the Bible and Near Eastern Mythologies

The archaeology of recent decades has clearly demonstrated that the primitive populations of Israel and Judah were not the bloodthirsty invaders described in the Books of Numbers, Deuteronomy, and Joshua. Their conception of the universe and their folklore could only have been shaped by the religious patterns of Canaan, which are related, via Ashur and Babylon, to the myths bequeathed to the entire Levant by the Sumerian genius. Therefore, it is not surprising to find in the Bible the fundamental analogies shared by the myths born on the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates - myths that the Greeks took up and brought to their highest degree of sophistication. Based on the Hebrew Masoretic text, the Samaritan Pentateuch, the Greek text of the Septuagint, and some Egyptian documents, this book analyses the main themes of Genesis and Exodus, relating them to the myths from which they originate and their original meaning. This sheds new light on them and overturns many preconceived ideas that popular piety has transmitted to us. Roger Warin was born in Liège in 1947. An independent researcher in Egyptology, he is fluent in Latin, Ancient Greek, Ancient Hebrew, and Pharaonic Egyptian. He is also a keen non-religious biblical exegete, a practice he has pursued for over fifty years.