Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Noel O'Riordan" <nor AT iol.ie>]

Niels Peter Lemche wrote

>  I have great difficulties believing that Genesis
> came into being in Palestine. I have great problems seeing Judaism as
> originating in Palestine. I find Mesopotamia a much more likely candidate.
> Judaism is exilic in outlook--'next year in Jerusalem'--

In support of Niels position for a late Mesopotamian dating of Genesis, I
would put
forward the identification of the 'tower of Babel' story as being a
reference to the Ziggurat of Etemenanki in Babylon .  There has always been
a reluctance to make this connection because it knocks the dating of J in
the Solomonic period and beyond on its head, but with a revised dating of J
the 'tower of Babel' story makes more sense if it is considered in a
Mesopotamian , exilic (I use the term loosely) context.



Noel O Riordan