Primeval History in the Persian Period?1

Abstract

The time when Genesis was composed and the dates for its redactions are currently subjects of academic debate. This paper aims to advance the hypothesis that the so-called Primeval History was created later then usually stated. This study assumes that strictly speaking no biblical texts (or the traditions included in them) could be ex post presumed to exist without manuscript evidence or other external testimony (e.g., allusion in other texts). The hypothesis advanced here tries to explain the unparalleled character of the Primeval History in its Near Eastern environment, i.e., as the result of Greek influence in general and Plato in particular. Consequently, this paper offers the Hellenistic period as the most likely time of composition for the Primeval History. 1. This paper was presented at the Seminar of Historical Methodology during the European Association of Biblical Studies and Society of Biblical Literature joined meeting in Groningen (July 2004). I would like to express my gratitude to all Seminar Members, and especially to Lester L. Grabbe and Thomas L. Thompson for their kind invitation. I would like to thank Diana Edelman, Ehud Ben Zvi, John J. Collins and Joseph Blenkinsopp for their comments on this text, even if I did not always follow their advice. Needless to say none of the aforementioned are responsible for ideas expressed. Special thanks are due to Paul Cobb.