Essays on the Patriarchal Narratives

Today, there is renewed interest in the history and traditions of the patriarchal period. Recent publications have sought, among other things, to show that the biblical patriarchs were a literary, even fictional, creation of the first millennium BC, produced to provide the nation of Israel, which came into prominence only then, with ""founding fathers."" Much of this new writing is helpful in distinguishing what are traditional or speculative interpretations from the basic texts of Genesis....