FROM GODS TO God: How the Bible Debunked, Suppressed, or Changed Ancient Myths & Legends

Avigdor Shinan, Yair Zakovitch, Valerie Zakovitch

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

31 Scopus citations

Abstract

The ancient Israelites believed things that the writers of the Bible wanted them to forget: myths and legends from a pre-biblical world that the new monotheist order needed to bury, hide, or reinterpret. Ancient Israel was rich in such literary traditions before the Bible reached the final form that we have today. These traditions were not lost but continued, passed down through the ages. Many managed to reach us in post-biblical sources: rabbinic literature, Jewish Hellenistic writings, the writings of the Dead Sea sect, the Aramaic, Greek, Latin, and other ancient translations of the Bible, and even outside the ancient Jewish world in Christian and Islamic texts. The Bible itself sometimes alludes to these traditions, often in surprising contexts. Written in clear and accessible language, this volume presents thirty such traditions. It voyages behind the veil of the written Bible to reconstruct what was told and retold among the ancient Israelites, even if it is “not what the Bible tells us.”

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationFrom Gods to God
Subtitle of host publicationHow the Bible Debunked, Suppressed, or Changed Ancient Myths and Legends
PublisherJewish Publication Society
Pages1-301
Number of pages301
ISBN (Electronic)9780827611443
ISBN (Print)9780827609082
StatePublished - 1 Jan 2012

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2012 by Avigdor Shinan and Yair Zakovitch.

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'FROM GODS TO God: How the Bible Debunked, Suppressed, or Changed Ancient Myths & Legends'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this