Analysis of ancient literature
From CreationWiki, the encyclopedia of creation science
Analysis of ancient literature is the study of the origin, nature, and reliability of ancient history. There are two primary issues in the analysis of ancient literature with respect to Creationism:
- History and mythology - Some creationists believe that while some ancient literature is mythological, other ancient literature is historical. They base this belief on the literary characteristics of the literature itself, believing that mythology and history can be distinguished by the style and content of ancient literature. This contrasts with the typical evolutionist assumption that all ancient literature which is inconsistent with the Theory of evolution is both mythological and false.
- Origin of mythology - Some creationists believe that ancient pagan mythologies like that of the Greeks and Egyptians, and the creation and flood legends of many people groups, resulted from corruption, confusion, idolatry, and manipulation of accounts of historical realities, and thus, properly understood, they point to the historical events on which they are based. For example, Hercules (or Heracles) was a historical figure in ancient history: specifically, a great military leader that fought in North Africa, and is mentioned for his warfighting in many ancient histories. Only after he died and the details of his life were forgotten did he become a myth, in which hero worshippers devised many elaborate and fictional stories about him. Similarly, the flood legend of the Fijian people, for example, is a corrupted memory of Noah's flood. This view contrasts with the typical evolutionist view that all mythology is "fictional oral folk tales without historical content, passed down over centuries," and thus not useful in understanding the past.
