Argonauts of the Desert

Structural Analysis of the Hebrew Bible

Philippe Wajdenbaum

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2014
• Print ISBN: 9780367872168
• eBook ISBN: 9781317543893
• Edition: 1
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Ancient History
• Index: History

'Argonauts of the Desert' presents a revolutionary new commentary on the Bible and its origins, arguing that most biblical stories and laws were inspired by Greek literature. From Genesis to Kings, the books of the Bible may have been written by a single author, a Hellenized Judean scholar who used Plato's ideal state in The Laws as a primary source. As such, biblical Israel is a recreation of that twelve tribes State and the stories surrounding the birth, life and death of that State were inspired by Greek epics. Each chapter presents the biblical material and compares this to the Greek or Roman equivalents, discussing similarities and differences.

Copenhagen International Seminar

General Editor: Thomas L. Thompson and Ingrid Hjelm, both at the University of Copenhagen

Editors: Niels Peter Lemche and Mogens Müller, both at the University of Copenhagen

Language Revision Editor: James West

Other volumes in the series include:

Origin Myths and Holy Places in the Old Testament

A Study of Aetiological Narratives

Łukasz Niesiołowski-Spanò

The Expression ‘Son of Man’ and the Development of Christology

A History of Interpretation

Mogens Müller

Japheth Ben Ali’s Book of Jeremiah

A Critical Edition and Linguistic Analysis of the Judaeo-Arabic Translation

Joshua A. Sabih

Changing Perspectives I

Studies in the History, Literature and Religion of Biblical Israel

John Van Seters

Argonauts of the Desert

Structural Analysis of the Hebrew Bible

Philippe Wajdenbaum

First published 2011 by Equinox, an imprint of Acumen

Published 2014 by Routledge

2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN

605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017, USA

Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business

© Philippe Wajdenbaum 2011

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

Notices

Practitioners and researchers must always rely on their own experience and knowledge in evaluating and using any information, methods, compounds, or experiments described herein. In using such information or methods they should be mindful of their own safety and the safety of others, including parties for whom they have a professional responsibility.

To the fullest extent of the law, neither the Publisher nor the authors, contributors, or editors, assume any liability for any injury and/or damage to persons or property as a matter of products liability, negligence or otherwise, or from any use or operation of any methods, products, instructions, or ideas contained in the material herein.

ISBN 13: 978–1-84553–924-5 (hbk)

DOI: 10.4324/9781315728766

Library of Congress Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the Library of Congress

Typeset and copy-edited by Forthcoming Publications

Contents

• Acknowledgments
• Introduction: Hypothesis and Thesis
  • East of Eden
  • Why Isn’t It the Other Way Around?
  • Claude Lévi-Strauss’ Structural Anthropology
  • The Linguistic Argument
  • The Question of Diffusion and Borrowing in Histoire de Lynx
  • Biblical Criticism and the Documentary Hypothesis
  • The Collapsing of the Consensus
  • Four Possible Eras: Royal, Exilic, Persian and Hellenistic
  • The Great Mythical Greek Cycles
  • The Main Greek Authors
  • Roman-Era Writers
  • The Techniques of the Biblical Writer
  • Foreword to the Chapters
• 1. Genesis
  • In the Beginning was Timaeus
  • The Splitting of the Androgyne
  • The Golden Age
  • Eve / Pandora
  • The First Murderer and the Demi-gods
  • Cain / Alcmæon
  • The Flood
  • The Castration of Ouranos / The Drunkenness of Noah
  • The Table of Nations
  • The Tower of Babel
  • Abraham / Euphemos: The Promised Land
  • Abraham / Anaxandrides
  • Abraham and Isaac / Hyrieus and Orion
  • Lot, Philemon and Baucis, Orpheus and Eurydice, Cyniras and Myrrha
  • Isaac / Phrixos
  • Jacob and Esau, Acrisios and Proetos, Heracles and Eurystheus
  • Jacob and Laban / Heracles and Thespios
  • Jacob and Laban / Sisyphus and Autolycus
  • Dinah / Helen
  • Reuben / Hippolytus
  • Judah and Tamar
  • Er, Son of Judah, and Er, Son of Armenios
  • Joseph / Ulysses
  • Other Greek Parallels in t...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Half Title Page
• Frontmatter 1
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction: Hypothesis and Thesis
• 1. Genesis
• 2. Exodus
• 3. Leviticus
• 4. Numbers
• 5. Deuteronomy
• 6. Joshua
• 7. Judges
• 8. Samuel
• 9. Kings
• 10. Conclusions
• Bibliography
• Index of References
• Index of Authors