About that primordial surd

Now, where does that magical power come from? It does not come from the realm of the gods, because the gods draw on it as well. It comes from that primordial realm behind the gods.— Lectures in Old Testament Theology, pages 82-83

<idle musing>
To get the full understanding of what he's driving at, you need to remember the previous excerpt. Basically, the gods are subject to a power greater than themselves and must manipulate that power via magic—just as humans try to do. So gods are just bigger versions of humanity, subject to circumstances outside themselves but with a bit more power and a longer (unending) life...that's what makes the biblical God so different and unique—he condemns magic because he doesn't need to control anything—he already does! And you can't control him via magic because he is creator of all...

Personally I find that refreshing and freeing : )
</idle musing>