Canaanite Myth and Hebrew Epic

Directed toward a synthesis of the history of the religion of Israel, the essays in this volume address key aspects of Israelite religion and the Canaanite culture from which it emerged; explores the tension between the mythic and the historical in Israel's religious expression; and examines the reemergence of Canaanite mythic material in the apocalypticism of early Christianity and the Dead Sea Scrolls.

The modern discussin of Patriarchal religion may be said to begin with the brilliant essay of Albrech Alt, Der Gott der Vater, published first in 1929. Alt proposed to use new means to penetrate into the prehistory of Israel`s traditions of the old time.
(Frank Moore Cross: Canaanite Myth and Hebrew Epic, page 3)