Creation Myths

Paper Summary:

This research compares and contrasts the creation myths of Babylonia (Enma Elish) and the Judeo-Christian tradition (Genesis) through a discussion of the pattern of ideas in each creation myth and how they relate historically to each religion. The paper tells the creation stories as related in these myths and compares how they impacted the religious belief systems of those particular religions, and others closely related to them.

From the Paper:

"The creation story of En ma Elish--named for the first words of the story, "When above" or "When on high"-- predates the Genesis version of creation by an estimated 500 years, having been dated at 1950 BC. The earliest written Semitic sources, which survive as fragments of various Old Testament books, have been dated at the fourteenth century BC (Babylonia). According to Senior (RG2-3), Genesis was composed around 1000 BC and gives an account of events and personalities flourishing from a period roughly equivalent to the time of the Enma Elish, 1850 to 1250 BC, the estimated period of the narrative events. However, the written Hebrew record corresponds to a strong and highly consistent oral tradition among the Hebrew generations (Senior RG6)."

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