Dating the Priestly Scriptures to the First Half of the 6th Century

On the one hand, the intensive interaction of the basic scripture PG with texts expressing the Neo-Babylonian imperial ideological contradicts its pre-exilic dating. On the other hand, P has retained considerable knowledge of pre-exilic culture in Judah, which contradicts a late dating to the post-exilic period. The open ending of PG without a section on the construction of the Tent of Meeting speaks in favor of dating PG to the time of exile before the Second Temple was built. It was only after that event that the Sinai pericope of PG was expanded with a section on the construction in order to link the Tent of Meeting with the Second Temple in Jerusalem.