Genesis (bible) – random notes
The first five books—Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, book of Numbers and Deuteronomy reached their present form in the Persian period (538–332 BC)
written about 500 BC
The first five books—Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, book of Numbers and Deuteronomy—reached their present form in the Persian period (538–332 BC), and their authors were the elite of exilic returnees who controlled the Temple at that time.
There is a broad consensus among scholars that these originated as a single work (the so-called “Deuteronomistic History“) during the Babylonian exile of the 6th century BC. [ie: 5xx. BC]
American science writer Homer W. Smith points out similarities between the Genesis creation narrative and that of the Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh, such as the inclusion of the creation of the first man (Adam/Enkidu) in the Garden of Eden, a tree of knowledge, a tree of life, and a deceptive serpent