Arithmétique, géométrie et politique

Using a new set of methodological tools, Axel Bühler analyzes the corpus of Numbers 1-4 and 26. Based on his findings, he argues from a historical-critical perspective that the Book of Numbers, and consequently the Pentateuch, was composed in the 3rd century BCE. The methodological innovation focuses on the study of numbers in the Bible and their implications for textual criticism and historicity, positioned at the intersection of rhetoric and numerical motifs. He demonstrates how Numbers 1-4 and 26 incorporate codes from πολιτεία (»constitution«) literature and ἀνάβασις literature, both of which describe military campaigns.