Compare and Contrast Genesis and Enuma Elish - 1121 Words

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. The Enuma Elish is a Babylonian creation story comprised of seven tablets. It was thought to be used during celebrations and ceremonies in 12th century B.C. The story focuses on many Gods, primarily Tiamat and Marduk. The title, Enuma Elish means â€Å"when on high† in old Babylonian. Genesis, the first book of the Christian Old Testament in the Bible, was written around the 5th century B.C. Genesis is al so a creation story featuring God and his creation of Adam and Eve. The title Genesis means â€Å"beginning† in the Hebrew language. 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, â€Å"both†¦stor[ies] are introduced by a temporal clause†. â€Å"When on high† gives Enuma Elish the spiritual sense while â€Å"in the beginning† is Genesis’s worldly opening. Additionally, the way bothShow MoreRelatedComparing The Creation Stories Of Ancient Israelite Views Of God And God s Creative Work Essay1816 Words   |  8 PagesCompare and contrast the creation stories in Enuma Elish and in Genesis. In particular, assess what this comparative work tells us about ancient Israelite views of God and God’s creative work. Genesis 1, the first chapter in the bible, is easily the most well known creation story to come out of the Ancient Near East. However, that does not mean that it was the only creation story to come out of that period. The Babylonian epic, the Enuma Elish was one such story. It is in essence a history of theRead MoreCosmologies Views on Creation1076 Words   |  5 PagesGod revealed the story to the writer in some way (Schittjer, 2006). One of the theories of how the creation story could have been written is from adaptations of other cosmologies. In this paper, I will look into some of these cosmologies and compare and contrast the similarities and differences between them and the biblical narrative of the creation story. One of the most contrasting cosmology to the bible is the Egyptians. As we know, the Egyptians were the ones to enslave Israel under their powerRead MoreEssay about Cannibal Spell vs Hymn to Aten732 Words   |  3 PagesCOMPARE AND CONTRAST CANNIBAL SPELL FOR KING UNIS AND GREAT HYMN TO ATEN Early civilizations each chose their own way to interpret their world and convey the morals and expectations they valued. Though the differences between them are many and vast, there are several common themes found as the oldest societies this world knows began to define their existence and purpose in the universe. No matter where they found themselves, they possessed a universal question and curiosity of their origins. Read MoreMs Paul2146 Words   |  9 Pagesan analysis of the Biblical view of the world and compares it other works in the Ancient Near East of that time with the development of the Bible. This is done by an in-depth analysis of the underlying beliefs inherent in mythology and the Biblical text. Of primary significance is the authors portrayal of the Biblical insistence on monotheism and divine transcendence compared to the polytheistic underpinnings of mythology. The author compares the ethically based Biblical view of the divine/humanRead MoreComparitive Flood Stories Essay3018 Words   |  13 PagesComparitive Flood Stories Most comparisons between Genesis and ancient Creation or Flood stories can be classified as comparative religious studies. They generally involve one text isolated from its original historical context (e.g., the Babylonian creation myth Enuma Elish or the Flood tablet of the Gilgamesh Epic) and one related biblical narrative. On the basis of currently available evidence, their earliest-known written form can be dated only to the first half of the first millenium