The Theological Tradition and Alternatives to It
Robert A. Oden, Jr.| Pub Date: | 2000 |
| Pages: | 208 pages |
This is an examination of portions of the (Hebrew) Bible [Old Testament] through historical mythical parallels, anthropology, and other scientific methods to bring a refreshing new understanding of the biblical texts.
In this thought-provoking volume, Robert A. Oden Jr. advocates stripping away the theological and historiographic biases that underlie modern biblical scholarship in order to arrive at a nontheological historical reading of the Bible. Oden calls into question a scholarly tradition that accepts biblical writers' views of themselves and their neighbors at face value and reproduces a view of Israelite religion as divinely guided and inherently superior. Using cross-cultural and interdisciplinary methodology, Oden investigates three biblical issues--the clothing of Adam and Eve, Jacob's name change to Israel, and ritual prostitution and Deuteronomy--in light of extra-biblical evidence. He also challenges scholars' assumptions of Scripture as monotheistic and proposes treating biblical narrative as myth rather than as historical fact.
Subjects:
Religion / Cultural Studies / Anthropology / Classics / Middle Eastern Studies / Folklore / Judaic Studies