Akhenaten

A cache of over 380 cuneiform tablets, written in Akkadian, the ancient international language, sheds light on the political realities of the Levant in late 14th century, more than 100 years before the appearance of Israel.

The creation accounts, the Garden of Eden, the innovations and life spans of early humans, and the flood story are best understood as an Axial Age critique of polytheistic, mythical cosmology.

Themes from the Egyptian Great Hymn of the Aten, the divine sun disk, appear in Psalm 104: dangerous animals at night, human activity during the day, a focus on humans as opposed to Israelites, the great power of water, and many more.

The change in usage over time and what this tells us about the biblical text.