Book Summary The Bible Among the Myths
INTRODUCTION
The book opens with an introduction comparing the study of the Old Testament and the other religions and cultures of other peoples from the Ancient Near East. Scholars used to believe that the Old Testament was unique among other beliefs in the Ancient Near East but they now view the Old Testament as identical to other religions of its day and time.
The author also discusses the vital philosophical distinction between “essence” and “accident.” When removing an essential feature of an object, it will cease to be itself but if you remove an accidental feature of an object, there will be no change in the object’s essential being.
The author also introduces the characteristics of myth.
1) That human beings have little or no real value.
2) The relative lack of interest in historical studies.
3) The practice of magic and the occult.
4) The refusal to accept responsibility for individual actions.
The final part of the introduction claims that the trustworthiness of the theological issues is contingent upon the trustworthiness of the historical claims.
CHAPTER ONE
THE BIBLE IN ITS WORLD
In the first chapter it is told that there are many contributors that the Western world has of looking at reality. The Bible is the single most important of these contributors.
The Greeks brought a type of thinking that had an impact on society. Three of their significant contributions were: the belief in a “universe” instead of a “polyverse,” simple cause and effect, and non-contradiction. At the foundation of this thought was the conviction that something could not be so and not so at the same time.
The Hebrew people were also unique in their view believing that there was only one God, that God is the one and only creator of all that is, God exists apart from the creation, God made his will known to people and revealed himself to humans in the context of their unique experiences in space and time, and that God rewards and punishes people on
The book opens with an introduction comparing the study of the Old Testament and the other religions and cultures of other peoples from the Ancient Near East. Scholars used to believe that the Old Testament was unique among other beliefs in the Ancient Near East but they now view the Old Testament as identical to other religions of its day and time.
The author also discusses the vital philosophical distinction between “essence” and “accident.” When removing an essential feature of an object, it will cease to be itself but if you remove an accidental feature of an object, there will be no change in the object’s essential being.
The author also introduces the characteristics of myth.
1) That human beings have little or no real value.
2) The relative lack of interest in historical studies.
3) The practice of magic and the occult.
4) The refusal to accept responsibility for individual actions.
The final part of the introduction claims that the trustworthiness of the theological issues is contingent upon the trustworthiness of the historical claims.
CHAPTER ONE
THE BIBLE IN ITS WORLD
In the first chapter it is told that there are many contributors that the Western world has of looking at reality. The Bible is the single most important of these contributors.
The Greeks brought a type of thinking that had an impact on society. Three of their significant contributions were: the belief in a “universe” instead of a “polyverse,” simple cause and effect, and non-contradiction. At the foundation of this thought was the conviction that something could not be so and not so at the same time.
The Hebrew people were also unique in their view believing that there was only one God, that God is the one and only creator of all that is, God exists apart from the creation, God made his will known to people and revealed himself to humans in the context of their unique experiences in space and time, and that God rewards and punishes people on
Bibliography: Groovychristian. June 6th 2012. John Oswalt Book Review. http://groovychristian.com/2012/06/06/john-n-oswalt-book-review/ John N. Oswalt. 2009. Unique Revelation or Just Ancient Lieterature? The Bible Among The Myths Ibid. 67 Ibid. 113 Deuteronomy 6:15