Why comparative studies?

Comparative studies help us to understand more fully the form of the biblical authors’ employed genres and the nature of their rhetorical devices so that we do not mistake these elements for something that they never were. Such an exercise does not compromise the authority of Scripture but ascribes authority to that which the communicator was actually communicating. We also need comparative studies in order to recognize the aspects of the communicators’ cognitive environment that are foreign to us and to read the text in light of their world and worldview.—The Lost World of Adam and Eve, p. 17

<idle musing>
Seems obvious, doesn't it? But it never hurts to remind people—especially in this day of using Scripture as a magic spell (not that doing so is a new phenomenon, we've uncovered amulets with Scripture on them in just about every time period).
</idle musing>