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Title: 101 Myths of the Bible: How Ancient Scribes Invented Biblical History by Gary Greenberg ISBN: 1-57071-842-3 Publisher: Sourcebooks Pub. Date: 01 September, 2002 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.8 (15 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Good, but not comprehensive
Comment: Throughout the ancient world, pagan religions had mythologies about their origins and the gods that ruled them -- creation myths, flood myths, tales of the gods getting angry at the people, harming them, and then reconsidering their actions with regret.
Sound familiar? Gary Greenberg's "101 Myths of the Bible" is an interesting read, casting light on some compelling evidence that the writers of the Bible were highly influenced in their storytelling by existing pagan mythology, especially Egyptian mythology. Israelites, after all, spent years in captivity in Egypt, where they would have been familiar with its religion and myths.
In this book, Greenberg spells out 101 theories about certain Bible stories, and then shows what their Egyptian antecedents may have been. The evidence is compelling. The book is written in a simplistic format that brings to mind McDowell's "Answers to Tough Questions Skeptics Ask" although Greenberg is far more intelligent and based in scholorship, of course. He seems to borrow a lot of his information from Friedman's "Who Wrote the Bible?" and gives credit to that book in his "Suggested Reading" section at the back. I would recommend reading the Friedman book first and then this -- Greenberg's take could almost be considered a spinoff focusing on Egyptian myths that mirror the Bible tales.
Greenberg isn't a particulary gifted writer, but he is lucid and compelling, spelling out his case in a step-by-step way that begins to convince you overwealmingly of its truth -- does it surprise you that he's a defense attorney?
Worth a look.
Rating: 5
Summary: A Remarkable Book About A Serious Subject
Comment: Gary Greenberg has written a remarkable book which describes how the Bible was influenced by many different myths and legends taken from cultures with which the Hebrews came into contact. For example, early biblical history was much affected by Egyptian mythology and literature. Babylonian myths were sometimes added later and then integrated with other legends drawn from still more sources.
The author describes the Old Testament as a collection of myths. The myths are valuable because they lead us to learn the truth about the history of ancient Israel. Greenberg points out that by identifying the myths and legends which were used in writing the Bible we are able to determine where the Jewish people were located at definite dates in history. These myths and legends can sometimes even be offerred as proof of the validity of certain biblical events in the same manner as archaeological sites are utilized.
In discussing the myths individually the author has grouped them chronologically into three groups as follows: Myths of the Beginning, Myths of the Founders and Myths of the Heroes.
The book includes an extensive suggested reading list and a table of useful maps.
Rating: 3
Summary: Interesting, but incomplete
Comment: The book raises interesting ideas that bear further study, but the author doesn't provide enough information to complete his case.
Greenburg's format is to start each chapter with a story from the Bible, given under the heading "Myth# XX." The rest of the chapter is Greenburg's theory, explained under the heading "The Reality." Since some of the arguments were sketchy, and since some of the myth comparisons seemed tenuous, calling his theories "reality" seemed to be a stretch.
Admittedly, the book is written for an audience of laymen, but in my opinion, it would have been better to have provided more thorough background, other examples of ancient texts borrowing from each other, separate summaries of the Egyptian and Mespotamian myths, and references to other authors and experts whose work backs up the author's conclusions.
Ultimately, I felt that confidence in Greenburg's assertions required faith in the author's expertise rather than comfort with the strength of his arguments. That being the case, I think that the best he has done is to express interesting ideas that will not be persuasive to skeptics.
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Title: Who Wrote the Bible? by Richard Elliott Friedman ISBN: 0060630353 Publisher: HarperSanFrancisco Pub. Date: 01 March, 1997 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
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Title: Who Wrote the New Testament?: The Making of the Christian Myth by Burton L. MacK ISBN: 0060655186 Publisher: HarperSanFrancisco Pub. Date: 01 September, 1996 List Price(USD): $17.95 |
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Title: The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts by Neil Asher Silberman, Israel Finkelstein ISBN: 0684869136 Publisher: Free Press Pub. Date: 01 June, 2002 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: Bible Myth: The African Origins of the Jewish People by Gary Greenberg ISBN: 0806519703 Publisher: Citadel Press Pub. Date: 01 March, 1998 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
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Title: The Christ Conspiracy: The Greatest Story Ever Sold by Acharya S ISBN: 0932813747 Publisher: Adventures Unlimited Press Pub. Date: 01 September, 1999 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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