Comparing God In Genesis 1-Two And Enuma Elish

Sarkhan Nabiyev

Thought Paper One

1/25/16

Word Count: 793 words

Question: What is the character and functions of deity in Genesis 1-2 and Enuma Elish? That is, what is God/are the gods like?

Unraveling and chaotic atmosphere with destructive waters, as described in the beginning of the story, Enuma Elish describes the world and the seasons that come with it. Enuma Elish focuses on the beginnings of gods and how they all were created with a specific job. The reason why this story was so impactful is because it was written on seven stone tablets by the famous Babylonians created in the late 12th century B.C. Genesis 1-2 begins in a similar atmosphere of darkness and hovering water and the creation of the world also followed by its seasons. The

This is compared to the second pillar of Enuma Elish where it states, “He created the evil wind, and the tempest, and the hurricane…He sent forth the winds which he had created.” He was looking over His creation, not just earth but all of the foundation of the universe. Now in Enuma Elish Marduk the Babylonian god is said to have created the earth as a purpose to serve the gods, which he did with Ea, his father who helped him create humans. Even though both stories do end up with the creation of earth the way they got there is a bit different. In Genesis it is stated that only one God created all of life but in Enuma Elish it was said that there were multiple gods whom have worked with individual jobs. In the Cosmogony, the first part of Enuma Elish that described the creation of the universe, Apsu and Tiamat were the only two gods who existed in the beginning of the story but were only set of water. The gods begin to form and create the earth but made a disturbance while doing so which had upset Apsu, so he tried to destroy them but later is stoped by