The Old Testament was formulated as an idea—a myth—even before it was written down and this formulation came about in 1,200 BCE or thereafter (Finkelstein and Siberman 2002). If one reads the Old Testament one is introduced to the realities of Israelite society, centered in the Sinai which bordered Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon. Individuals used a common currency called the Shekel made from silver or gold. Weapons, tools, and other objects consisted of iron, bronze, or brass. Agricultural plant-products included wheat, barley, corn, grapes, figs, olives, pomegranates, and livestock was composed of cattle, sheep, goats, and chickens. Non-Israelites raised pigs, however. Honey was also prevalent which means bee populations were managed. Finally, valued liquid products included water, milk, olive oil, and wine; and bread was a staple product. Even though there was no germ theory, plague and pests were transmitters of bad health and there was ritualistic thinking on how to keep the population safe from such predators by having rules of hygiene for both the body and food preparation. The society was patriarchal, and it had a class structure composed of a priestly class, a tribal class, and a slave class. Also, there were commandments (or rules) which regulated the behavior of the citizens: the priests, the tribes, and the slaves. Self-defense and war were common, so the conquest of foreign territory was necessary for survival and population expansion, all justified and supported by a spiritual entity, a monotheistic faceless God. The foreign groups were considered polytheists and those who worshipped many idols or nature gods.
If the Israelites were hunter-gatherers rather than agriculturalists, then their mythology would be entirely different. Even though the growth, collection, and distribution of food would be important, a central part of the mythology would entail the memorization of thousands of plants and animals found in the forest/jungle so necessary for a sustainable existence (Everett 2017). Hunting, fishing, and gathering fruits and nuts would be part of the mythology. Also, group size would be in the hundreds rather than in the thousands and the society would be less hierarchical and more egalitarian (Smith et al. 2010). The mythology would be family-centric and less generalizable to other populations. In fact, there would be no need for generalizability, since this is only necessary for unifying large groups under a common ethos (Harari 2015). There would still be warfare, however, triggered by intertribal disputes over resources such as hunting and fishing grounds and mate selection, but this warfare would be on a smaller scale because of reduced population size and the ability of weaker groups to migrate away from a conflict zone to create a new make-shift settlement. Warfare, along with climate change, may have been central to group migration by hunter-gatherer societies, which culminated in humans populating the entire planet by 12,000 BCE (Wells 2017).
Today, if the Old Testament had been written in the United States, for example, then the mythology would once again be very different. The currency system would be the US dollar, which unifies trade across the planet. Yes, there would be competitive currencies such as the Euro or the Renminbi, but these currencies have yet to be integrated into global trade. Also, gold and silver would not be a central part of commerce. The weapons, tools, and objects discussed would have no relationship to items used during biblical times for there were no nuclear weapons, submarines, destroyers, satellites, drones, computers, and AI systems. But food would be similar yet more varied and abundant, and water would still be a treasured resource, and those of the Jewish faith would still not be eating pork. Furthermore, we now have an effective germ theory and a better understanding of sanitation which has tripled human longevity worldwide. Society today is still largely patriarchal and there is a class structure (elites vs. common folk) but without a slave class. And we have a legal system that is continuously under review by Congress, acknowledging that systematic change is better than chaotic change. Also, the United States is still obsessed with expansionism which means the ability to go to war is central to its existence. As well, spirituality is still largely monotheistic (i.e., through Christianity) but there is idol worship: images of Jesus and the Holy Ghost are omnipresent. And there is no better way to recruit the youth of America for warfare than to convince them that God is on their side.
Indeed, the destructive nature of humankind is well captured in myth and in reality:
“But of the cities of these people, which the LORD thy God doth give thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth: But thou shalt utterly destroy them; namely, the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee:”
(Deuteronomy 20:16-17)
I think the main issue to be considered is that historical events especially the ones with religious background should be handled not from the view point in present. Things changed, are changing and will change. No matter how objective we are and we can be, events in the history will always have black parts due to those events can not be repeated and observed in a social laboratory.
Modern retellings of mythology, such as DC’s Wonder Woman, Marvel’s Thor, and anime like Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke, reveal that mythology is not static but continuously reinvented within popular culture. Traditional myths from Greek, Norse, Indian, and Japanese traditions conveyed moral, spiritual, and social values, helping shape cultural identities. Today, these stories are reimagined in comics, film, and animation, reflecting modern ideals while retaining mythic archetypes and themes.
Likewise, historical figures such as kings, warriors, and rebels are often remembered not only for their factual deeds but as mythic exemplars of courage, justice, and resistance, their stories transformed and magnified in collective memory. Contemporary scholars suggest that modern superheroes might one day be regarded similarly, as ongoing retellings could elevate them to the status of legend, transcending their fictional origins much as classical heroes did.
So, while myth aligns partially with reality in terms of cultural impact, it diverges from strictly historical narrative. For further exploration, see
- A Ramayana for Our Times: Superheroes, Science Fiction and Myth
- From Gods to Superheroes: An Analysis of Indian Comics through a Mythological-Religious Lens
While critical logic is not identical to that of the Old Testament, I approach the question of myth through the Critical Theory of Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer.
Through a critique of art, the authors present the Odyssey as a foundational literary work (a myth rendered as art), whose narrative structure and characters (Odysseus and the Sirens) reveal the prehistory of instrumental rationality and bourgeois subjectivity: the figure of Odysseus in Book XII of the Odyssey (the encounter with the Sirens) is read as an allegory of the birth of the subject.
Enlightenment (instrumental reason) did not overcome myth — reiterated it in new forms: Odysseus is not an example of a bourgeois subject, but a mythical figure in whom Adorno and Horkheimer read the originary dialectic between myth and enlightenment, which, in turn, becomes constitutive of the modern subject—a cipher for the genesis of instrumental reason.
With the mytho, the authors are not simply applying a theory but allowing the immanent logic of the negative history to illuminate the theory itself, which thereby develops through its confrontation with the allegorical figure as a bearer of truth-content.
I recommend reading the work: Dialectic of Enlightenment by Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer.
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