Sarkhaan wrote:Because, by and large, we lack those texts. Because, as pointed out, the Bible is one of the most complete ancient texts of the Middle East that we have. The text of the Bible was written anywhere from the 12th century BC to 100 AD (iirc, the oldest text is Genesis, written around 1270, but with origins dating back potentially hundreds of years before the text was written, and the newest being Revelation, completed around 100 AD). Sure one could maybe trace similar origins between the story of the flood in the Bible and Gilgamesh, but that doesn't mean Gilgamesh influenced the story of the flood. I'm not entirely sure what texts you would like teachers to cover, but I would be greatly thankful if you could link to them. So far as I know, the Bible arose from an oral tradition.Batuni wrote:Again, yes, a fair point on most of those.
Yet, if the bible is significant to the inspiration of modern literature, which is a point I will semi-concede, then why dismiss the significance of texts that inspired the bible?
Well, it arose from oral tradition and written works. The exact composition of the bible really depends on who you ask.
But aren't these wonderful stories which draw inspiration, meaning, influence or reference to and/or from the bible, technically speaking, cultural noise?
They are, in a way. They are also the cultural noise which is part of the curriculum. I don't need to pull in the story of Easter to discuss the influence of The Binding of Issac upon Kierkegaard's Fear and Trembling. Moreover, it would be irrelevant to the discussion. I might as well discuss astrophysics. It doesn't shed new light upon the text which is being studied.
The point of studying the Bible as literature is to shine new light upon other texts being studied. If we aren't studying something directly, and it doesn't have direct relevance upon the text we are studying, what, exactly, is the point of bringing it up?
Perhaps, just perhaps, to shine new light upon the texts of the bible?
I'd also question using a Danish work to address the bible's influence on English literature...