My Humanist orientated research suggests that the book of Genesis is a Hebrew reformating and transformation of earlier Mesopotamian motifs and concepts. My article titled "Genesis' Genesis, the Hebrew Transformation of ANE motifs and concepts," is available for viewing on-line. If interested access the below url and navigate to the OT Menu for the article.

http://bibleorigins.homestead.com/index.html


All the best, Walter

Thank you for posting this link to these very interesting articles. That the Book of Genesis is largely comprised of retooled Mesopotamian folklore is a fact that tends to be scrupulously avoided by the christian apologists.

The reason for this is obvious. The mythological "fall" of Adam and Eve, complete with its walking, talking serpent and antiquated sexism, represents the impetus for Jesus' so-called mission on Earth, without which the "annointed one" is on the unemployment line.

A more interesting set of squestion for me are: What causes the human brain to appropriate and deem as cosmologically useful ANY creation motif from whatever source? How is it decided what works and what doesn't? Why does the human brain format a Genesis and a "Big Bang" theory and why do they "work" culturally and in a certain historical context? What both prevents and causes them from/to take hold in human consciousness? What connects Jesus to the dying/rising savior/god to the fervent hope of fundamentalism to the comic pages of Superman "who came to earth from another planet with powers far beyond those of mortal men."?

Lots of impertinent and impatient questions, I know.

...I'm not a Christian who is included but I play one on TV....

Well,if you ask me, there was a Big
Bang if you read the gospels carefully.
It was the holy ghost and the Virgin Mary.

thanks, offa