quote:
I wonder how long the Bible would have lasted without that kind of embellishment. Samson getting his weekly haircut in prison wouldn't be much of a page-turner.
—"Ringo"
Walter Ong has hypothesized based on studies of the transmissions of oral traditions that in the absence of writing, a tradition must remain relevant and retainable if it is to survive in a purely oral culture. For this reason, embellishment, adaptation and contextualization would have been NECESSARY tools of the trade for the Hebrew poets, orators etc. who were charged with the preservation of their myths.
Having said this, I am probably not as skeptical regarding the historical basis for many of the biblical tales as many on this forum. "Myth" does not mean untrue or not historically accurate. In concede that in almost every instance, the biblical "histories" have been edited, transformed, adapted and contextualized for their preservation and in many cases to support political and religious policies of the ruling classes. Does this mean that”in the present instance”there was no Samson, or that he was not freakishly strong? Not necessarily. There may well have been a figure from the pre-monarchic period upon whom these legends developed.
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