A Babylonian narrative myth that is often—mistakenly—referred to as the Babylonian Creation Account. When it was first discovered and published in the late 19th Cent by George Adam Smith, it aroused a great deal of excitement and it quickly came to be called the Babylonian Creation Account for what was thought to be evident similarities to the Genesis account, and aroused considerable excitement and led some scholars to claim that the book of Genesis was dependent upon the document as its source material.
Further examination of the document by scholars soon showed that the document has actually little to say about creation. W. Lambert ("A New Look at the Babylonian Background of Genesis," Journal of Theological Studies 16.2 (1965): 287-300) has pointed out decisive objections to postulating any dependence of Gen 1 on Enuma elish; "It is a sectarian and aberrant combination of mythological threads woven into an unparalled composition . . . not earlier than 1100 B.C." Interest in the Enuma Elish (for biblical scholars) faded for a few decades until recent years when it, and other ancient Near Eastern cosmologies, found new life in the rapprochement with evolution. Most of the arguments presented anew has remained unconvincing and contrived. While we must remain open to new discoveries but it would be a mistake to assume, as is often done, that Genesis is dependent on/borrowed from such myths from Israel's neighbours, or even that Genesis was written with an eye towards refuting these myths.
The epic of 1100 lines, and completed c.1000 BC, tells of the threat of destruction faced by a group of young gods from Tiamat ('Sea'). To carry out her plans Tiamat created a host of monsters which she put under the command of her husband Kingu. Anshar, the king of the younger gods, first sent Ea and then Anu to do battle with Tiamat and her host. Ea and Anu, however, lost their nerves. Marduk, Ea's son, was then persuaded to take up the challenge. He agreed, on condition that they would make him their king should he return victorious. They kept their promise, and Marduk, now king, made Babylon the first city and rearranged the cosmic order, becoming what it was at the time of its writing.
Further Reading & Resources:
☰Alexander Heidel, The Babylonian Genesis. The Story of Creation. 2nd ed. Chicago/ London: University of Chicago Press, 1951. pdf
☰Wilfred G. Lambert, "New look at the Babylonian background of Genesis," Journal of Theological Studies ns 16.2 (Oct. 1965): 287-300.
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