Bible: Old Testament: English Standard Version

Consider the question of authorship in relation to Old Testament texts. Is it important to know who wrote them? Why or why not?

Read The Epic of Gilgamesh from Babylonian literature and compare it to the primeval history narrated in Genesis 1-11. What are the major similarities and differences?

Assess the relative influence of the major world empires of Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, and Persia on the history of ancient Israel, and make a case for which empire has had the most formative influence on the Old Testament.