GTJ 11:2 (Fall 90) p. 144 Israel and the surrounding nations. On one level there is absolute contrast—true religion versus idolatry. Israel was called upon to abhor the religious systems of ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Canaan. However on another level there is cultural continuity which can be exploited toward the recovery of the mindset and perceptions of the original recipients of divine revelation and this in a number of different areas. On the simplest level, consider the language of the Old