Pagan Myths and Bible Cosmology

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In some ways, professing Christians give aid and comfort to enemies of the gospel message. Many liberal theologians do not believe that the Bible is the Word of God and try to find flaws with it. After their scoffing is published, atheists and others use their words as ammunition against God.

Scoffing can be seen with studies of Ancient Near East (ANE) cultures and mythologies that are used against the Bible. Since biblical creation and the Genesis Flood are primary targets of skeptics, its cosmology comes under fire.

Pond off Sawkill Road, Kingston, NY, Unsplash / Cowboy Bob Sorensen, modified with FotoSketcher
Numerous assumptions are made. One is that the Hebrews were just like their ANE neighbors, so why not incorporate their mythologies into sacred texts? Not only does that show profound ignorance of what they taught and believed, but rejects how the Hebrews knew that they belonged to Yahweh the Creator.

Also, the greater context is ignored, including passage throughout the Bible. Prophecies were made (such as Genesis 3:15, for example) that were fulfilled in Jesus. Again, we see that the Bible is true from the very first verse.

The ancient Hebrews lived in the ancient Near East. Knowing about their cultural context helps us better understand many of the unusual things people did in the Bible. Major archaeological discoveries over the past two centuries have greatly aided our understanding of some obscure Bible passages. Unfortunately, it has become fashionable among liberal scholars today to interpret the Old Testament as though all the nations around Israel had exactly the same culture and worldview and the Israelites simply borrowed their ideas from their neighbors. This approach, which in effect rejects God’s inspiration of the Bible, is especially evident in modern interpretations of passages about creation and the cosmos.

To read it all or listen to the audio version, visit "Is the Bible’s Cosmology Borrowed from Pagan Myths?"