"Outside the Bible" and the Beginnings of Biblical Interpretation 

Thank you. Excellent talk by Dr Kugel.

And why grain offerings were later acceptable; Genesis 8:21-22 ISR98 And יהוה smelled a soothing fragrance, and יהוה said in His heart, “Never again shall I curse the ground because of man, although the inclination of man’s heart is evil from his youth, and never again smite all living creatures , as I have done, as long as the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease.”

Genesis 3:17-19 ISR98 And to the man He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘Do not eat of it’: “[Cursed is the ground because of you], in toil you are to eat of it all the days of your life, and the ground shall bring forth thorns and thistles for you, and you shall eat the plants of the field. “By the sweat of your face you are to eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For dust you are, and to dust you return.” Genesis 4:3 ISR98 And it came to be, in the course of time, that Qayin brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to יהוה. Genesis 5:4 ISR98 And after he brought forth Shĕth, the days of Aḏam were eight hundred years. And he brought forth sons and [daughters.]

I was taught the books of the Pseudopigrapha were not accepted because the authors were unknown, so I wonder why these writings are being accepted, when no one knows their authors, and the books in the Pseudopigrapha are not.

Very god like

I hope these texts become critically studied.

Sorry more accurately Prof Kugel. One point: it would have been more helpful to have heard the questioners more clearly, still that did not detract from what was an enjoyable talk.

Maybe it's just me but I couldn't get into this lecture. He just seemed to ramble on.