I would suggest using the "Google" feature on the left hand side of the website to find the threads.

You can also find a discussion on my blog here.

In light of the highlighted text from Kevin, scholars now accept the conclusion that the books of the Bible are largely eponymous, edifying fiction written by scribes who used literary models from all over the ancient Near Eastern and Hellenistic world.  This included Homeric models, however you do not see prevalent use of Homeric models until after Alexander the Great conquered the region in the fourth century BCE.  Even if much of the Hebrew Bible was composed during the Hellenistic period, there is more evidence of ancient Near Eastern influence on those texts than from Hellenistic influence.  You do not start seeing Homeric models being used by Jewish scribes in great extent until the last few centuries in the so-called apocryphal books, and early Christians when composing the Gospel narratives and deuterocanonical works, many which were composed in Greek.  In the books which were originally composed in Hebrew is it doubtful that such models would have been helpful because models appear to be chosen based on compatibility with composition and emulation.  This is why you see much greater use of Greek models in works written in Greek rather than in Hebrew or Aramaic, which would have more utilized semitic literature.

You mean aside from me?   I would start with my blog, because I generally cite my sources.  This means that if you find a particular historical/biblical subject entertaining or compelling, the outside reading material is easy to be found (just look towards the bottom of the articles).   To give you some idea...my most recent article on ancient Israel has some 44-45 endnotes.  You can find my blog here.  Don't be afraid to read older articles.

By the by...what parts didn't you understand?  I would be more than happy to explain things more clearly.

[q]what parts didn't you understand?[/q]

Just think of me as having only seen Christian epics on TV. I have not really been interested in history until now so I don't know too much about it. I'm hoping to be a late bloomer on history .

Thanks for the link to your blog.

Have you ever heard of Ken Humphries?

Cheers

Not a scholar, but a much better history presentation. Not nearly as sensationalized, for sure .....

   There is a 14 min clip in Google Videos

Well two scholars took part in its creation, including Richard Carrier and Robert Price, both of whom are well worth their weight in history and biblical studies.  Richard Carrier is a classical historian, while Robert Price was a fellow of the Jesus Seminar.  This movie is much better with its presentation of facts, however it has its flaws as well.  It is still a heck of a lot better than Zeitgeist.  I would still recommend the library to movies though.

Try "101 Myths of the Bible" by Gary Greenburg. He is, or was president of the Biblical Archaeioligy Society of New York. I can't swear to the accuracy of his research, perhaps Rook can provide some insight there.  Another good read would be "Misquoting Jesus" by Bart D. Erhman, a former fundy who still believes in god but not the bible.

Google offers alot  .... summaries, comments, reviews , etc

                 Don't rush ..... relax