Diffusionism and the Hebrew Bible

Abstract

The Diffusionist model has been used to explain cultural similarities in many fields of the humanities including anthropology, archaeology and ancient history. Diffusionism has often formed the presuppositions of those who have attempted to explain the similarities between certain elements of the Hebrew Bible and texts from other cultures of the Ancient Near East. This paper questions the appropriateness of Diffusionism as an explanation for common features found in ancient Israel and the Near East. Four particular cases of similarity are examined to test the merits of Diffusionism: accounts of the Flood, laws concerning the ‘goring ox’, biblical covenants and Near Eastern treaties, and creation accounts.