Comparing The Creation Stories Of Ancient Israelite Views...

Compare 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 the Babylonian gods, and in particular, one god, Marduk. It was ultimately written to justify his rise to power as the head of the Babylonian pantheon of gods. This was done in order to â€Å"support Babylon’s claim to pre-eminence above all the other cities in the country† (Heidel 1963, p. 14). Despite emerging from the same period, the two texts are starkly different. The former portrays an all-powerful, transcendent, monotheistic God, while the latter describes a polytheistic hierarchy of gods who reach their ends through violence and conflict. The differences between the Enuma Elish and Genesis 1 are so vast and endless that there is no real reason to discuss about their literary dependence or mythological similarities (EOR, p. 2811). Rather, the Enuma Elish is better enlisted as a tool of comparison in order to highlight the utterly different and radical nature of the ancient Israelite religion as compared to the common religious beliefs circulating the Near East. While there areShow MoreRelatedEssay about Book Summary The Bible Among the Myths2835 Words   |  12 Pagesï » ¿ INTRODUCTION The book opens with an introduction comparing the study of the Old Testament and the other religions and cultures of other peoples from the Ancient Near East. Scholars used to believe that the Old Testament was unique among other beliefs in the Ancient Near East but they now view the Old Testament as identical to other religions of its day and time. The author also discusses the vital philosophical distinction between â€Å"essence† and â€Å"accident.† When removing an essential featureRead MoreAncient Eastern Thought and the Old Testament Essay10692 Words   |  43 PagesUNIVERSITY THE BIBLE AMONG THE MYTHS JOHN, N. OSWALT A SUMMARY PAPER OF THE TEXT ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN THOUGHT AND THE OLD TESTAMENT SUBMITTED TO DR. RANDY G. HANEY DEPARTMENT OF THEOLOGY BY 03 MARCH 2013 Table of Contents CHAPTER 1: HISTORY AND METHODS 3 CHAPTER 2: COMPARATIVE STUDIES, SCHOLARSHIP, AND THEOLOGY 6 CHAPTER 3: SUMMARY OF THE LITERATURE OF THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST 10 CHAPTER 4: THE GODS 14 CHAPTER 5: TEMPLES AND RITUALS 19 CHAPTER 6: STATE AND FAMILY RELIGION 22