Posts
- The entire Hebrew Bible is one big foundation myth created during the Persian to Hellentistic periods in order to justify the establishment of a new control structure and a new cult by Persian imperial authority. This proceeded into the Hellentistic period and into the Hasmonean dynasty period.
- There was no "religion of ancient Israel".
- Pre-rabbinic Judaism was never a consolidated religion that suffered a splintering into factions. It started as a collection of factions which were individually and collectively seeking identity and legitimacy. It only became a consolidated religion following the destruction of the Second Temple, when the rabbis stripped out much of the factional material and practices.
- While there may be snippets of historical material in the Hebrew Bible, taken as a whole it need to be understood as marketing material, as the attempt to claim legitimacy by projecting current concerns into a recent and distant mythical past.
- The Babylonian Captivity is as much a foundation myth as the Patriarchal narratives and the Exodus traditions. Not to mention Joshua and the supposed invasion of Canaan by the Israelites.
- None of the authors of the biblical history actually lived in the times they described, until -- possibly --the Hasmonean period. Everything is a projection into the past of current issues.
- What is probably historical? The 200 year existence of the kingdom of Omri and the Assyrian invasion which destroyed it.
- What is probably not historical? The patriarchal narratives in Genesis, the Moses tradition in Exodus and the Exodus itself, the invasion of Canaan in Judges, the Unified Monarchy (David and Solomon), the focus on only one Temple in Jerusalem, the reforms of Hezekiah and Josiah. Etc.
Blogging in the Underworld
44 minutes ago
3 comments:
Hi David, thanks for referring me to your blog site from Sam Harris' site. When was the Persian and Hellentistic periods? I am buying Davies' book tonight along with Karen Armstrong. I actually saw the movie "The History of God" based on her book a while ago. I know most skeptics today focus on the New Testament. I believe that the key to debunking Christianity is the Old Testament since Christianity needs the Old Testament in order to have a cause to exist. Anyways, I appreciate all the info you have given me. I look forward to reading Davies, Smith, and Armstrong's books.
Stephanie,
The Persian period started when the Persians conquered the Babylonians @ 537 BCE. They either let deportees go back or sent a mission to create a new culture.
The Persian period ended when Alexander the Great conquered the area in 332 BCE. Hellenism continued to be an influence even after the Maccabees kicked them out @ 152 BCE. The Judeans had about 100 years of freedom before the Romans took over.
Reading Davies will give you an entirely new perspective on the Hebrew Bible, which of course does also affect our appreciation of the NT when it relies on the OT. But there is also interesting scholarship going on with the NT. For example, there is a growing consensus that Acts of the Apostles has very little history in it, where it used to be considered the most historical of the NT documents.
See Barrie Wilson, "How Jesus Became Christian".
There is also a growing consensus that the Official Story of how Christianity formed was a foundation myth not based in reality.
Cheers, David
I neglected to mention that you are the first person to post a comment on my blog. Thanks and congrats. David
Post a Comment