Every new archaeological discovery in the Middle East bears further witness to the stature of "one of the most remarkable Old Testament scholars of modern times," as Hermann Gunkel is characterized by W. F. Albright in the introduction to this book. Relying on a highly developed sense of religious and aesthetic values, and a broad knowledge of literary frms, Gunkel found in the Patriarchal legends accurate memories of past happenings.
Gunkel recognized the influence of Mesopotamian, Egyptian, and Canaanite elements and their transformation and integration into Hebrew thinking. He stood up against Wellhausen's widely influential treatment of Genesis as a collection of primitive, unhistorical myths. He prepared the way for contributions from cultural anthropology to he understanding of the Biblical period. "The parallels between the life of Genesis and the activities mentioned in contemporary extra-biblical sources are very far-reach-ing indeed," Albright declares, as he reminds us that "Abraham turns out to have been a caravan leader, and the very name 'Hebrew' refers to doney caravaneering."
Gunkel (1862-1932) succeeded Carl ornill in 1920 in the coveted chair of Old Testament at the University of Halle. This book is the opening section of this monumental Commentary on Genesis.