Lecture 3 - The Hebrew Bible in Its Ancient Near Eastern Setting: Genesis 1-4 in Context
Feb 16, 2011 7458 views 
In the first of a series of lectures on the book of Genesis, the basic elements of biblical monotheism are compared with Ancient Near Eastern texts to show a non-mythological, non-theogonic conception of the deity, a new conception of the purpose and meaning of human life, nature, magic and myth, sin and evil, ethics (including the universal moral law) and history. The two creation stories are explored and the work of Nahum Sarna is introduced. Reading assignment: Bible: Introduction to Genesis (JSB pp. 8-11); Gen 1-4 Pritchard, James, ed. "The Deluge," "The Creation Epic," and "The Epic of Gilgamesh." In The Ancient Near East, Volume 1. pp. 28-75 Kaufmann, Yehezkel. The Religion of Israel. New York: Schocken, 1972. pp. 21-121