Comparing the first Bible ever written (called the Yahwist or Tamar Bible) with today’s Bible, like the one you have at home, highlights the changes made to the religion over some 600 years by the Jewish priests. The Tamar Bible covered the period from the Creation to the time of King David, about 1000 BCE, when it was written. You can see the differences yourself if you wish, for the entire text of the Tamar Bible is included in the Appendix.
The priests made voluminous additions throughout the Tamar Bible text and thus materially changed the original Judaism. They added the events on Mount Sinai, which made Judaism into a religion of law (the laws of Moses), where it had previously been a religion revolving around the land (the Promised Land). To get the people to comply with the laws of Moses, the priests instilled the fear of God in the people by showing them that God can be very violent and fearsome if He is disobeyed. Previously, the original Judaism was a simple religion with no constraints placed on the people, a religion of total personal freedom without any biblical restrictions or requirements; only the traditions and customs of the community governed what the people did, and they did well through the time of King David. King David had conquered much of the Middle East and the Jewish nation was then foremost in influence and riches.
The priests forced monotheism on the originally polytheist Judaism. It was a tough battle as seen throughout many pages of today’s Bible because the stiff necked Jewish people did not lightly yield the beliefs and idols of their fathers. The priests built exclusivity into Judaism so as to separate the people from their polytheist neighbors. They required circumcision and adherence to dietary and purity laws, and called them the Chosen People. Exclusivity elevated self-esteem but later deterred conversions to Judaism when attendance at synagogues had become popular in ancient Rome and still later the exclusivity created discrimination against Jews.
The Jewish prophets added little theology to Judaism, but contributed much to the later advent of Christianity. The rabbis added ritual to Judaism by requiring adherence to their Oral Law in addition to the biblical laws of Moses, and it was the rabbinate that kept the Jewish people together during the 2000 years of diaspora after the Romans threw both Jew and Christian out of Jerusalem.
Many unexpected revelations came to light when comparing the old and new Bibles. For instance, according to the old religion the Jews were not slaves when they lived in Egypt, and the exodus was accomplished without killing, plaguing or plundering Egyptians. Interestingly, the Hagar/Ishmael narrative, which was very favorable to Arab neighbors, proved to be a later priestly addition to the Bible. The reasons for these and other priestly additions are not presently known, but will undoubtedly be found in time as scholarship and research is drawn to these matters.
The priests also sought to sanitize the earthy Tamar Bible. Solomon was the child of King David and Bathsheba’s adultery, and he got the throne through fraud, both matters sanitized by the priests. Later priests also changed what previous generations of priests had added to the Tamar Bible. For instance, King Solomon was at first applauded as the wisest man in the world and later condemned by God and his kingdom split into two; he started the decline and fall of the Jewish nation. In another earthy Tamar narrative, Abraham’s subterfuge of claiming Sarah to be his sister rather than his wife led to the Pharaoh taking Sarah into his harem; which the priests sanitized by adding their own contradictory narrative.
There are many revelations such as these, each casting new light on the Bible and exposing fertile ground for thought and exploration. This book is an intriguing and surprisingly easy read, and you’ll wind up with a better understanding of your religion.
