osymandus
Life President
I am talking about the Old Testament being a good document of history. Not by any means in its entirity and that would dangerous think of all the stories contained in it being factually accruate. As you say the story of Samson is a generic tale found in Bablonian and at least one other ancient religion - can't remember which off the top of my head. The Deutro-Isiah secitons as well have many roots in pre-yhwhistic religion. The nature and understanding of what this monotheisitic God was like underwent a series of changes - and hence we have a very different OT and NT God! The OT God certainly had characteristics of several early traditions. However, I am not looking at things from a thological point of view, more a historical. The sotry of David is likely to have been written from court records and the like for example. Past the pentateuch there is lots of rich and detailed history - the rise of the Assyrians etc all the way to the Maccabean Revolution just a hundred a fifty or so years before ol' JC arrived. Yes it is written from a faith perspective addressed to those who have faith - but this is written against the background of many significant historical developements in the Middle East in a period of approx 2000 years before CE began. It helps historians as well as theologians understand the events in Egypt, Babylon, Persia, Assyria and Greece
The NT is a far less historical it seems. Some historical facts appear to have been altered in order to fit stories (such as the census) - however the over riding element of truth pervades. Archeology has confirmed many of the key aspects of stories such as the size of the boat that Jesus went fishing on was a regular size (I can't remember all the details - please forgive me!). In many instances though, and certainly until we found the DSS, it was one of the few detailed records in existence. The work of Josephus also helps qualify many of the stories in the NT too.
Theres an intresting theory on the OT about how its more a manual writen for teh intiated priesthood rather then a book for all to read . Mind you (and il try and track the sources) . Exodus , David and King Solomon (as of recent reseach don't appear as Historical figures (or the Solomaic temples) in contemporay manuscripts .
Gilgamesh (propably aside from Mar'duk) was one of the first heroic Saga's recorded (Herakleus being most likley the greek version)
NT im afraid was re-written and written again (certainly from its first latin translations (the King James being the most famous editing and edition)) . The Gospels being famous examples of interrpritation of Jeuse's message .
Il have to do a search fro some sorcures but look at the http://www.gnosis.org/naghamm/nhl.html .