Lloyd M. Graham is out to show that the Bible, both the Old and New Testaments as we know them, are not “holy” nor are they the “word of God” revealed. The stories of the Bible were set down by power-seeking priests eager to inspire awe and to gather flocks who would take part in their rites and rituals, and they weren’t very original, either.  In Deceptions and Myths of the Bible , Graham reintroduces us to the true origins of Adam and Eve, who were derived from a Babylonian account; to the story of Noah’s flood, which was the result of over four hundred years of flood accounts from various ancient civilizations; to the man named Moses who was fashioned after the Syrian story of Mises; and even to the laws of the Bible, which were patterned after the Babylonian Code of Hammurabi. Graham points out the 137 similarities between the story of Jesus and the story of the Egyptian god Horus, and the hundreds and hundreds of similarities between the story of Christ and the Hindu god Krishna.  For any reader interested in history or theology, Graham’s book is essential, eye-opening, and controversial reading. If you are an atheist, you’ll be eager to read these arguments in support of your beliefs. If you are agnostic, you will want to have this evidence at your fingertips as you weigh systems of belief and disbelief. If you are religious, you will want to know how your faith came into being and how a study of history might shake or support your beliefs. Lloyd M. Graham is a pseudonym. Because of the controversial nature of his writings, he does not want his identity or his hometown revealed. He is a Biblical scholar and a student of mythology. Deceptions and Myths of the Bible By Lloyd M. Graham Skyhorse Publishing Copyright © 2012 Lloyd Graham All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-61608-675-6 Contents Preface, Premise: A Genetic Cosmo-Conception, Causation, Energy (Source), Planetary Elements, Qualities, Laws, Biologic Forms, Cosmic Forms, Summary, The Scriptures: The Concealed Truth Revealed, Chapter I Genesis or Creation, The Priestly Account, Divine Fiat, Eden, The Garden of Eden, Paradise, etc., Chapter II The Jhwhistic Account, Genesis: Second Chapter, Chapter III The Serpent, Come Back to Erin, Chapter IV Genesis: Third Chapter, Chapter V Genesis: Fourth Chapter, Chapter VI Noah and the Flood, Chapter VII The Tower of Babel, Genesis: Eleventh Chapter, Chapter VIII, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Chapter IX Joseph, Chapter X Exodus, or Evolution, Chapter XI Mount Sinai and the Laws, Chapter XII Joshua, Chapter XIII Judges and Kings, Judges, Samson, Samuel, Saul and David, David, Psalms, Solomon, Chapter XIV The Prophets, Isaiah, Ezra, Nehemiah, Elijah, Elisha, Chapter XV Ezekiel's Vision, Chapter XVI Daniel, Chapter XVII Jonah, Chapter XVIII Job, Chapter XIX The New Testament, The Mythical Nature of Christ, The Social Context, Chapter XX The Gospel Story, Chapter XXI The Miracles, Turning the Water into Wine, Feeding the Multitude, Walking on the Water, The Transfiguration, The Crucifixion, The Resurrection, Chapter XXII Revelation, Part I, Chapter XXIII Revelation, Part II, Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Laodicea, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, Chapter XXIV Paul, Chapter XXV Christianity: Its False Doctrines, Chapter XXVI The Church: Its False Foundation, The Dark and Middle Ages, Index, CHAPTER 1 Genesis or Creation The Priestly Account Divine Fiat Heaven and earth, centre and circumference were made in the same instance of time and clouds full of water and man was created by the Trinity on the 26th of October, 4004 B.C., at 9 o'clock in the morning. Dr. John lightfoot, 1654. This was priestly knowledge of Creation in the seventeenth century A.D. What then of the seventh century B.C.? It should be understood that there was at that time no knowledge of man's natural development — anthropology, or of the creative process — cosmogony. To its priestly scribes this world was the center of the universe and man the sole concern of its Creator. That there were other worlds and galaxies was quite beyond their comprehension. So let us realize that priests are not revealers of truth but only keepers of traditions, and that the purpose of both the scribes and their later translators was not to reveal the truth but to lay the basis of a theistic religion, based on the supernatural and the terrifying. This accounts for the presence here of the awesome word God. The original Hebrew did not use this singular word, or its equivalent, but the plural Elohim, many gods or aspects. Had this been followed, the mental darkness of monotheism might have been dispelled. It should also be noted that the word genesis does not mean "something out of nothing." It is a derivative of the word gene, the life germ, thus implying generation, growth. This is the key to the Mystery and if we would solve it we must make a clear distinction between