Iron and Myth 35: The Bible and Mesopotamian Myth

SKEPTICS OFTEN claim that the Hebrew Bible must have been copied from older Mesopotamian texts. Frankly, this is lazy thinking by people looking for excuses not to deal with God. Our Iron and Myth crew joins us to discuss the relationship between the Bible and Mesopotamian religion: Doug Van Dorn (www.douglasvandorn.com), author of Giants: Sons of the Gods and Brian Godawa (www.Godawa.com), best-selling author of Chronicles of the Nephilim, Chronicles of the Watchers, the theological thriller Cruel Logic, and a forthcoming novel based on the period of the Maccabees in Judea. Sadly, Dr. Judd Burton (www.BurtonBeyond.net) was unable to join us this month. We discuss the parallels between creation stories from different cultures, including Mesopotamian and Mesoamerican myths, and the implications of these similarities for understanding the Bible. We dig into the nature of myth and history, the importance of context in biblical interpretation, and the need for a nuanced approach to understanding ancient texts. There is an intricate relationship between myth and history, particularly in the context of biblical narratives. It’s important to understand ancient texts through the lens of genre and cultural context, and at the end of the day the Bible's authority does not negate the value of other literature.