Patternism

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Patternism is a method of comparing the teachings of the religions of the ancient Near East whereby the similarities between these religions are assumed to constitute an overarching pattern.{{Cite book|title=The Siege Perilous: Essays in Biblical Anthropology and Kindred Subjects|author=Samuel H. Hooke|publisher=Ayer Publishing|date=1970|page=174|isbn=0-8369-5525-0}} Opponents of this approach have employed the term patternism as a pejorative.{{Cite book|title=A Rigid Scrutiny: Critical Essays on the Old Testament|author=Ivan Engnell|publisher=Vanderbilt University Press|date=1969|page=23}} While supporters are unified in their belief that the similarities result from the fact that the religions of the ancient near east are related, patternists vary widely in their views about how closely related these religions are and why.{{Cite journal|journal=Supplements to Vetus Testamentum|title=Methodological Aspects of Old Testament Study|author=Ivan Engnell|publisher=E.J. Brill|date=1960|page=18}}