THE LEGENDS OF GENESIS (original) (raw)
Historical Challenges of the Ancestral Narratives
Tracing the history of the Israelite’s ancestors is challenging and complex because there is no direct or extra-biblical evidence to substantiate that they exist. However, though historical challenges are embedded in the ancestral narratives, which poses a problem, that does not mean that the ancestors are un-historical. Therefore, this paper will present the various challenges involved in reinterpreting the ancestral narratives and intends to show some historicity in them. In doing so, it will briefly look at the overview of the ancestral narratives, the second section deals with the sources that will be used to investigate the narratives, the third section deals with the historical issues that pose a challenge to the historicity of the ancestors and the fourth section deals with the Ancient West Asian parallels. Ultimately, it will give an evaluation of the narratives.
London : T. Payne, Mews-Gate P. Elmsly, the Strand B. White, Fleet Street J. Walter, Charing-Cross + The New Alexandria Library- originally Published in 1774
This rare book published in 1774 is a comprehensive scholarly work that seeks to unravel and distill the essential truths embedded within the mythologies of various ancient civilizations. The first volume of this work explores the mythological systems of the Babylonians, Chaldeans, Egyptians, Canaanites, and Greek tribes like the Hellenes, Ionians, Leleges, and Dorians. Bryant presents a methodical approach to separate the original truths of ancient myths from later embellishments and transformations. The work covers a broad spectrum of religious, mythological, and cultural figures, emphasizing the fundamental ideas and themes common across these cultures. It also explores the development of these mythologies over time and seeks to uncover their roots. Through detailed analysis, Bryant proposes that ancient myths hold not just symbolic or religious meaning but contain elements of historical truth that, when properly interpreted, can reveal insights into the origins of human culture, religion, and philosophy. The first volume delves into the sacred texts and traditions of these civilizations, examining how their mythologies influenced their social structures, political systems, and daily lives. By comparing different mythological traditions and seeking out the universal themes within them, Bryant aims to restore the "original purity" of ancient myth and provide a clearer understanding of the ideas that shaped early civilizations. This work combines elements of comparative mythology, religion, history, and philology, presenting a scholarly perspective on how mythological stories evolved across different cultures. Bryant's analysis is an attempt to trace back to the "roots" of mythology, considering both historical and linguistic evidence in the context of the ancient world. Tags: Ancient Mythology, Jacob Bryant, Comparative Mythology, Babylonian Myths, Chaldean Myths, Egyptian Myths, Canaanite Myths, Hellenic Myths, Greek Mythology, Ionian Greeks, Dorian Greeks, Leleges, Mythological Deities, Ancient Gods, Religious Myths, Mythological Truths, Heroes in Mythology, Ancient Civilizations, Mesopotamian Mythology, Ancient Religions, Creation Myths, Ancient Gods and Goddesses, Ancient Fables, Sacred Texts, Mythological Heroes, Greek Pantheon, Egyptian Pantheon, Mythological Symbolism, Heroes and Gods, Religious Symbolism, Mythological Studies, Dorian Religion, Ionian Religion, Canaanite Religion, Mythological Themes, Historical Myths, Ancient Truths, Origins of Mythology, Ancient Wisdom, Mythological Origins, Cultural History, Philology, Comparative Studies, Theories of Mythology, Ancient Rituals, Mythological Archetypes, Myth and History, Historical Religion, Anthropology of Myth, Ancient Philosophy, Early Religious Systems, Prehistoric Religions, Sociopolitical Mythology, Deity Worship, Classical Mythology, Ancient Greek History, Early Egyptian Religion, Sumerian Myths, Babylonia’s Influence, Chaldean Deities, Egyptian Theogony, Canaanite Gods, Hellenic Theogony, Dorian Culture, Ionian Myths, Classical Heroes, Greek Religious Practices, Ancient Myth Structures, Mythical Cosmology, Ritualistic Mythology, Origin of Gods, Greek and Egyptian Mythology, Mesopotamian Deities, Egyptian Creation Myths, Babylonian Creation Myths, Genesis of Myths, Ancient Textual Analysis, Mythical Cosmologies, Philological Approaches, Ancient Myths in Culture, Social Structures and Myth, Political Systems in Mythology, Greek Heroic Literature, Mythic Symbolism in History, Comparative Theories of Mythology, Ancient Moral Systems, Mythical Ethics, Heroic Archetypes, Mythological Evolution, Pagan Gods, Pantheon History, Classical Heroes and Gods, Ancient Comparative Religion, Sacred Rituals, Babylonian Mythological Figures, Egyptian Mythological Figures, Greek Myths and Their Meaning, Ancient Hero Myths, Hellenistic Mythology, Mythology and Early Societies, Mythical Themes Across Cultures, Comparative Religious Myths, Egyptian vs. Greek Myths, Canaanite vs. Babylonian Myths, Ancient Origin Stories, Mythological Syncretism, Cultural Exchange in Myths, Early Mediterranean Myths, Origins of Ancient Mythologies, Myth as Social Explanation, The Role of Myth in Ancient Society, Polytheism and Mythology, Mythological Influence on Early Thought, Ancient Philosophical Myths, Sacred Mythologies of Ancient Egypt, Babylonia and Religion, Ancient History of Greece, Mythological Origins in Egypt, Gods of Babylonian Mythology, Role of Heroes in Ancient Myths, Divine Kingship in Mythology, Heroes and Deities in Ancient Greece, Mythical Histories, Old World Myths, Sacred Texts and Their Impact, Rituals in Babylonian Mythology, Religious Influence on Greek Myths, The Role of Creation Myths, Ancient Myths and Modern Interpretations
*Contact author for full offprint (http://www.barkhuis.nl/product\_info.php?products\_id=211). This paper is an attempt to explore the distinct historical contexts and historiographic implications pertaining to the use of vaticinia ex eventu (Lat. “prophecies after the event”) in a series of biblical texts and Mesopotamian cuneiform documents. This literary technique, whose religious purposes and sociological effects and motivations remain mostly obscure, was apparently widely known and used in the ancient Near East, from Egypt to Mesopotamia, as early as the 2nd millennium BCE, and post-event predictions have found a place in many of the world’s religious traditions. Interpreters have rarely made a methodologically coherent effort to consider the appearance of the ex eventu phenomenon in the biblical corpus, and, to broaden the scale considerably, very few researches have yet considered the use of vaticinia ex eventu as a widely-employed ancient Near Eastern historiographic trope. Interestingly, those who have commented on the purpose of the ex eventu technique are mostly content to note that such prophecies are “forgeries” which primarily serve to bolster the legitimacy of the document in which they appear. This view, though widespread, is fraught with difficulties; it is my contention that we should not continue to speak about vaticinia ex eventu in terms of “forgery” or crass legitimation, but rather as a complex historiographic phenomenon that engenders Mesopotamian and biblical traditions regarding the nature of time, history, and the authority of inspired interpreters to speak about the future and the past. Toward these ends, I propose a new model for understanding the historiographic implications of vaticinia ex eventu, drawn from philosophers and theorists such as Charles Taylor, Walter Benjamin, Benedict Anderson, and Erich Auerbach, in which ex eventu speech is conceived not as a problem of forgery but as a category of history writing and narrative technique.
Seeds of Western Culture, 2023
The book discusses two of the main seeds of Western Culture – the Exodus and the Odyssey, which are entwined within the book by both a common link with Egypt and a review of ancient chronology. They were both antecedents to the rise of Christianity, which is at the heart of Western Culture. It was inspired by a desire to understand the spiritual message of the Odyssey, which required both geographical and spiritual interpretations of the poem. Linked to this was a desire to understand the political context of the Trojan story, which required resolving the false hiatus in the archaeology of Troy. This resulted in a new paradigm for understanding ancient chronology, which revealed the stories behind the Exodus and the location of the Garden of Eden. Writing the book has been a long and eventful journey, longer than Odysseus’ 19 years away from home. The book is written in five parts: • Low Chronology – Based on the identification of Menophres with Thutmose III and of the Bubastite Portal’s reference to Shoshenq’s participation in the Battle of Qarqar, the Egyptian Third Intermediate Period is shortened by 120 years, with a pharaoh ruling from Tanis and subordinate kings at Bubastis and Thebes. • The Exodus – Using the Low Chronology and genealogical information and dates provided by the Bible, it is demonstrated that the story of the Exodus is a combination of two events, being the exodus of the Hyksos led by Abraham in 1406 BC following the eruption of Thera, and the exodus of the Atenist (Levite) priests led by Moses in about the first year of Tutankhamun - 1204 BC. The story of Abraham also reveals the location of the Garden of Eden in the heartland of the Levant. • Radiocarbon Dating – The process that created the dendrochronology-based radiocarbon calibration curve is demonstrated to be a flawed non-scientific process that relied upon circular arguments. • The Odyssey – By comparing the life and work of Archilochus to both the Odyssey and the Iliad, it is shown that Archilochus must have been the author of the Odyssey. The allegory within the Odyssey is also discussed to provide both geographical and spiritual interpretations of the poem. • Western Culture – The two main streams of Western Culture (Ancient Greece and Christianity) are shown to have had their foundations in the stories surrounding the Trojan War, the spiritual message of the Odyssey and the influences of Egypt on Greece and Judaism. It is shown how Greek and Jewish religions were fused to create the Gospels and contributed towards modern astrology.
Ancient History from Below: Subaltern Experiences and Actions in Context" edited by Cyril Courrier and Julio Cesar Magalhães de Oliveira. , 2022
An introduction to "Ancient History from Below: Subaltern Experiences and Actions in Context" edited by Cyril Courrier and Julio Cesar Magalhães de Oliveira. The essay discusses the methodological and interpretative problems that historians of Antiquity face in attempting to write such histories 'from below.'