In the Enuma Elish poem, a reminder of Christianity is evident when Marduk (a god) says, “I shall make stand a human being…” (The Norton Anthology World Literature, Volume A, pg. 35) This statement by Marduk signifies the Babylonian belief about the creation of man. On the other hand, the Hebrew belief declares that God says, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness…” (New International Version Bible, Genesis 1:26) The Babylonian and Christian belief is comparable since each belief states that “a god” creates man. Likewise, there are variations between the two beliefs about the method of creation. For example, the Babylonian belief states that Ea, the god of crafts, creates man. Ea causes bone to appear and uses Qingu’s blood …show more content…
The Babylonian and Christian belief are comparable since each story is similar to the creation of man. Likewise, there are variations between the two beliefs as one belief states God created man and the other belief states that a mythical god created man.
The New International Version (NIV) Bible from the Hebrew religion provides a specific step-by-step account of how God creates the universe which is unlike the vague explanation of the Babylonian belief found in the Enuma Elish poem.
For example, the Bible clarifies in the book of Genesis that God creates the universe by speaking commands. God commands, “Let there be light” and there is light. (NIV Bible, Genesis 1:3) God commands, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water” and there is a vault. (NIV Bible, Genesis 1:6) God continues to speak commands for a total of six days until He creates the
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1077) Also, God commands, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.” (Genesis 1:11) In the Metamorphoses, Ovid states, “He ordered the open plains to spread themselves, valleys to sink, the stony peaks to rise…” (The Norton Anthology, pg. 1078) Although the Bible and the poem do not compare because the Bible is the word of God and the poem is from a man, the story of creation in the Metamorphoses is comparable to the verses in the Bible and both represent how the world appears
For example, in Genensis 1 the hewbrew word for Elohim is translated to "God" which is the general nname thats used for God. It was said that God brings the whole creation into existence out of nothing. He also reveals himself to Moses as Yahweh when he calls Moses to lead the people of Isreal out of slavery in Egypt. The book also covers how the creation stories arent descriptive, that they are more argumentative. It also claims to tell the thruth abut the world that contradicts other stories.
In short, each religion differs somewhat, but they all have similarities as well. Many stories in several classical religions share common themes or events. There are a great many similarities between stories of Babylonian, Greek, and Christian origin. An example of a shared event would be "the flood" story. Each of these religions tries to explain the reason of a severe flood, which historians have found actually occurred in their shared region.
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
Often a topic of debate, there are several different takes on the creation story existent in literature. Dependent on one’s religion, different beliefs about how the world we live in was created may arise. Looking deeper into the literature, one will realize there are also many similarities between creation stories. Based on the strong possibility that Genesis was influenced by the Enuma Elish, there are similarities that stem from the fact that they both describe the creation of a new world as well as differences in their interpretations and approaches to creationism.
During the opening of Beowulf, the poet summarizes the beginning chapters of Genesis in the Bible. The poet tells about “ The Almighty making of the earth, shaping beautiful plains, marked off by oceans, then proudly setting the sun and moon to glow across the land and light it”(7-10). In the Bible, Genesis 1:1 reads, “ In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Immediately following this passage, it goes on to explain the history of Creation. Included in this description is how God made light and dark, land and ocean, plant and animal, and finally the ultimate creation, man.
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.
Lastly the origin of life and they way it started out. On (Genesis 1:11) the earth didn’t beginning with humans, but with vegetation as stated “Let the earth sprout vegetation: seed-bearing plants, fruit trees of every kind of earth….”. As for (Creation of Hymn: line 4) talks about the“Desire came upon that one in the beginning; that was the first seed of mind. Poets seeking in their heart with wisdom found the bond of existence in non-existence.”. Discussing about how the first minds were born and were curious. Both quotes talk about how each life began through their own texts, one is established by vegetation the other through the human mind.
The Christian covenant promises that people will receive an earthly or heavenly inheritance on the premise of good behavior while the people of Mesopotamian society attempt to please the gods with no guarantee in their fate. The Christian God represents not just what is most powerful but what is morally best—humans were supposed to aspire to reach His level and ultimately imitate him especially since they were created in his image, whereas the Gods in Mesopotamia each had their own rules that the people were to follow. “You have assigned to everyone his place….You create the life.” (McKay, pg. 16). The Bible comes from the same region as Gilgamesh, and shares some of the same concepts and events, such as the snake as the enemy who deprived humans of eternal life and in Mesopotamian society, the flood. In both the Bible and Gilgamesh, disobedience to a god, or gods in Mesopotamian society, brings dire consequences; “The gods of the city turned away… The population breathed in fear.” (McKay, pg
The creation myth, Enuma Elish allows historians to see that early Babylonians valued power, and triumph over those who try to take it away. There is no compromise or peace in the myth, but rather destruction, gossip, and eventually the overthrowing of evil. Words such as, "rival", "overbearing", "raged", "destroy", "triumph",
The poet tells about “The Almighty making of the earth, shaping beautiful plains, marked off by oceans, then proudly setting the sun and moon to glow across the land and light it” (7-10). In the Bible, Genesis 1:1 reads, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
Mythology is the study of the language used to express experiences with and understandings of the “absolute reality.” There are four main functions that make up and are the foundation of mythology: Each of these functions plays a major role in categorizing the ideas and characters in their respective groups or section. To name these four functions there is the Mystical function which is also known as the sacred or universal function. The next function is the cosmological function or metaphor (character) function. Then comes the social or profane (personal function) which is one of the main functions that is involved in the idea of mythology. The last of the four functions is the pedagogical function or the moral function of
The Drama of Scripture written by Bartholomew and Goheen takes the reader on a journey through the entire Bible in six short “acts.” The first Act discusses creation and the establishment of God’s Kingdom. In the beginning was complete darkness. Then, God created light and divided the heavens and the earth. He then split the waters and the seas, creating dry ground on which the rest of creation could walk. He proceeded to make plants and flowers and the sun, moon, and stars. He created days and seasons and animals of all shapes and sizes. And then, to add the finishing touch, God created men and women, male and female, He created them. The book states that “the Genesis story is given so that we might have a true understanding of the world in which we live, its divine author, and our own place in it” (Bartholomew, 29). Genesis 1-3, the story of Creation, is prevalent because it introduces the author of creation, humanity, and the creation upon which humanity’s drama unfolds.
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.
Ovid’s Metamorphoses, tells of “The creator of the universe, originator of a better world, fashioned him from divine seed, or earth, . . . mixed with rain water by Prometheus, son of Iapetus, and fashioned by him into the likeness of the gods” (Ovid Metamorphoses I. 76-88). Prometheus is the creator in this account, and his method of creation resembles that of the Book of Genesis. God creates man in his Garden of Eden in the same fashion. God forms man out of the earth, just as Prometheus does. The two myths become even more alike when the reader finds that Athena breathes life into Prometheus’ man, just as God breathes life into Adam. When comparing these myths, it is quite apparent that the civilizations have similar views; both show strong ties to the idea that man thought it was created from the earth and made in the image of the gods.
God’s role in the Bible is characterized in several different ways, with dramatically competing attributes. He takes on many functions and, as literary characters are, he is dynamic and changes over time. The portrayal of God is unique in separate books throughout the Bible. This flexibility of role and character is exemplified by the discrepancy in the depiction of God in the book of Genesis in comparison to the depiction of God in the book of Job. On the larger scale, God creates with intention in Genesis in contrast to destroying without reason in Job. However, as the scale gets smaller, God’s creative authority can be seen in both books, yet this creative authority is manifested in entirely distinctive manners. In Genesis, God as