Comparing Enuma Elish And Genesis

Creation stories are symbolic accounts of how the world and its inhabitants came about. These stories first developed in oral traditions, so there are multiple accounts of them from different cultures and societies. The Babylonian Creation story, the Genesis Creation story, and the Sumerian story of the Creation of Enkidu are examples of these and the similarities are interesting. As Dennis Bratcher states, “Because of many parallels with the Genesis account, some historians concluded that the Genesis account was simply a rewriting of the Babylonian Story. As a reaction, many who wanted to maintain the uniqueness of the Bible argues either that there were no real parallels between the accounts or that the Genesis narratives were

The narrative of the creation of the world in Genesis mirrors elements of other ancient creation stories, including that of the ancient Egyptians. This should hardly be surprising for two reasons: The first is that Egyptian culture (including its religion) remained one of the most important influences in the world at the time during which the earliest versions of Genesis were being

There are many similarities between Enuma Elish and Genesis that lead scholars to believe that the latter was influenced by the former. First of all, according to the Journal of Biblical literature, “both…stor[ies] are introduced by a temporal clause”. “When on high” gives Enuma Elish the spiritual sense while “in the beginning” is Genesis’s worldly opening. Additionally, the way both

Along with providing information on the origins of the natural world, Genesis also provides insight into how the world was originally intended to function. After God was finished with his creative work, He declared that everything was “very good” (Genesis 1:31). At this point in time, all of creation was living in perfect harmony—until Adam and Eve sinned. After Adam and Eve gave into Satan’s temptation, sin entered the world and changed how the natural world functioned. Genesis chapters 3-11 show continuous examples of how sin infected the natural world. Animals had to be killed (Genesis 3:21 and 4:4), death entered the human race (as can be implied from Genesis

    The Enuma Elish, often known as The Creation Epic, is often considered the primary source of Mesopotamian cosmology. However, to view the Enuma Elish as a cosmological myth obscures the true intent of the epicís author. The cosmological elements of the Enuma Elish are secondary to the authorís effort to explain the supremacy of Marduk, to justify absolute oriental monarchy, and to defend Babylon as the axis mundi.

Within “Enuma Elish,” the Babylonians gave an account of how they believed the world was formed. The gods were viewed as most important, and supposedly had absolute power, however, these gods were not preexisting, nor all powerful. “I shall appoint my holy chambers / I shall establish my kingship”(V.32.7-8). The gods were believed to rule over everything that occurred in the universe. Contrary to the most high God, the gods depicted in Enuma Elish were self centered, arrogant bigots. According to this myth, humans were created to serve the gods. “I shall create humankind, they shall bear the gods’ burdens that those may rest”(VI.33.6-7-8). Marduk, the creator god, was viewed as a hero, because of his overthrowing of Tiamat and Apsu. “He is indeed the son, the Sun, the most radiant of the gods”(VI.35.87-88). Though Marduk

While Genesis in the bible and The Epic of Gilgamesh have striking similarities in the sense of creation and the great flood, the interactions between the divine beings and humans differ greatly. One matter that impacts the entire relationship between gods and humans in both accounts is that the gods in the epic are not almighty beings like God in Genesis since they cannot control each other’s domain. Because of this, they must travel from place to place and work with other gods to carry out a certain task. The gods in The Epic of Gilgamesh act very much like humans and interfere more with their daily lives. In contrast, the all-powerful god in Genesis seems distant and far from having human-like characteristics and does not need to interact with other gods. At the same time, both stories display the reverence and fear humans have for the supreme beings because of their authoritative qualities.

The Enuma Elish explains this creation by using numerous gods to create earth, for example: Apsu and Tiamat are the water that helps flood the landmass that is later created into earth. Lahmu and Lahumu are the silt that later is turned into the actual earth and dirt that individuals walk on. So the story uses the forces of nature and considers them as gods whereas many people just see rivers and ocean as just water and nothing else.

In Genesis, the first book of The Bible the Christian and Jewish creation story is told. God spoke and his Word was done. He made the heavens and the earth. He made light and drove away the dark. On the earth he created the waters and lands and man and beast.

God does not hold Himself distant from His creation, but He embraces it; He walks with it. He engages with that which He created. The story of Creation shows that the author of it all is personal, intimate, and cares about what He created. Act one gives us a glimpse of how the world was supposed to be; a beautiful, intimate, God –in –the –midst life of perfect satisfaction with the absence of sin. However, this all crumbled in Act two when Adam and Eve decided to disobey God and take their lives into

But that is about all they have in common. In the Jahwist source mankind is formed from dust, however in Enuma Elish mankind is made from the blood vessels of Kingu. Also, literary features in the Jahwist account express that, mankind had more of a significance in the creation story, giving it an anthropological sense, and that God is described more anthropomorphically. Therefore it is no surprise that, in Genesis, mankind is described as being created in God’s “image” and “likeness”, but in Enuma Elish, mankind is called a “savage” and created to do the leading deities bidding and relieve them of their physical labor. The central deity, Marduk states, “He will be charged with the service of the gods that they might be at ease”. This is different to the Jahwist creation story in why mankind was created. Because mankind was created in God’s image, we take on a kind of priestly and kingly role to “subdue” and “rule” over creation. While the creation account in Genesis shows mankind to be God’s workers it is not so that Jahwist can have mankind do his bidding, but instead help him with his responsibilities over creation.

Since the beginning of time, societies have created stories to explain the mystery of the origin of man and the universe. In the Babylonian text, Enuma Elish and the book of Genesis-which originated in the same part of the world-one finds two very different stories about the creation of man. These two creation stories contrast the two societies that created them: the chaotic lives of servitude of the Babylonians and the lives of the recently freed Jewish people.

Now that we have been introduced to similarities that exist between what we find within the Old Testament, and what we find from the Ancient Near East, we must know explore what specifically the similarities are, as well as finding some differences among them. First, we should start by comparing the origin stories found in Genesis 1-11, and their ANE counterparts. The Mesopotamian Enuma Elish starts off by describing a cosmic conflict that is occurring between two deities, Marduk and Tiamat. After killing the evil Tiamat, Marduk uses her carcass to create heaven and earth, and then, with help from his father, uses her and her co-conspirator’s blood to create humankind to do the hard labor on the earth. Coming from an Old Testament background, we can infer that the conflict between Marduk and Tiamat points to Cain and Abel the first murder, as well as Adam and Eve, where the women, Eve, first partakes in the sin which eventually brings evil into the world. In addition, the fact of human kind being the labor force on earth refers to God’s creation of Adam and His curse to him saying he would have to work the land in order to

Most creation myths are mostly stories about the creation of the world. Also a lot of these creation stories are engraved and written within the paramids making them “Pyramid Texts.” Lastly, These Myths involves some type of god or gods that created the earth and what it is today. These two are similar to Enuma Elish because they both have something to do with the creation of the world and how the world has come to be as we know it.

The book of Genesis is often referred to as the book of beginnings. Genesis is the first book that begins the Old Testament, it is also the first book of the entire Bible. The Lord also began the world in the book of Genesis, He made the heavens and the earth, man and woman. In Genesis chapters one through eleven, the Bible teaches us stories that most of us have grown up hearing in Sunday School such as the creation account, Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah and the flood and the tower of Babel. In this book of beginnings, we are shown some of Gods characteristics; we see that God is love and He showed His love by creating us and the world, on the other extreme, we also see the wrath of God. Through these teachings, we are able to see that God ultimately in control and holds everything in His balance. The stories of Genesis aren’t just stories; they are real life accounts that can help build and shape a worldview on things regarding the natural world, human identity, human relationships and civilization.