The Western Paradise

the long version

This is a new study which researches parallels between ancient Greek lore and Biblical literature of ancient Israel. Unlike many previous works, this study recognizes that Greek literature absorbed a multitude of Semitic and other non-Greek characteristics following the conquests of Alexander the Great. The monograph limits itself to pre-Hellenistic literature of both cultures. The purpose is to examine parallels found in the two "indigenous" cultures prior to more direct mutual influences during the period of the Greek and Roman empires. The most important study in this book is on the Western Paradise. In the Bible, the Western Paradise is found in the imagery of the Tabernacle and Temple. This is expressed in Genesis in the Garden of Eden, Noah's Ark and Abraham's altar between Bethel and Ai. Readers of the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis will recognize their dependence on these Western Paradise traditions.