Enūma Eliš

Template:Mesopotamian myth (Babylon) Enûma Eliš is the Babylonian or Mesopotamian creation epic. It was first discovered by modern scholars (in fragmentary form) in the ruined library of Ashurbanipal at Nineveh (Mosul, Iraq).

Enûma Elish has about a thousand lines and is recorded in Akkadian on seven clay tablets. The majority of Tablet V has never been recovered, but aside from this lacuna the text is almost complete.

This epic is one of the most important sources for understanding the Babylonian worldview, centered on the supremacy of Marduk and the existence of mankind for the service of the gods. Its primary original purpose, however, is not an exposition of theology or theogony, but the elevation of Marduk, the chief god of Babylon, above other Mesopotamian gods.

Enûma Elish has existed in various versions and copies from Babylonia as well as from Assyria. The version from Ashurbanipal's library dates to the 7^th century BC. The story itself probably dates to the eighteenth century BC on account of the fact that this is the time when the god Marduk seemed to have a prominent status. Some scholars date it later (14th to 12th centuries BC.)

Comparisons between Genesis (from the Bible) and Enuma Elish

Many scholars have compared the creation story in the Enûma Elish and the first creation story in the Book of Genesis (see Creation according to Genesis).

Scholars who argue for similarities between Genesis and Enuma Elish make the following points:

• Genesis 1 describes six days of creation, followed by a day of rest; the Enûma Elish describes six generations of gods, whose creations parallel the days in Genesis, followed by a divine rest.
• In both stories, creation begins with light and ends with humankind, created for "the service of the gods" from the blood and bone of Kingu according to the Enûma Elish.
• Also, the goddess Tiamat parallels the primordial ocean in Genesis; the Hebrew word used in Genesis for the primordial ocean is "t^ehôm" which has the same etymological root as "Tiamat". This has led many to conclude that the two accounts are related, perhaps sharing a common origin or that possibly one of the accounts is a modified form of the other.
• The account of the biblical flood bears a striking resemblance to the flood in the mesopotamian account including the survival of mankind due to the building of a large watercraft.

Scholars who argue against similarities between Genesis and Enuma Elish make the following points:

• Assuming that both accounts represent written versions of a narrative transmitted orally for many years, analysis according to Olrik's principles lessens the possibility that they are related.
• Genesis 1 to 2:1-3 details seven days of creation, the last being the day that Sabbath was created. However, the text of Enuma Elish linked to below records six generations of gods including Apsu and Marduk.
• Enuma Elish lists one begetter and two creators, the latter being Ummu-Hubur and Marduk, where in Genesis 1 there is one creator and no begetter.
• Enuma Elish describes the revolt of Ummu-Hubur and Tiamat and its defeat by Marduk, an incident completely missing from Genesis 1. See sections 148 to 150 of Olrik.
• Without better correspondence of events, linguistic associations, such as seeing Tiamat as related to Hebrew tehom, are inconclusive; see section 147 of Olrik.
• While the words in Enuma Elish reflect actual Mesopotamian place names, such evidence of what Olrik calls horizon are completely missing from Genesis 1. (Horizon is described in sections 109 to 118 of Olrik.)
• On the other hand, the rivers of Eden and the term Eden are part of the Mesopotamian horizon (Hamblin, Armstrong) -- but chapter 2 of Genesis is completely different in structure from Enuma Elish.
• Though, in the Enûma Elish, Tiamat controlled saltwater seeping into the water table, so some scholars think there is just a mutual root in the concept of saltwater. Furthermore there is a change in the gender of the noun that suggests direct etymological influence is unlikely (tiamat is feminine, tehom is masculine).
• The fact that both Enuma Elish and Genesis describe the creation of earth and man is simply a common theme in mythology and not in itself proof that they are related. (Olrik, section 152) -->

References

• Olrik, Axel (Kirsten Wolf and Jody Jensen trs.) Principles for Oral Narrative Research, Indiana University Press 1992
• Hamblin, D.J., “Has the Garden of Eden Been Located At Last?”, Smithsonian Magazine, 18:2, May 1987.
• Armstrong, James A. “West of Edin: Tell al-Deylam and the Babylonian City of Dilbat,” Biblical Archaeologist, Volume 55, 1992 (2001 electronic ed.)

External links

• The full surviving text of the Enûma Elish
• Genesis and Enûma Elish creation myth comparisons
• WikiChristian - Enuma Elish