Statement

So the literature of the Hebrew Bible did not come from a cultural vacuum: its writers used compositional techniques and narrative, legal and other traditions shared with scribes of other Near Eastern cultures. The distinctiveness of biblical literature shows up only against a backdrop of widespread similarity.

References

1. p. 43

   supports · main text · ch. 2

   Efron, Lehmann and Weitzman. The Jews: A History. 3rd edition. New York and Abingdon: Routledge, 2019.

   Verification anchor recorded · checked against the page text