What similarities are there between the Enuma Elish and the Genesis creation account?

Answer

The Enuma Elish, or the “Seven Tablets of Creation,” is a Babylonian creation myth that shares literary and cultural connections with the creation narrative in Genesis 1. It is among the oldest creation accounts discovered, likely originating around 1100 BC (Genesis, the older of the two, was written around 1400 BC). The title, Enuma Elish, is derived from the first two words of the narrative, meaning “when in the heights.” Exploring this mythology aids Bible scholars in grasping the non-empirical, poetic literature prevalent in ancient Near Eastern texts. Nevertheless, skeptics have used the Enuma Elish to argue that the Genesis 1 narrative is purely mythological or parallels contemporary mythologies.

The narrative depicted in the Enuma Elish (which can be read here) revolves around a significant conflict among various gods of the Babylonian pantheon. The central figures are the god Marduk and the goddess Tiamat. Following Tiamat’s preparation of monsters and lesser gods to annihilate the rest of the pantheon, and with several younger gods having failed in challenging her, Marduk volunteers to defeat Tiamat in exchange for becoming the most exalted among the gods. The other gods agree to this proposition, leading to a fierce battle between Marduk and Tiamat. Marduk ultimately slays Tiamat, dividing her body into two parts to form the sky and the earth. Humans are created from Marduk’s flesh and bone, bringing order to the cosmos.

At first glance, this narrative appears vastly different from the Genesis creation story, yet the poetic structure and terminology in their original languages exhibit some similarities. Certain liberal Bible scholars have used this likeness to suggest that the Genesis 1 creation narrative is a poetic interpretation of creation rather than a factual report. While the comparable poetic structures of Genesis 1 and the Enuma Elish creation narratives cannot be denied,

This does not imply that both are equally mythological, but rather that they originated from similar cultural backgrounds. The literary form does not impact the accuracy of the content. A novel may be crafted in a biographical style, yet this does not equate the novel with the biography in terms of truthfulness (or falsehood).

The Enuma Elish holds significant importance as an ancient text and is highly valuable to researchers of ancient Near Eastern culture and language, and consequently, to scholars of the Bible. Therefore, it stands as a fascinating piece of mythology, but it should not be confused as the original creation story or a counterpart to Genesis 1.