Ancient+Near+East

In order to understand correctly theses creation accounts, it is necessary to have knowledge of creation stories (myth) or Mesopotamia, Tania, Baby low and Egypt among others. The Old Testament did incorporate some of the elements from these mythologies but generally took a stand in directing contradictions against these mythologies. An important myth to take into account is the Mesopotamian myth of creation, ENUMA – ELISH which in its opening words has MARDUK as the creative deity. This has had considerable influence on the Genesis accounts of creation. **Elements of the Mesopotamian Epic of creation** - It presents Marduk as a creative deity i.e. - It starts with chaos (the (SEA) a formless monster which perpetually attacks land.  - Chaos is personified by two gods, APSU the male God and, Tiamat the female Goddess.  - The two are the source of all things by generation. APSU and Tiamat 1st because good gods but soon hostilities emerged among them and their off springs.  - In the battle that follows, APSU is slain by the god in East Africa and Tiamat becomes the dragon of chaos.  - From her womb she begets a whole host of demons to assist her attack her off springs (the gods)  - In the event the off springs seeks a champion and to fight Tiamat but several gods refuse the challenge and in the end the god Marduk son of EA accepts.  Marduk eventually kills Tiamat and from her giant carcass, he gets material from which he creates the visible universe including the world. The world created by Marduk consists in the disk of the earth which rests upon the abyss of the earth. Over this structure is the sky with moon, stars etc and from which comes rain, snow and wind. Then Marduk makes man out of clay mixed with the blood of a slain god of the Kingu and the purpose of man is to “carry out” the cult of the gods. Marduk built for himself a heavenly place so beautiful and indeed a pen is whose earthly count part is Esagil temple of Babylon. **Some key elements of the myth** (a) That the universe of produced from pre-existing chaos, which is the ultimate principle of the origin of all things. (b) This chaos is divine in nature and is the origin of both the gods and human, (c) Creation is therefore a victory of the creative deity Marduk over the monster chaos, hence in the myth the principles of chaos and creation are unevenly balanced. The victory of the creative deity is never final since in turn, it must lead to chaos. There nature was conceived as a re-carrying cycle of creation and chaos. The myth had important place in Mesopotamia cult. It was resisted and ritually re-enacted at the beginning of each New Year (He is born in spring, blossoms and grows in summer, ages, falls and dies in winter. This process is repeated each year following the four seasons. **A comparison with the biblical creation stories** While some aspects of the symbolism used are appeared the same externally, the meaning of the accounts is radically different. In fact the biblical accounts give some clear features against the Mesopotamian myth. The cosmology. There is extensive agreement between the Israelite cosmology in the Old Testament in general, and, that of her neighbors in ANE. This is shown in the external symbolism as well as in thought patterns. (a) Heavens is conceived as a massive structure work in quite stable. The 1st to emerge from the waterly chaos Gen 1:6 and it is describe as //ratia// (Hebrews word) meaning that which is stepped down solid in other words the firmament. Heaven (the firmament not only rests on grant pillars but is also hard (Job 26:9-11 ret) It’s function is to separate the heavenly and earthly waters (oceans) hence it’s solidity. This is to present these two bodies from joining together, work would result units chaos Gen. 1:7, Gen 7:11. It is closed vault only opening to release rain, 2 Kings 7.2 Palms 78.23 It refers to the highest throne of God raised about the heavenly oceans, like a balcony set on beans psalm 29:3, 104:3. This is similar to the image at the Babylonian God Shamesh who is enthroned above the heavenly waters. This is constructed on the foundation of the pillars sunk into the waters below it. The ocean work at the same time completely surrounds in Psalm 139:9, 104:6 ff. Because of the pillars, the earth is secure; Yahweh holds it firmly psalms 75:4. The earth is connected to the lower ocean through rivers and springs and t* would occur if these should bust open Gen 7:11- the flood story. In the Babylonian cosmology, three types of earth are distinguished. The upper earth, one inhabited by man and the middle earth, the kingdom of the water God E A plus the lower earth i.e. the aboard of the dead. Chaos is used in both accounts however, in the biblical stories it is not personified nor does it exhibit the principle of the sexes and, is not the origin of all things. Gen, God is the creator and chaos (formlessness) is contrasted with the creative power of God. Chaos is not divine (Enuma –Elish) but “Near sharpless matter”) with which God the sole works. The enumeration of the works of creation in both accounts supposes the same picture of the visible universe. However, the significancy of the different works of creation is quite different works of creation is quite different. (i) Lighting is the divine element in Enuma-Elish but nearly the 1st of the works of creation on Gen. (ii) The sky is an inverted bowl over the waters in the Enuma- Elish is also residence of God in the Old Testament in general. (iii) The heavenly bodies are seats of the gods in the * but also only a means of telling time in Gen. (iv) The position of man in creation is more pronounced in biblical accounts i.e. created in the image and likeness of God Gen 1:26 and by virtue of this receives domination over the rest of creation Gen 1:28. (v) The arrangement of works of creation in 6 days followed a day of resting in Gen account is not in Mesopotamian mythology, here, the biblical writer teaches that the week with its Sabbath is a sacred with of time which must be respected by man (the Jew) (vi) The place and activity of God in process position of creation in the Gen account this is marked by order and undisturbed “Dominion of God over all things he has created unlike in the Mesopotamia account were creation is an a result of convert between different gods. In the Gen account, creation is accomplished by God alone who has no assistant in demonstration of his divine word i.e. used his sole word Gen 1, and molded man and give him breath in Gen 2. (V) Dualism This exhibited in the Mesopotamian myth where evil is at primary as good is absents in the biblical accounts which teach the supremacy of God and the goodness of his creation Gen. 1. Here the affirmation is the world was created totally good can then further can be restored in goodness by divine intervention. Distinctive characteristics with regard mythology particularly in the areas of the Gods addition with created world. Which focuses on the world’s complete dependency on God and this is a memorial belief of Israel hence (a) Creation was influenced by the covenant concept; it is the work of the covenant God. God is the creator as neither assistants nor competitors. (b) There is no theology i.e. the emergency of different gods from chaotic situation of the universe popular in ANE stories of stories of creation. The God of Israel is eternal Isaiah 41:4. The exclusion of theogony affirms Israel’s conception of her relationship to the Gods hence in conditional dependency of the world on God. (c) God the creator is lord be creates by his word alone Gen 1 hence the origin of all created things is to be found in the miracle of the transcend will of God. (d) This principle is a safeguarded in the whole of the Old Testament. Man’s relation to God can’t be seen in naturalist or physical way. God alone is the one who deals with humanity, by grace as seen in the accounts of creation, the fall of man, the flood and the tower of babel hence the themes of sin – judgment – salvation. (e) There is a cohesion between creation and history because creation is dependent on God alone, the life of the preacher can not be independent – The preacher is invited to engage in a spiritual dialogue with the creator the preacher that can only be discovered in the constant interaction with the work of God. Creation therefore is the starting point of history of salvation of human being who is lost, because he got allocated from his creation. Therefore, the story of creation is about not needy causality but between the creator God and the created man.
 * The Mesopotamian Epic of Enuma Elish**
 * Similarities**
 * N.B.** Refer to the Babylonian myth of Gilgamesh where the floods story portrays a similar picture of the heavens.
 * THE EARTH**
 * N.B.** The Israelites knew of only two earths, the one inhabited by man and the underworld (Sheol) – a shadow kind of existence into work man descends offer death. On the general issue of the Israelite cosmology, refer to Psalm 18:5-17 which is a splendid presentation. From these, we discover that, the external cosmological material was common in ANE. However, Israel showed immersive originality and independence concerning the ideas she used. For instance
 * Salvation**