After reading Enuma Elish and Genesis 1:1-2:4, the parallels between the two accounts of creation and the origin of spirituality become clear. Because of the similarities between the two stories, it is understandable why scholars and readers alike would believe that the author of Genesis knew and drew from Enuma Elish.
The stories parallel in multiple aspects: the abyss in the beginning, the sense of community, the description of the evil or oppositional force, and the creation of man. In Enuma Elish, the beginning is described as nothing much similar to Genesis with, “the earth was a formless wasteland.” Likewise, Enuma Elish is filled with multiple gods. As Christians, we accept the doctrine established back in the Second Ecumenical Council as a Trinitarian God, one God of three Persons. In a way there is a parallel between both accounts because, in both cases, heaven or the divine assembly consists of a community. Additionally, the two parallel in the description of evil as a serpent or dragon; finally they are similar in the creation of man as the final act of creation.
However, Enuma Elish also presents a stark contrast with our Christian understanding of God. The gods in Enuma Elish are all too human, Marduk especially. The betrayal story is filled with betrayal, pride, anger, and manipulation. The understanding of God in Genesis is quite the opposite, a God who is omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, and (most importantly for this argument) omnibenevolent. Our understanding of God is of a loving creator, not a member of a power struggle. Finally, in Enuma Elishman is created to serve the gods, to do their duties. In Genesis, and through Catholic understanding, man is created to be in relationship with God, to walk hand in hand. Man is given value and is made in the “divine image.”
The fact that that the Bible seems to have borrowed some concepts and ideas from other cultures and religions of the ancient world is actually not all too surprising for me. If anything it is commendable, showing the similarities between different cultures, and at this time in history, becoming more catholic (universal) is a must.
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