07_Ancient Near Eastern Myths and the Bible

In the mid-19th century, the reading public in Europe and the United States was confronted with the publication of recently deciphered documents from the ancient Near East. As they read Mesopotamian and Egyptian accounts of creation, a universal flood, and a final day of judgment, many people began to question the originality and authenticity of the biblical narratives to which these stories seemed so similar. New methods of biblical criticism posited a multi-authored text and suggested that it was influenced by earlier myths. This lecture describes the various responses, both religious and secular, to this crisis of belief. Responses ranged from a complete rejection of the findings of archaeology and decipherment to various strategies of accommodation with the new scientific findings.