Unveiling Contradictions: A Cultural Analysis of the Old Testament

As a result of many contradictions and repeated stories, when reading the modern Old Testament it can be at times confusing. An opinion shared by many is that this confusion is a consequence of the Old Testament being written in different languages and then later translated into Latin as well as the several English versions by authors who sometimes it seems had their own specific agenda.

Many biblical and non-biblical scholars claim these possible contradictions and repeated stories can be better explained by understanding of the traditions, and religions of neighboring ancient cultures and civilizations of the Near East. Only after reading, researching and collecting information of the history and religions of the Sumerians, Assyrians, Babylonians,

Egyptians, Persians and Canaanites for "From the Cradle, Creation to Canaan" did I begin to understand the outside influences imposed onto the authors of the Old Testament. However, I found that by going back to the older Greek translated versions much of the confusion concering the contradictions is resolved such as when the "Sea of Reeds" from the Septuagint Text is changed to the "Red Sea" in the much later English translations. When translating the Old Testament into the Septuagint Text the Greeks used native Hebrew rabbi's to translate the Hebrew and Syriac texts into the Greek language. It is now obvious that during the Latin and English translations that the influences of the Sumerians, Akkadians, Assyrians, Babylonians and Canaanites were written out of the Old Testament in order to comply with the religious authorities of the time. It is now apparent, as depicted in the Books of Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Leviticus and Dueteronomy that the pre-Israelites along with the Israelites worshipped the Canaanite deities, El or Elohim, Asherah or Asherim, Baal and finally Yahweh. The Israelites eventually transfer all of the many titles, powers and characteristics from El, Asherah and Baal to Yahweh making him their national God, then a few centuries later Yahweh becomes God of the Christians as well.
The oldest evidence, discovered in 1896AD and dated to around 1200BC, which mentions the name of the Israelites is the Merneptah Stele. Archaeologists, historians and Egyptologists indicate that the reference on the stone pillar refers to a tribe or group of people that lived in the highlands of Canaan. Currently archaeologists and historians now claim, the Israelites were a result of a merger of several groups or tribes of people who were already living in Canaan.
It was during their captivity, of almost 60 years, that the majority of biblical historians and scholars now claim that the history, concepts and the formation of the Hebrew and Christian religion began.

While being held captive in the city of Babylon, the Judeans were exposed to the stories and mythologies of the various and older Mesopotamian cultures such as the Sumerians, Akkadians, Assyrians and Babylonians. No doubt that during their captivity of almost 60 years in Babylon, the Judeans increased the size of their community with new generations. These new generations while still captive in Babylon became the future of the Judeans as they grew from infants, into children, into adolescences and finally young adults, which would begin their own families and repeat the cycle. It is the consensus of a majority of sociologists and historians that all of the Judeans, whether they were young, middle age and old became exposed and eventually influenced by the stories and mythologies from Mesopotamia's past, such as the Enuma Elish, the Eridu Genesis, Enki and Ninhursag, Tale of Adapa, the Epic of Atra-Hasis, Enki and Ninmah, Enmerkar and the Lord of Arata, king Sargon and the Code of Hammurabi along with many

others.
Then in order to comply with the Persian Authorization Mandate, which required the Judeans to form their own individual culture, history and religion to be accepted by all Judeans. The now younger Judeans who were given or assumed the responsibility to comply with the Persians, used the many of the concepts of the stories and mythologies of the various Mesopotamian cultures to become the themes of the stories written in the Old Testament.
The stories written in Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Leviticus and Deuteronomy such as the Creation story, Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve, Noah and The Flood, Tower of Babel, the Exodus from Egypt and the Ten Commandments would become the foundation of the Jewish and Christian religions.
In Europe and across North America, around 1850AD, the validity of the history as told in the Old Testament began to change as the result of the new methods that were developed and used to search for and analyze information concerning biblical history. Since the beginning of 1900AD, archaeological evidence that has been scientifically analyzed and dated has promoted a more secular interpretation of the Old Testament. There are many who do not accept the validity of the evidence, but instead they advocate their own personal beliefs and values to explain the history, purpose and reasoning behind the books along with the scriptures of the Old Testament.