Why Some Scholars Think That Genesis is Related to these Babylonian Myths
1. Similar openings: (formlessness and use of the image of the world being founded on "deep waters")
a) Babylonian:
When above, the
heaven was not named yet, and below, the earth had not yet been granted a name,
when the waters of Apsu ... and Tiamat ... were mixed in one only thing;
when the fields were no yet linked in one another, when reed-bushes had not yet
appeared ... gods were created in the depths of the waters .…
b) Genesis:
In the beginning ...
the earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the
deep; and the spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters .…
(note that the Genesis account goes on to talk about the creation of the land,
of vegetation on the dry land, and of the beasts of the field)
2. Similar division between upper and lower waters:
a) Babylonian:
“He split
her [Tiamat, the watery chaos] like a shell-fish in two parts; half
of her he set up and ceiled it as a sky, pulled down the bar and posted
guards. He bade them to allow not her waters to escape.”
b) Genesis:
And God said,
“Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the
waters from the waters.” And God made the firmament and separated the
waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the
firmament.
* Some versions translate firmament as a "dome" in the heavens. Note how this image is reminiscent of Tiamat being split like a shell-fish into two parts; one half-shell being placed above to form the sky.
3. Similar construction of the heavens and creation of the days and seasons: (there is a lot of "dividing" and "making" and "fixing" in place)
a) Babylonian:
He fixed
as Esharra, the Great Abode, its likeness, which he made as the firmament.
Anu, Enlil and Ea he made occupy their places. He constructed stations for
the great gods, fixing their astral likenesses as constellations ... After, he
defined the days of the year ... created the stars ... and created
mankind.
b) Genesis:
And God said,
“Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to separate the day from
the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and
years, and let them be lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light upon
the earth” ... And God made the two great lights, the greater light to rule the
day, and the lesser light to rule the night; he made the stars also.
And God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light upon the earth
....
4. Similarities in the creation of Man:
a) Babylonian:
Although
in Enuma Elish, the creation of man is from blood, note that in Gilgamesh, man
is fashioned from the clay of the earth (like a potter fashions clay, "pinching
it off" at the top)
b) Genesis:
... then the
Lord God formed man of dust from the ground ....
5. Similar accounts of a "garden":
a) Babylonian:
In the
Gilgamesh epic, Gilgamesh arrives during his voyages at a wonderful oasis, where
there are the trees of the gods, with branches of lapis-lazuli and wonderful
fruit.
b) Genesis:
And the Lord
God planted a garden in Eden, in the east; and there he put the man whom
he had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made to grow every tree
that is pleasant to the sight and good for food ....
6. Similarities in accounts of the Flood:
Similarities between Utnapishtim in Gilgamesh and Noah in Genesis:
* both ordered to build a ship, take all living things
aboard
* flood destroys all mankind
* sending out of a dove from the boat that comes back,
indicating no dry land
* ship comes to rest
finally on a mountain
Having looked at some of the similarities, let's now take a look at some of the differences:
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| Creation seen as the result of a great battle against chaos. Creation account envisions making the things in the universe from formerly existing stuff. The gods only name things that were already there. | God creates by His Word, from nothing. |
| The gods are created and subject to nature. Mardok has parents, whom he must kill. | God is the origin and ruler of all nature. |
| The sun and moon are gods. | These are not gods, nor the abode of gods, but merely "luminaries" that also measure time. They are creatures in the service of God, just like other creatures. |
| Man is created out of blood. | Man is created out of the earth. |
| The whole of creation is the result of violent struggle. Apsu and Tiamat want to kill all the gods because they can't sleep at night. Mardok slays Tiamat and Kingu; from the corpse of Tiamat, he fashions the universe, and from the blood of Kingu, he brings forth man. | The earth, as with all of creation, is said to be "good, very good." |
| Man is created to serve the gods in order that the gods may be at ease. | Man is created in order to enjoy the gift of creation, which is prepared precisely for him. |
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| The Flood is the result of an argument between the gods whose rest (like that of Apsu and Tiamat) was being disturbed by the noise of man. | The Flood is the result of God's justice due to the sin of man. |
| Furthermore, the gods cower like dogs in fear once the flood starts, regret their action, and then hungrily gather around Utnapishtim's sacrifice at the end like flies around honey. | Noah gives thanks and God recognizes this by making a covenant with him. |
| The salvation of the hero is done secretly; Utnapishtim is whisked away to "reside far away, at the mouth of the rivers" where he alone enjoys immortality. | The salvation of the hero has reper-cussions for all of mankind. Noah is not whisked away. Rather he is commanded, like the first man, to multiply and fill the earth. Although his offspring are not more righteous than the people punished in the Flood, yet God promises that there shall never again be another great Flood. |
Genesis Message:
No matter how bad the situation, God is there. Even complete and utter
catastrophe is part of God's plan. Although there is punishment, there is also
salvation for the faithful, for those who follow God's commandments and accept
His guidance.
Conclusion:
The author of Genesis may well have used some of the images drawn from these
Babylonian epics. But these images are now part of a very different story. The
author of Genesis has used the images, but dynamically reinterpreted them in
accord with his own faith in a just and loving God. In fact, it seems likely
that the Genesis account was written as a subtle condemnation of the theology
behind the Babylonian accounts.
In the case of creation, the message is this: The universe is not the result
of violent disputes between supernatural forces that either care nothing about
man or, indeed, are inimical to him. Rather, the universe is the gift to
humanity of a single, loving Creator.
In the case of the Flood, the message is this: The fortunes of man are not
the result of violent disputes between supernatural forces that care nothing
about man or, indeed, are inimical to him. Rather, even the greatest tragedies
are under the control of a just and loving God.
