The Assyrian Enuma Elish Epic – Part 2

The Week of Creation

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1.

The Enurna Elish story contains the Assyrian account of the week of creation. It is derived from the oral tradition of the ancients passed on from word of mouth from Adam to Noah, and from Noah to Nimrod, the founder of the Assyrian empire.

Of the seven clay tablets of the Enuma Elish epic recovered from the ancient palace library of the Assyrian emperor Asnappar, clay tablets I, IV, V, and VI describe with striking details a parallel account of creation as recorded by Moses in the book of Genesis. Some researchers refer to the Enuma Elish epic as the Creation epic. The similarities between the Enuma Elish epic and Genesis are more than coincidental. They serve as another irrefutable proof of the existence of an ancient oral Bible.

An Eirpty Earth

The book of Genesis and the Enuma Elish epic both start out with the same description of a formless, void, and empty world covered by water. Both accounts emphasize the terms “beginning,” “waters,” “abyss,” “deep,” “heavens,” and “earth.” However, the accounts are notably different in that the Bible relates how the world was made from nothing or “ex nihlo”. “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.” Hebrews 11:3- Whereas, the pagan account recorded in the Enuma Elish epic relates that the world sprung made from the defeated body of Tiamat, the archenemy of Marduk.

The first tablet of the Enuma Elish epic says, “When on high the heavens were unnamed, (and) earth beneath a name had not received, then the abyss of waters was in the beginning their generator, the chaos of the deep (Tiamat) was she who bore them all. The waters were embossed together…” (1).

Similarly, Genesis 1:1,2 states, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth, And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”

The original Hebrew text of Genesis is even closer to the Enuma Elish translation. In Hebrew, the text states the heavens” not “heaven” in Genesis 1:1. It also says “abyss” instead of “deep” in Genesis 1:2, although both abyss and deep appear in the Enuma Elish account (2).

The Creator

Clay tablet V of the Enuma Elish epic states: “After he {Marduk} [had appointed] the days [to Shamash] {sun god and god of justice}, [And had established] the precincts of night and d[ay], … Marduk created… He formed the cflouds] and filled (them) with [water]. The raising of winds, the bringing of rain (and) cold… Putting her head into position he formed the [re on the mountai]ns, Opening the deep (which) was in flood, He caused to flow from her eyes the Euphr[ates (and) T]igris,… (So) he created heaven and earth, . . . their bounds established. When he had designed his rules (and) fashioned [his] ordinances” (3).

According to the Enuma Elish epic, our world was created and did not evolve into being. A Creator was responsible for forming planet earth. The Creator is here called Marduk. Marduk is the pagan sun god which assumes in the Assyrian and Babylonian literature the characteristics of the Biblical Michael or Jesus.

The New Testament identifies Jesus as the Creator of all animate creatures and inanimate things. The apostle John writes, “All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made…. He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew him not.” John 1:3,10. The apostle Paul, in his letter to the Hebrews, agrees with John on the creative power of the Son of God. “God… hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He hath appointed Heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds.” Hebrews 1:1,2.

The Infrastructure of Creation

The first three days of creation as told in the book of Genesis are cited in tablet V of the Enuma Elish epic. On day one, the “precincts of night and day” were established. Surprisingly, the text does not say “day and night,” but rather, “night and day.” This corroborates with the Genesis version of creation which also emphasizes each day of creation consisting of a “night and day” or “evening and morning” as two succinct parts of a 24-hour day.

Today, one might say “day and night.” But the ancients understood that a new day started with sundown and continued to the next sundown. The day’s borders were from evening to evening and not from midnight to midnight. The midnight custom of modern western folk is the heritage of Rome. The Romans changed the days, the months, and years as we commonly know them today.

Just read the first chapter of Genesis and “the evening and the morning” or “night and day” appears six times. Our world was first void, empty, and dark, and then, God created light and made the first day. He called the darkness night and the light day.
“And God said. Let there be light and there was light… and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.” Genesis 1:3-5

The chronology between the book of Genesis runs quite close to the Enuma Elish epic. After the creation of night and day, the clouds were made. The Enuma Elish epic says, “He formed the clouds and filled them with water.” The firmament was created. The book of Genesis agrees. “And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. . . And God called the firmament Heaven.” Genesis 1:6,8- Other Hebrew versions of Genesis known as “Bereishis” refer to the firmament as a “canopy” (2) . The heavenly firmament was a canopy or floating water reservoir. Thus, the clouds provide shade, quench off the hot sun rays, and absorb the earth’s moisture. But most of all, the heavenly canopy provides showers which refresh and nourish our planet.

The lofty mountains, rivers, and springs were created next, according to both the Genesis and Enuma Elish accounts. Interestingly, both accounts specifically mention two rivers by name: the Euphrates and Tigris.

“And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called He Seas: and God saw that it was good.” Genesis 1:9,10.
“And. a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads. . . And the name of the third river is Hiddekel [Tigris]: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates.” Genesis 2:10,14.

Apparently, the names of these rivers which were in Eden were used again after the flood by the postdiluvian inhabitants of the East. As the Genesis account asserts, the river Hiddekel, or Tigris, is on the East and the river Euphrates is on the West of Mesopotamia, the great valley of ancient Assyria. The Septuagint Greek version of Genesis does not even use the word Hiddekel, but says “Tigris” (4) . The Septuagint version of the Old Testament was a Greek translation made by 70 Jewish scholars in Alexandria, Egypt, by order of the King Ptolemy Philadelphus in the third century before Christ. It later became the standard Bible of the Jewish synagogues in the time of Jesus Christ.

A Separation Allegory

During the first three days of creation, God was using a separation technique. First, He separated the light from the darkness in day one. Then on day two, He separated the waters into two parts: clouds and oceans. Finally, God separated the dry land from the oceans on day three. As a matter of fact, He uses the same separation method throughout the Torah. God calls Abraham and separates him from Ur of the Chaldees. He calls Israel and separates them from Egypt. He then calls the Levites and separates them from the 12 tribes of Israel. He calls Aaron and his family and separates them also from all the families of Israel. He separates just like a chemist separates his or her sample to purify it. This separation technique is known in the Bible as “sanctification.” It is a call to be separate from sin and from worldliness. It is a call to be separated from spiritual darkness and to live in His wonderful light. I Peter 2:9. It is a call to be separate from a mundane perspective and to live as if on high with a heavenly viewpoint of eternity in mind. Ephesians 1:3, It is a call to be separate from the waves of the sea which are tossed to and fro by winds of doctrine, and to stand firm on God’s eternal word by faith. James 1:6.

The entire gospel is but a new creation. It is a call to be holy, to be saintly, to be separate from sin by the workings of His Spirit in the heart, mind, and soul of the believer. Will you answer the call of God in His word to be holy, saintly, and separate? God’s purpose is to extract the blemished qualities of the soul so that the pure values of the Spirit may shine forth for eternity.

The Components of Creation’s Infrastructure

There are a few lines in tablet V and VI of the Enuma Elish epic which recount the events of the fourth, sixth, and seventh day of creation according to the book of Genesis. The creation of the heavenly luminaries, the formation of humankind, and the Sabbath rest are clearly described in the Enuma Elish epic.

Tablet V of the Enuma Elish epic states, “He constructed stations for the great gods, Fixing their astral likeness as constellations. He determined the year by designating the zones: He set up three constellations for each of the twelve months… He founded the station of Nebiru [Jupiter] to determine their (heavenly) bands. . . The Moon he caused to shine, the night (to him) entrusting. He appointed him a creature of the night to signify the days: ‘Monthly, without cease, form designs with a crown. At the month’s very start, rising over the land, Thou shalt have luminous horns to signify six days, on the seventh day reaching a [half]-crown. At full moon [Sapattu] stand in opposition in mid month. When the sun [overtakes] thee at the base of heaven, diminish [thy crown] and retrogress in light…'” (5).

The reference to the “stations for the great gods” is clearly a pagan citation of astrology which the Holy Scriptures condemn. Astrology and astronomy were mixed and regarded as one science among the ancient pagan civilizations. The Hebrews were the first to clearly distinguish between the two and to reject the foundations of astrology.

Nevertheless, the above narrative parallels the creation of the sun, moon, and stars on the fourth day of the week of creation as recounted in the book of Genesis. These would be the two great lights in the firmament. One to rule by day and the other to rule by night. Both would let their light shine upon the earth. The stars would also let their light shine at night together with the moon.

“And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years… And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: He made the stars also.” Genesis 1:14,16.

The same key words “light,” “night,” “days,” and “year” appear in both the Enuma Elish epic and the book of Genesis. A few other synonymous terms appear in both accounts. The Enuma Elish epic mentions “zones” of the “twelve months,” and Genesis cites “seasons.” The Enuma Elish epic mentions “astral likeness as constellations,” and Genesis cites “stars.” The Enuma Elish epic mentions “sun” and “moon,” whereas Genesis implies both but uses the terms “the greater light” and “the lesser light.”

What about the fifth day of the creation week according to the Genesis account? It is apparently missing from the pagan epic. Some of the clay tablet lines of the Enuma Elish epic are illegible and perhaps these obscured lines cite the creation of sea animals and fish.

The Creation of Humanity

Clay Tablet V of the Enuma Elish epic states, “Opening his [Marduk] mouth, he addresses Ea {Marduk’s father) to impart the plan he had conceived in his heart: ‘Blood I will mass and cause bones to be. I will establish a savage, ‘man’ shall be his name. Verily, savage-man I will create. He shall be charged with the service of the gods that they might be at ease!1” After capturing a conspirator, named Kingu, who rebelled with Tiamat, “They bound him [Kingu], holding him before Ea. They imposed on him his guilt and severed his blood (vessels). Out of his blood they fashioned mankind. He imposed the service and let free the gods. After Ea, the wise, had created mankind, {and} had imposed upon it the service of the gods” (3).

A different rendering of clay tablet VI reads, “I will make man who -hall inhabit (the earth) that the service of the gods may be established” (1) .

Humanity was created and did not evolve, as per the Enuma Elish epic. God took a personal and collective interest in the creation of humankind. Interestingly, Ea takes an active role in the creation of man together with Marduk. Ea or Enki was “Marduk’s father”, and “lord of the underworld ocean or primeval deep” (6). Both Ea and Marduk consult each other in the creation of humankind. Both are said to have “created mankind.”

The book of Genesis also speaks of a plurality of God in the creation of mankind. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit were present at Adam and Eve’s creation. “And God said, Leu us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion. . . So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them.” Genesis 1:26,27. The phrase “let us make man” clearly implies the presence of more than one person or divine being. Like Marduk and Ea, Michael, or Jesus Christ, and God the Father took an active role in the creation of mankind.

Twice in the narrative, mankind is “charged with the service of the gods.” Although the first week of creation is not explicit on commanding Adam and Eve to “serve God,” it is implicitly referred to in Genesis and explicitly mentioned elsewhere in the Bible. In the book of Deuteronomy, which is the fifth book written by Moses in the Old Testament, the command to love God is explicitly indicated. “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.” Deuteronomy 6:5.

Notice the vast difference between the pagan and the Hebrew concept of God. The pagan god was to be feared and appeased, whereas the Hebrew God was merciful and was to be loved.
The pagan philosophy also differs from the Hebrew teachings on how God is to be served. The Hebrew writings state that God is to be loved with all the heart, soul, and mind. It is a matter of the heart, mind, and soul—a lifelong commitment which entails the whole being. The emphasis is first on the attitude of worship rather than on the acts of service.

Jesus referred to this love-serving attitude toward God as the first and greatest commandment of all. “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.” Matthew 23:37,38

The pagan emphasis is on “works” and on the “service of the gods that they might be at ease.” But the Hebrew and Christian emphasis is on serving God out of love not only for God’s glory, but for one’s own benefit—for the wonderful traits of character that develop from serving God and others altruistically.

Like the Enuma Elish epic, the Genesis account cites that man was created to inhabit the earth. Upon creating Adam and Eve, the Lord said, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion…” Genesis 1:28

Up to here the Enuma Elish story parallels the Genesis account, but a new pagan element is introduced in the Enuma Elish epic. The source of man’s blood is from Kingu, the slain conspirator in Tiarrtat’s rebellion. From his blood vessels, blood for man’s blood vessels is sought.

In *”he Genesis account, Adam was created from the soil of the earth, not from the remains of a slain demigod. Adam in Hebrew literally means “humanity,” and “red clay.” A chemical analysis of red clay’s mineral composition will reveal that it contains many minerals common both to humans and to clay. Twice is the clay concept emphasized in the early chapters of Genesis. “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” Genesis 2:7; 3:19-

Nevertheless, there is a story on the shedding of blood in the book of Genesis which was also in the Oral Bible. This story relates to how Cain slew his brother Abel, and Abel’s blood cried unto God for vengeance. Cain joined the rebellion of Lucifer on earth and made war against the followers of God—that is, Abel. Perhaps the Enuma Elish epic mixed the story of man’s creation with the story of Abel’s slaughter. “And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. And the Lord said unto Cain. . . the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground.” Genesis 4:8-10-Ritual Sapattu or Sabattum

The Enuma Elish epic makes reference to the Hebrew ritual Sabbaths. In Akkadian, the written language of the Assyrians and Babylonians, Sabbath is “Sapattu.” According to E.A. Speiser, the “Akkadian sapattu [is] the prototype of the ‘Sabbath’ in so far as the injunctions against all types of activity are concerned” (5) . Others have spelled “sapattu” as “sabattum.” They cite how the Assyrians used to say “sabattum um nuh libbi” meaning Sabbath a “day of rest of heart” (8). Still others have interpreted the same phrase “um nuh libbi” as a “day of the appeasement of the mind” (9) . This implies that the Sabattum or Sabbath was a matter not only of the heart but of the mind. In the Babylonian context, Sabattum involved a sacrificial offering to appease God and a cessation from labor.

Clay tablet V states that Ma-rduk commanded the Moon, “Thou shalt have luminous horns to signify six days, On the seventh day reaching a [half]-crown. At full moon [Sapattu] stand in opposition in mid month” (5) . The moon would shine the brightest at mid month during its full moon phase. The word sapattu appears in the original text of the Enuma Elish epic. It was a prototype of the Hebrew ritual Sabbath day in which no work was to be done and which coincided with a full and bright moon.

Some have maintained that “the term sabattum has been found only 5 or 6 times in the Babylonian inscriptions and in none of them is it connected with the seventh day of the week” (9) . Although the Babylonians did not observe a seventh-day Sabbath, they did have certain festivals of the moon called “sapattu.” The above citation from the clay tablet V of the Enuma Elish epic proves that sabattum was held “at the full moon [sapattu] . . . [at] mid month.” Sapattu appears in relation to the day of the full moon which occurs at the fifteenth day of the month, or at mid month. The new moon comes at the first of the new day of the month. The full moon comes around at the fifteenth day of the month. The Hebrew nation had special feast days and ritual sabbath days which coincided with the new moon or full moon.

“The Jewish month is based on the period between one new moon and the next, which is 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes, and 31 seconds” (7) . In the King James version, new moon appears at least 21 times. Many of these citations occur in connection with the celebration of a solemn assembly, sacrificial offerings, and ritual sabbath days. Every new moon, the Jews or Hebrews were commanded in their law to celebrate a religious feast. The prince was to offer sacrifices and ten animals weresacrificially offered to God; one animal for each of the ten commandments. “And in the beginning of your months [each new moon] ye shall offer a burnt offering unto the Lord; two young bullocks, and one ram, seven lambs of the year without spot.” Numbers 28:11

The moon served to identify religious assemblies or feasts among the Hebrews. “Two of these were held at the full moon, the Passover [Unleavened Bread] and the Feast of Tabernacles; [and] one at the new moon, the Feast of Trumpets…” (9).

The first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread also served as a ritual sabbath on which no servile work was to be performed. It was held on the fifteenth day of the month when the full moon occurs. “And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the Lord: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread. In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.” Leviticus 23:6,7

The other full moon festival among the Hebrews was the Feast of Tabernacles. It was held on the fifteenth day of the seventh month when the full moon occurs. Like the Feast of Unleavened bread, it was also a seven day feast. And on the day of the full moon no servile work was to be performed because it was a ritual Sabbath day. “Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the Lord. On the first day shall be an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.” Leviticus 23:34,35- Thus, both seven day feasts in Israel, which contained two ritual Sabbaths each, began with a full moon at mid month similar to the description in the Enuma Elish epic.

Therefore, parallel renderings in the Enuma Elish epic and the Hebrew Torah regarding sapattu and Sabbath suggest that the Assyrian and Babylonian forefathers knew about the existence of a day of rest known as Sabbath. They knew that the sapattu, or Sabbath, began at the time of creation, when the rnoon was created. Yet their sapattu or Sabbath celebration paralleled more the Hebrew ritual Sabbath than the weekly moral Sabbath. The Assyrians and Babylonians may also have known of ritual Sabbaths which coincided with the full moon at mid month established at the time of Israel’s exodus from Egypt in 1491 B.C.

In Hebrew, Sabbath [Strong’s numbers 7676 and 7673] or more properly “Shabbat” literally means “rest,” “repose,” “interlude,” “intermission,” “interruption,” “cessation,” “desist,” to “sit still,”—all of which denote a time of rest and cessation from common weekly labor (10) . Hence, the same Hebrew Sabbath word was used to denote the moral code’s weekly Sabbath and the ritual law’s yearly feast days which often coincided with the moon’s phases. The Assyrian sapattu, or sabattum, had the same religious connotation as the Hebrew ritual Sabbath coinciding with the full moon.

In the book of Genesis, the seventh-day Sabbath and not the ritual Sabbath appears. The seventh-day Sabbath keeps reappearing throughout the Bible starting from the second chapter of Genesis. “And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it He had rested from all He had made.” Genesis 2:2-3. The last mention of the seventh-day Sabbath in the New Testament occurs in epistles written by St. Paul to the Hebrews which quotes the book of Genesis. “For He spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all His works…. There remaineth therefore a keeping of a sabbath to the people of God.” Hebrews 4:4,9 margin•

The Hebrew Viewpoint of Creation

The Hebrews have a unique way of interpreting the first week of creation. In three days, God Almighty set the stage for the following three days of creation. He created a strong permanent infrastructure which would be filled with animate creatures. Both actions attest to a clear pattern and purpose in creation by an intelligent supernatural being known as “Elohim. ”

Notice the perfect pattern of creation’s first week as recounted in the book of Genesis. Each day has its own sister or counterpart. Since on the first day of the week, God created day and night. On the fourth day, He created the sun, moon, and the stars. Those heavenly luminaries would shine in the morning and in the evening, respectively. The sun would announce the beginning of a day and the moon and stars the beginning of the night.

“On the second day, the seas and skies were created; on the fifth day the fish and birds were created.
On the third day the dry land appeared; on the sixth day the animals that live on the land were created” (7).
The above Hebrew viewpoint is given in a form of a story contained in the Midrash. The Midrash, like the Talmud, is a vast commentary on the first five books of the law written by Moses, and known to them as the Torah. The Midrash contains many imaginary allegories and parables which frequently help explain Biblical texts or doctrines.

“There is a Midrash which describes how the Sabbath complained to God that each of the Six Days of Creation had a partner while it had none…
Thus each of the last three days of Creation served to complete the first r.hree days. Only the Sabbath remained alone. How did God answer the Sabbath’s complaint? He said to it, ‘Knesset Israel’—the Jewish people—will be your partner!” (7).

Conclusion

The Enuma Elish epic states in clay tablet V, “He [Marduk created the heaven and earth…, their bounds established.” So likewise does the book of Genesis state both at the beginning and at the end of the creation narration that the heavens and earth were created and finished by God. “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” And again, “thus the heavens and earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which He had made…” Genesis 1:1; 2:1,2

Thus, the ‘Enuma Elish epic is another tangible example from the ancients showing a common denominator to the book of Genesis. Such parallel agreement is beyond coincidence. It is another example of a common origin to many ancient poems, myths, and legends with the Holy Scriptures, all of which were derived from an oral tradition delivered from father to son and known as the “Oral Bible.”

References

1. Ada R. Haberson. (1925). The Nineveh Gallery. The Bible and the British Museum. London: Pickering & Inglis, page 38-42.
2. Rabbi Avrohom Davis (editor) . (1998) . The Five Books of the Torah. The Metsudah Linear Chumash. NY: IM Hasefer.
3. A.K. Grayson. The Creation Epic. Additions to Tablet V. IN: James B. Pritchard. (1975) . The Ancient Near East Volume II. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, pages 1-5.
4. Sir Lancelot C.L. Brenton. (1851, 1995). The Septuagint with Apocrypha: Greek and English. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc.
5. E.A. Speiser. The Creation Epic. IN: James B. Pritchard. (1975). The Ancient Near East Volume I. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, pages 35-37.
6. Joan Oates. (1979). Babylon- London: Thames and Hudson, Ltd., pages 157, 172.
7. Rabbi Israel Meir Lau. (1997). The Sabbath. Practical Judaism. Tel Aviv, Israel: Modan, Publishing House Ltd., pages 153, 154; 208-209.
8. Francis Brown et al. (1907, 1979). The New Brown, Driver, Briggs, and Gesenius Hebrew and English Lexicon- Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, page 992.
9. James Orr (editor). (1952). Sabbath. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia- Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, volume 4, page 2630, 2631; 303.
10. James Strong. (Undated). The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible- Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, page 112, numbers 7673 and 7676, [Enuma .II]

By Idel Suarez