a book written by a modern author who sits behind a desk, wrinkles his or her brow, and imaginatively concocts new characters and plots. The writing of the Bible involved the recording of ancient traditions that had been passed orally for generations from teachers to pupils, from the society’s elders to its youngest members—an idea expressed in Exodus 13:8: “And you shall tell your son.” Indeed, this book is our attempt to recover the pre-biblical traditions and to offer a glimpse of the rich lives