Hi,

One thing you may find interesting is that the writers of the Bible had a very different understanding of what counted as a fact and what counted as fiction as opposed to our understanding today.

You may also find an atheist scholar of antiquity like Francesca Stavrakopoulou of interest since you visited the actual sites in the Holy land. She's out there often as well.

The bible is largely cultural mythology. The old testament was written to foster the image of the Jewish people as God's chosen people and to promote the surrounding theology. The New Testament was written totally to promote and enshrine Christianity.