The Bible among the Myths: Unique Revelation or Just Ancient Literature?
Digital Verbum Edition
Overview
Sixty years ago, most biblical scholars maintained that Israel’s religion was unique—that it stood in marked contrast to the faiths of its ancient Near Eastern neighbors. Nowadays, it is widely argued that Israel’s religion mirrors that of other West Semitic societies. What accounts for this radical change, and what are its implications for our understanding of the Old Testament?
Dr. John N. Oswalt says the root of this new attitude lies in Western society’s hostility to the idea of revelation, which presupposes a reality that transcends the world of the senses, asserting the existence of a realm humans cannot control.
While not advocating a “the Bible says it, and I believe it, and that settles it” point-of-view, Oswalt asserts convincingly that while other ancient literatures all see reality in essentially the same terms, the Bible differs radically on all the main points. The Bible Among the Myths supplies a necessary corrective to those who reject the Old Testament’s testimony about a transcendent God who breaks into time and space and reveals himself in and through human activity.
- Introduction by the author
- Bibliographical references and indexes
Top Highlights
“If none of these events actually took place, we are left with two insuperable problems: Where did the theology come from, and where did the Israelites get the idea of rooting their theology in (fictional) human history?” (Page 16)
“Revelation assumes that this world is not self-explanatory and that some communication from beyond it is necessary to explain it.” (Page 12)
“A history is a narrative of a series of events revolving about human beings acting in time and space. Existing for the purpose of human self-knowledge, it purports to be an accurate account of all significant elements in the series and includes an attempt to evaluate the relative importance of these elements for the eventual outcome.” (Page 113)
“Continuity is a philosophical principle that asserts that all things are continuous with each other” (Page 43)
“What I am advocating is a willingness to allow the Bible to determine the starting place of the investigation.” (Page 17)
For more than a century people have been debating the relationship between myth and history and how the biblical narratives fit into this debate. In offering readers an accessible introduction to this discussion, John Oswalt highlights the distinctiveness of the biblical worldview. . . . This book will be extremely helpful for both undergraduate and graduate students, offering a carefully seasoned response to the critical scholarship of our time.
—Daniel I. Block, Gunther H. Knoedler Professor of Old Testament, Wheaton College
John N. Oswalt (PhD, Brandeis University) is a visiting distinguished professor of Old Testament at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. He is the author of numerous articles and several books, including the two-volume commentary on Isaiah in the New International Commentary on the Old Testament series and Called to be Holy: A Biblical Perspective.
Reviews
6 ratings
Youngwook Jeon
12/22/2020
James W. Fogal
4/6/2020
This is a short book but amazing on the topic of whether biblical stories can be classified as myth.Jose Flores
4/16/2017
Samual A. Smith
3/16/2017
Clint Lemasters
2/19/2016
Mike Childs
10/7/2013
