The Old Testament Myths AREN'T Original? 📖

Today we're joined by the fantastic Dr Josh Bowen: expert Assyriologist to talk about the Ancient Near Eastern myths that inspired the Old Testament. If you're a history fan, interested in learning some contextual history to better understand the stories of the OT or if you're looking to debate fundamentalist apologists, this is the one for you!

Join this channel to get stompid emmotes (see what I did there)

Like and subscribe if you enjoyed!

Instagram: @emmainashes
Twitter: @EmmaTheGoblin

PO BOX:
Emma Thorne
PO Box 78387
LONDON
E4 0HY

Huge thank you to my Colossal Quackers and Giant Chickens on Patreon!
Bill Garrett
Brent Bartlett
Chaotic Quakka
dirtfixer
Douglas Steingraber 2
Jaderian
Jeremy Buck
John E.
John newman
Lord Nibbles Dankworth IX
Nick Muggio
Philip Doherty
Purple_Pug_2013
Samandme59
Sean Hamill
Squeaky Fish 2
Vermont1777
Al Sweigart
Andrew
Andrew Rackstraw
April Washburn
Ben Eiynk
Bert Whitehead
Brian McKemey
Buddmeister2.0
CandyConsumption
Ceilidh
Chantale
Connla "Chicken Maximus" Lyons
Darren McHaffie
Dave Kircher
Dave Smith
Daylin
Emory Darling
FalcorTheGinger
Farron Sutton
Flash -prez- Bluewolf
HissyFit! Pet Therapy and Rescue
Israel Perez-Tanahashi
Jan Bojarp
Jason Runcie
jaxjanjy
jedidragonwarriorqueen
Jim Lathrop
Jo Ro
John Fry
King Skippus
Laker Sparks
Lizzy Gayle
Lulidine
Magic Mel
Matthew Green
Mattus McChicken Nuggetus
Mordlex 200
Mr Smeeth
NotMyselfThisTime
ohsosmooth
Paul Lyon
Paul McGinty
paul mueller
PaulM
Peter Kyrouac
Ralti
razbitom
Rosyna Keller
RPGMP3
Sean
SIRIUSLY
The Shropshire Lad
TooFarSouth
Trent aka Professor Football
Valyrie
VinceWasSu
Willow the Wendigo
Wrongtown

[marlyd]

I took a mandatory class on world religions at university and the whole first part of the semester was about this stuff. Completely forgot about it until now, that was such an interesting class.

[YourQueerGreatAuntie]

So refreshing to hear the bible discussed as one ancient text among many, with its own context, intertextuality and intentionality. As a mythographer raised atheist, this is what I hoped "religious education" classes in school would be. I never understood the exceptionalism related to the Abrahamic texts, nor the arbitrary distinctions made between miracles and magic, prayer and spells etc. I also love to hear ancient texts and myths discussed in a post-structuralist context - the differences matter!

[G-L-O-R-I-A]

My first exposure to this was when my son took a mythology class in high school. I found out that the virgin birth story was an old mythological standby way before the Jesus story. I was already an atheist, but I found this to be eye opening.

[AronRa]

I have met and worked with Josh Bowen in person a few times. Yet I am still envious of the time you have with him now.

[EmpyrionBlackthorn]

Nice. Woke up, sat down, BOOM, new Emma. Perfect.

[sithlordkaeyl]

My absolute favorite meme is a single panel, and it says (paraphrasing because I don’t remember the exact wording since I haven’t seen it in a while), “Telling someone that they have to live their lives based on your beliefs, is like telling someone that they can’t eat a donut because you’re on a diet.” I keep trying to find the image again, but I can’t find the exact one, and I’m not very good with computers, so I can’t recreate it myself.

[ThyMagusNikola]

Emma, I very much admire the fact that you took a moment to recognise the brilliance that is the Doctor’s tie. May I say your butterfly blouse is likewise noteworthy! I appreciate appreciation in the community!

[andreask.]

Greetings from Germany. Two of the English speaking persons I most enjoy listen to have a conversation. This day couldn't get any better.

[Ian_Jules]

This interview works as a gentle primer to comparative mythology and textual analysis. As a former English major, it's oddly exciting to hear someone use the term "intertextuality" on youtube. Since most people aren't English or literature majors, I'm glad there are resources like this.

Also, the timing is fortuitous in that I recently read both Gilgamesh and the Descent of Inanna for the first time. These texts may sound daunting but Gilgamesh, despite being known as an "epic", is not even particularly long. The trickiest part is choosing which translation to use--well, that and the fact that there are little gaps in the story since clay tablets tend to be recovered in fragments.

[DoctorBiobrain]

I was NOT expecting Dr Josh to say someone was sponge worthy. The bowtie makes him seem like a nice boy.

[AstroRamiEmad]

Wow! I discovered this on my own the very hard way as a Syrian Teenager 15 years ago! ... The proverbs used 5, 000 years old or more, are still used into modern day colloquial Syrian Arabic. The same examples and proverbs, and same exact metaphors.

[HankChinaski]

As someone that is a treasure trove of pop culture references, I appreciate so much his references to put things into perspective.

[RobyKenobi]

I love hearing Dr Bowens list of areas of study because it sounds like you're introducing a Stargate character

[G-L-O-R-I-A]

I’m an analogy person, so I love Dr. Josh’s use of analogies.

[roberth]

Irving Finkel's "The Ark before Noah" is an interesting read covering the way the flood myths evolved through the different cultures, taken from all of those Cuneiform tablets that they left scattered all around Mesopotamia.

[E.B.T.nemesiscomix]

I love this conversation, and your butterfly blouse. I thought the thumb nail (when i blur scrolled first thing in the morning ) was Bill Nye talking to some adorable little cowboy.

[fepeerreview]

Great conversation! And it's always a treat to hear Dr. Bowen. Thanks for inviting him.
13:00 re. a "shared flood" - Something that gets overlooked here is that there is simply no physical evidence that such a flood ever occurred, and if one had occurred, the evidence would have been plentiful. We don't need to make historical/literary arguments against a "shared memory". We _know_ it didn't happen because of the hard physical evidence against it.
Sometimes people who work in the fields tend to lose sight of the fundamental importance of the archeological record.

[russellmillar]

Since I first encountered Digital Hammurabi a couple years ago, I have been fascinated by the depth of knowledge Josh and Meagan are willing to share with those seeking better explanations. I enjoyed every minute of this discussion.
It always occurs to me when considering how basic story themes seem to reappear in the foundational myths of successive generations, that in the ancient world there was no standard set of historical and/or scientific facts (?) that had been recorded in libraries that were accessible to the general populace. The only narratives they had to piece together what may have happened in the eras that preceded theirs were the myths about gods. epic heroes, devastating natural disasters etc. that had been handed down orally or by early script.
Today we have a historical, an archaeological and a geological timeline from which to draw understandings of the ancient world. In the days of Umma and Lagash the people who wrote down what would become the "history" of their lineage had no Encyclopedia Britanica to consult. The literate elite of the Israelites who were held captive in Mesopotamia had access to a rich tradition of origin myths and legends. Aside from the Canaanite myths from their homeland, this was what they had to work with.

[davidponseigo]

I had a Priest from my Catholic church once tell me that most Old Testament stories are nothing but that, just stories, and they are meant to teach us and not to be taken literally and I completely agree.

[erin]

I love when we get amazing guests on channels like this one