Wayne Delia

(turns on flashlight, points at face, heavy grimace) Leprechauns!

WMD

RAFH

Best I can tell, the Canaanite clans living up in the hills needed some story of origin, so they borrowed a bit of this and some of that, a dab here, a dash there, obviously with some disagreement, ie - the various creation stories, two sets of ten commandments, etc. The inclusion of multiple stories suggests multiple sponsors and none strong enough to go it alone and none willing to have their story left out. A process which is repeated on down the line. Anyway, that accounts for the Pentateuch.

Then comes a period of establishment of the Jewish state, such as it was, and a bunch of stories about that. Again, often a lot of conflicts, different people with different points of view and interests telling different stories, and the biggest sponsors unwilling to have their story left out. So we have clans forming smaller individual but interrelated (by similar religion, intermarriage and intercommerce) principalities then these coalescing briefly, perhaps because of some very good years coinciding with some very bad years for their neighbors and especially the big powers around, into a kingdom. That all needs explaining and, naturally, there's a bit of exageration and extrapolation. The good old days were always much better in memory, getting better as time moves on.

Next comes the division of the kingdom and the extinction of Israel, the northern portion. Tales are needed to explain this. Then the southern portion, Judah, is conquered and much of the population is dispersed with the majority of the leaders ending up in Babylon. When they get to go back a couple of generations later, these leaders come back to a new population inhabiting Jerusalem and they have to assert their rights and reestablish their culture. Again, there is history by committee, mostly to make the Jews and their x-god(s) not look like such losers. They also have to accommodate the locals who moved in during their sabbatical in Babylon.

The narrative essentially ends with the arrival of the Greeks and some sanity. Enough with the fairy tales already.

4 centuries later, Romans in power, up pops a new fairy tale, and the New Testament. Nothing gets recorded for the first century and then a bunch of stuff gets written down during the next two centuries. Eventually, at the beginning of the fourth century, with the blessing/under orders of the Roman emperor, another try at history by committee with roughly the same results, except its really fragmented. No matter, this time its endorsed by the power of the Roman Empire, the greatest and most powerful empire to date, and that settles it. Crazy or not, what you see is what you get. If you doubt it in any way you will be the main act at the next bonfire. End of story for the next 15 centuries.

Bonfires have gone out of favor and the world has changed. Mostly the story tellers have moved on to different types of stories and the mythmakers now concentrate more on politics and science fiction.

Agemegos

'The' Bible is an anthology of disparate works, ranging from creation myths, law codes, erotica, badly-research and wildly erroneous histories (including different versions of the same events from rival spin doctors), religious poetry, an anti-religious parable, several diatribes, to even a feminist novel. The Old Testament pretty much consists of someone's entire library bound together in one book. The New Testament is less disparate, probably because it dates from a period when there were too many different books for an entire library to be collected into one anthology.

Note that some bibles have a different collection of books in them than others.

mountainman

It is, I think, expedient to set forth to all mankind
the reasons by which I was convinced that
the fabrication of the Galilaeans
is a fiction of men composed by wickedness.

Though it has in it nothing divine,
by making full use of that part of the soul
which loves fable and is childish and foolish,
it has induced men to believe
that the monstrous tale is truth.

---- Emperor Julian, c.362 CE

Steve Weiss

Now they are real, don't you know? I also kissed the Blarney Stone.

Steve Weiss

Unfortunately, Chris, many never do. Look at Michael Jackson. What does he call his California mansion? Many are full-time residents.

pkostrze

I believe it can be purchased with gilt edges and the word of god in red letters. I also believe the pages are thin enough to replace tissue paper, if needed.

Steve Weiss

Oh! Such blasphemies. I'm sure that you will bake in eternal hell as a consequence of offending the deity who demands your worship and obedience. His words in the document that you defile with your excrement should be better respected. Don't forget to flush twice.

purple_kathryn

If you knew what the locals did to the Blarney Stone you'd regret that.

pkostrze

It's a good thing baking is better for you than frying.