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.