God. A biography - Dangerously unpredictable

What is this thing?

Historical criticism has long since noted the similarity of the biblical flood story, in both its general structure and a number of salient details, to the comparable myth in Babylonia. … There are two differences between the Babylonian and the biblical myths, however. First, at least in synthetic form, the biblical myth provides the deity with an ethical pretext for punishing mankind: His action is not gratuitous; mankind deserves it. Second, and far more important, the Babylonian myth pits Marduk against the watery chaos-monster, Tiamat. In other words, one god starts the flood; another god--after an epic battle--ends it. (p45)

This is just one aspect: the two Hebrew stories, each akin to the Babylonian, one of 'God' and the other of 'Lord,' have been interwoven, and each has presumably subsumed an independent, "serpentine, watery destroyer, (elsewhere, in Hebrew, called Rahab)." Miles says now, this character acting out in this story has two split personalities, to simplify somewhat, each a creator/destroyer. And looking ahead, this creator/destroyer doesn't know what he wants, not until he sees his creation mucking around, does he know where he wants to put the limits.

So, here you have it: some distant thing has all you hold dear in its hands; holds claim to it, as it was his gift; doesn't know what he wants to do with it; and will smear it all over creation if he's so moved. Quick, what do you do?

Miles calls each of these creator/destroyers "the fruit of a distinct artistic and religious breakthrough." (p46). What does that mean? What did this Hebrew process create? And then, what does mankind do with them? After the flood story, "we realize what he is capable of, and we cannot forget it. He is not just unpredictable, but dangerously unpredictable." (p46)

Back to me, Bob. Which potato bug lives and which potato bug dies? The one that lands near something to eat lives. Unless a farmer kills it. The one that lands in a grassy field dies. Unless there is a weed near by that it can gristle through. Man, heroically trying to deny his own contingency.

Next, the Hebrew god learns about sex.