But one might ask why it is that God can’t use the category we call “myth” to speak to ancient Israelites. We seem to think of myth as something ancient people thought up because they didn’t want to listen to what God said, and so at the outset of the discussion the Bible is already set up in full contrast to the ancient Near Eastern literature. I don’t think this is the case. If some consensus could be reached for an alternative term, it would seem profitable to abandon the word “myth” altogether,