The Secret Origins of the Bible

The bible's origins aren't so much secret, Callahan argues, as hidden or ignored. To him, revealing those underlying aspects of The Books will provide society with a better grasp of what it believes. He hopes that by enlarging the knowledge of the roots of belief, such tragedies as the assassination of Itzak Rabin or the destruction of the World Trade Center might be avoided. If the origins are understood, perhaps the fallacies can be stripped away. With a view unclouded by myth and/or fixed vision imparted by authorities, the historical antecedents of biblical writings are clearly shown. With that clarity may come a new way of regarding the worth of the Anthology's contents. In this well-written and careful overview, Callahan offers insights into the foundations of Judeo-Christian mythology. Callahan reminds us that the home of the biblical writers was an integrated part of Near Eastern society. Trade routes crisscrossed the Levant, often followed by conquering or retreating armies. Sometimes, whole populations were uprooted and displaced. The result, he contends, is a blending of peoples, their legends and beliefs. Teachings on matters practical and divine were introduced, tried, accepted or replaced. It's not surprising the phrase "There's nothing new under the sun" originated there - there was an intense exchange of ideas and information. Some of the ideas were incorporated by scribes belonging to a subset of the peoples living near the Mediterranean shore - the Jews. In explaining the sources of biblical myth, the author essentially follows the sequence of the books laid down by Protestant clerics. In the second part of the collection he even cites Matthew prior to Mark, although the latter's writing preceded the former by two generations. Throughout the text, from Genesis onward, Callahan shows how earlier legends of other peoples were incorporated by biblical writers and editors into the texts. He shows how societies older than the Palestinian peoples the Jews emerged from contributed to the Jewish creation myth, their romantic escapades and their forays into monotheism. They also appear to have imitated the division of authority into a visible ruler buttressed by hidden coteries of priest-scribes. These latter were the knowledgeable scholars who transformed commonly believed mythologies into something unique for the subject population. Callahan recognises that reassessment of biblical origins is of more concern among Christians than the Jewish faithful. He shows how fundamentalist Christian commentators in the USA bend and twist the myths to suit a local agenda. This is not a widespread movement, no matter how loud its protestations of "authenticity", he notes. His technique recounts how the myth is viewed today, how it was likely dealt with by the Jewish scribes and from where they derived it in other peoples' legends. "Authenticity" is thus smeared thinly over stretches of time and location, rendering "origin

Rarely can a single book answer as many questions as this one does. As the author explains, the mythical basis for Biblical stories is not really a secret, just knowledge that is rarely communicated outside of academic circles. Callahan does an outstanding job of catching readers up with several thousand years' worth of Biblical scholarship, history, and comparative mythology. Buy this book if you want to understand where the stories of the Hebrew and Christian Bibles come from and (as much as is possible) what they really mean -- or if you want to know more about the origins of the Jewish and Christian religions. For me, the sections dealing with the Genesis tales of Creation and the Fall were alone worth the purchase price.

This book is an excellent layman's introduction to the "documentary hypothesis" and an excellent starting point for someone interested in a truly analytical analysis of scripture based on it's historical context. The author presents the scholarly debates and questions regarding the history of the Bible in enough detail to understand the arguments and yet maintain a level that is accessible to the layman. He also provides an extensive bibliography that provides an interested reader with ample opportunity to verify the material for themselves. Tim Callahan himself states in this book that this material is well known among scholarly circles and has been debated endlessly and refuted, without success outside their own clique, by apologists. This book is simply presenting core scholarly arguments that have been hidden behind, what the general public sees, as an incoherent and hopelessly daunting mountain of verbose and conflicting and outrageous interpretations of scripture made by apologists and mystics. This is the book the fundamentalists don't want people to see. It is a book that presents the scholarly criticisms, which fundamentalists have fought vainly against for decades, in a format that people can understand. Now people can read this book and use it's bibliographical references to pursue biblical research for themselves and not rely on the fundamentalists' arguments from authority.Now just a few personal words about some of the criticisms I have seen posted.Beware of the arguments of Christian fundamentalists and apologists. These people will argue that any evolutionary biologist with a strong background in evolutionary theory has been brainwashed by being too educated in his academic field to provide an unbiased interpretation of evidence, however, they don't seem to feel that a strong religious background taints scriptural interpretation at all. They feel it is necessary to understand the evidence. The same people that are criticizing Tim Callahan as "unqualified" to present an opinion on scripture because he does not present a dozen degrees from theological seminaries and a long background as a "Christian" scholar will argue endlessly against evolutionary theory without so much as a single respectable class in evolutionary theory. We usually refer to these people as hypocrites. Additionally Tim Callahan is quite correct when he attributes the roots of Christianity to the same roots as modern Islam and Judaism. Christians need to understand that radical Islamic fundamentalists are no different from radical Christian fundamentalists. In spite of the peaceful messages espoused by their mainstream followers religious, social and political extremists can be capable of acts of unspeakable violence and hatred like 9-11, medieval witch and heretic burnings, the KKK, the Holocaust and a million other examples throughout history. The author is not blaming Christianity for 9-11 but is, quite accurately, showing how any form of

Repeat a lie often enough and people will believe it even when you smack them over the head with the truth. It takes a special kind of fool to believe that the particular 66 (or 73 for the Catholics) books of the Bible just appeared inspired and in their final form to lead mankind for all ages. Like any ancient work, they have origins and it's refreshing to see someone look at the Bible as what it is: an organic outgrowth of even older religious ideas as well as multiple revisions to eliminate contradictions or censor unpopular notions (about 75% of the original books have been purged altogether and there isn't a single extant book in the modern Bible that has survived unaltered from its earliest forms).Unless you simply enjoy having your comfortable beliefs unchallenged, this book is a great read. Further, this is the sort of factual information needed to combat the often overwhelming ignorance in the world.

This is a wonderful book, and packed with research about the mythological origins of the bible. A great read for those who don't want to blindly accept the bible as some mystical holy writ, but as a conglomeration of many different mythological themes thatwere floating about and/or were created directly by the first city-state of civilization in fertile mesopotamia. All religion can be traced to this wonderous valley of the crescent. Callahan does his work thoroughly in tracing bible origins old and new. His writing is easy to follow and interesting throughout, never too 'scholarly'. Quite enjoyable and not cynical or 'bible-bashing', this book respectfully satisfies any curious mind. It also confirms how detrimentally arrogant the folly and laziness of fundamentalist literalism is.