The academic study of the Hebrew Bible includes thousands of scholars from around the world. These scholars use various methods developed by other disciplines to study ancient texts along with other approaches distinctive to biblical studies. Biblical scholars have recently divided the profession into three paradigms commonly referred to as the three worlds. In particular, some scholars focus on the world within the text; others explore the world in front of the text; and others focus on the world behind the text. First, scholars who look at the world behind the text are concerned with understanding the world into which the Bible was born. In particular, scholars specializing in this field seek to determine why texts were written, what kind of source materials the authors may have used when preparing their text, and how these materials may have been modified for the community to integrate them into their texts. own texts. culture. These questions are ultimately problematic because they lack external evidence to refute or conform their conclusions. As a result, this field is highly theoretical as new theories continue to emerge. Additionally, scholars of this paradigm focus on archaeological and epigraphic evidence to understand whether events in the Hebrew Bible accurately narrate the historical record. Specifically, archaeologists conduct excavations to uncover documents from Israel so that the data can be studied by historians, while other archaeologists incorporate literary documents with archaeological data to reconstruct the period in which the biblical accounts took place. This process is long and tedious as most of the data may be difficult to relate to the literary material. Also...... middle of paper ...... or validate the biblical narratives. This biased view is extremely problematic since individuals may interpret pre-existing data to validate their own worldview. For example, fundamentalists often believe in a worldwide flood. This belief states that the Earth was once covered with water, in which all humans and animals died, except those saved on the Ark. The legend of a global flood is common in many cultures throughout the Middle East as it is believed to have originated from an actual historical flood, probably near the Caspian region. Despite overwhelming evidence refuting the idea of ​​a worldwide flood, fundamentalists often reject or use misinformation to justify their position. For example, supporters of a world flood use the flood as an explanation for the existence of the geological column, as well as other geological phenomena..