Myth and the Biblical Tradition

Abstract

“The primary ‘images’ which shaped Israel's religious consciousness did not arise out of the reservoir of pagan myths or from the collective unconscious. … Rather, biblical imagination was inspired by certain ‘normative’ motifs which were actually given to Israel through her own unique, historical experience. … These motifs gathered unto themselves traditions once independent, were recapitulated in new historical situations, were supplemented by still other motifs born out of Israel's history, and attracted pagan images which, in the process of appropriation, were transformed to enhance the Israelite story with a cosmic and universal meaning.”