The Origin of the Garden of Eden Story

[A_Nony_Mouse]

Not only all of that but the Judean Yahweh cult was most likely created for them as a backstory for the dictatorial tyranny of Maccabe rule.
Made in Alexandria: The Origin of the Yahweh Cult I have "confirmed" this theory in the scientific sense by making correct predictions using it.

How does one make predictions using an old text? Some kind of magic?

Or do you mean you picked something to look for, then went and "found" it???
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My theory is where the stories of the Old Testament came from. The short form is that subject line.

After lots of reading I made a prediction (on the newsgroup soc.history.ancient) that the Maccabe revolt was not against Greek rule or Greek culture as is the popular religious tradition but was a proxy war between the Ptolemys and Seleucids, saying I expected or hoped to find the evidence some day. I found it about a year later right in Josephus' Wars of the Jews. He clearly says it was against the Seleucids with the support of the Ptolemys.

The support was significant. The high priest who initiated the sedition against the Seleucids fled and became a refugee in Egypt. Ptolemy built a copy of the city of Jerusalem for him to rule. The copy city became so powerful on its own that later Tiberius had to divert troops to conquer it to end its support of the rebellion.

Granted not quite a prediction in the usual sense of testing a theory but a test nevertheless.