Abstract
This article explores the origins and transmission of foundational stories within the Christian religious tradition, with a particular focus on the book of Genesis. It examines how these narratives, often regarded as historical accounts, were likely shaped by centuries of oral storytelling before being recorded in written form. By considering the limitations of historical sources available to early authors and the nature of oral tradition, the article argues that these stories are best understood as mythology. Importantly, it emphasizes that categorizing them as mythology does not diminish their value; rather, it highlights their enduring power to convey moral lessons and shape cultural identity across generations.
Intro
Mythology is often disregarded as purely fictional stories created for entertainment, while also conveying certain moral messages. For many people, the word “mythology” brings to mind stories from Greek mythology, particularly those portrayed by Disney movies such as Hercules or The Little Mermaid. Most adults do not interpret these movies as being based on real events but rather understand their fictional nature and their use as vehicles to deliver real-world moral lessons. However, these stories have had a significant impact on shaping our worldviews and guiding belief systems across many cultures for thousands of years.
With this in mind, it is understandable why some may take offense to the term “Christian Mythology,” as it may be interpreted as an attack on the Judeo-Christian religions. The purpose of this article is not to attack Abrahamic religions, but rather to provide a new perspective on the origins of these belief systems and how they may integrate into society as a whole.
Before we begin, I think it is important to provide some of my personal background to better explain where I am coming from. I believe that it is not possible to provide truly unbiased commentary, given that we have all been shaped by our life experiences. That said, if we can acknowledge and disclose our potential biases, then readers will be better able to gauge how to interpret our comments.
Personal Background
I was born into a Roman-Catholic family in a predominantly Catholic country, and though our family did have a few Jewish acquaintances, most of the people I interacted with as a young child were also Catholic. When I was in elementary school, our family moved to the United States, where we started attending a non-denominational Christian church.
Though I was aware of other religions growing up, my view and understanding of them were quite limited and influenced by the Christian biases of those around me. As is true with many religious teens, my faith was shaken when I got to college. Since then, I have gone through waxing and waning phases, but my desire to consolidate my beliefs with the world around me has grown stronger. In this quest, I have learned a lot about the three Abrahamic religions, and I have exposed myself to people from different cultures and religions to better understand them.
Academically, my background is in mathematics and data science, so I strongly believe that religion cannot be at odds with the physical world around us. I believe that in order to truly understand religion, we cannot separate it from the laws of physics or from the socioeconomic realities of the people in these faith groups.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth
So where should this story start? Well, how about we start at the beginning. The three Abrahamic religions can trace the foundation of their belief systems to the book of Genesis. Though the topics in this article can be applied to any of these religions, I will mainly focus on the Christian perspective.
It is traditionally believed that the book of Genesis was written by Moses sometime between the 15th and 13th centuries BCE, though many scholars believe that the current version may have been compiled as late as the 6th or 5th century BCE during or after the Babylonian exile. So, if we were to assume that the genealogies in the Bible are complete and without gaps, and that the ages given are exact and consecutive, then that would mean that creation would have occurred around 3900 BCE. Even if Moses did write the book of Genesis in the 15th century BCE, this would mean that he was writing about events that occurred over 2,000 years before the book was written.
So now it may be helpful to contemplate the sources that someone like Moses would have used to write a book that was intended to be considered historically accurate. If we wanted to write about events that happened 2,000 years ago, we would likely want to use a combination of primary and secondary sources. But, if we are interested in being historically accurate, particularly when quoting individuals verbatim, we would most likely need robust primary sources. So, what primary sources were available to Moses when he wrote the book of Genesis? Well, probably not many. From our 21st-century perspective, it is not unheard of to find primary sources from 2,000 years ago. We may argue about their accuracy and validity, but historians normally tend to arrive at a consensus on what sources are considered reliable.
But what about in the 15th century BCE? Did scholars have access to reliable primary sources from 2,000 years in their past?
In order to dive deeper into the above question, we need to consider that the most probable form of a primary source in those times would have been a written account of those events. In order for those texts to be considered primary sources, they must have been written contemporaneously to the events they discuss. But written languages as we know them today are not believed to have existed around the timeline in which Genesis takes place. So, the most likely source of the stories found in Genesis is a more common type of knowledge transfer for the time period: oral storytelling.
Oral Storytelling
Oral storytelling most likely deserves its own article, but the Britannica website has a good and concise description of it:
Oral tradition [is] the first and still most widespread mode of human communication. Far more than “just talking,” oral tradition refers to a dynamic and highly diverse oral-aural medium for evolving, storing, and transmitting knowledge, art, and ideas. It is typically contrasted with literacy, with which it can and does interact in myriad ways, and also with literature, which it dwarfs in size, diversity, and social function.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/oral-tradition
Though oral storytelling can excel at communicating moral and social lessons, it cannot be relied upon as a primary source. It can be used to communicate general ideas, but specific quotes from people may degrade over time as the story is passed on from one generation to the next. If we follow the biblical genealogy, then we would have 26 (very long) generations between Adam and Moses. Personally, I have absolutely no idea who my relatives were 26 generations ago, but it is plausible that people were better educated in their family/social history when oral tradition was the primary method for transferring knowledge from one generation to the next.
It is important to recall that the purpose of this article is not to argue that the book of Genesis was completely made up. But, if the stories were passed down from one generation to the next via oral storytelling, the factuality of the stories may be less accurate than what is sometimes portrayed by religious leaders. The stories found in Genesis are still a powerful way to teach new generations moral lessons in an understandable way, and one that is easy to remember. This article does not aim to discount the moral lessons of these stories but rather to provide a new perspective: that we must read and teach them with the intention to better understand their moral lessons rather than reading them as historical facts.
Conclusion
In examining the origins and transmission of the stories found in Genesis and other foundational texts of the Christian religion, it becomes clear that these narratives share many characteristics with what we commonly define as mythology. Like the myths of other cultures, they were likely shaped and preserved through generations of oral storytelling before being committed to writing. This process inevitably introduces elements of embellishment, reinterpretation, and adaptation to the needs and values of each new generation.
Categorizing these stories as mythology is not an attempt to diminish their significance or to undermine the beliefs of those who hold them dear. Rather, it is an acknowledgment of their role as powerful vehicles for conveying moral lessons, cultural values, and shared identity. Myths, in every tradition, serve to explain the world, guide behavior, and connect individuals to something greater than themselves.
Recognizing the mythological nature of these stories allows us to appreciate them for what they are: enduring narratives that have shaped societies, inspired countless individuals, and provided frameworks for understanding right and wrong. Their value lies not in their literal historicity, but in their ability to teach, inspire, and unite. By approaching these stories with both respect and critical thought, we can continue to draw wisdom from them while also fostering a deeper understanding of our shared human heritage.