gospel sources for Matthew and Luke / Joseph A. Weaks

"Empirical models based on ancient Near Eastern literature and variations between different textual traditions have been used to lend credibility to the identification of the sources behind biblical literature and the different editorial layers. In this volume, empirical models are used to critique the exaggerated results of identifying sources and editorial layers by demonstrating that, even though much of ancient literature had such complex literary histories, our methods are often inadequate for the task of precisely identifying sources and editorial layers"--