A recurrent myth in the Bible about God “slaying a dragon,” primarily in the Old
Testament, provides a test case for using the “study of Scripture as the soul of
theology” without depending on historical accuracy or indeed on “salvation history”
at all. Freeing us from the dangers of a resurgent focus on history in theological
interpretation, this article shows how the dragon-slaying myth speaks powerfully to
theodicy and the problem of evil.