Tanakh & the Ancient Near East Index – Parashat Bereshit
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Overview
Knowledge of the history, law, cultic practices and realia of the Ancient Near East can often shed much light on Tanakh. This index contains a list of links to articles which touch on the connections between Tanakh and ancient cultures.
Creation Accounts
See Creation Accounts in the Ancient Near East for a comparison of the various Mesopotamian and Egyptians accounts of creation with Tanakh's account. The comparison highlights the different worldviews and belief systems of Israel and its neighbors. Israel, with its monotheistic outlook, presents all of creation as being the product of one God, who is above nature, clearly separate from and above mankind, who acts out of justice and not capriciousness. Polytheistic societies, in contrast, often present rival gods as being multiple creators, each associated with a different aspect of creation, who are often part of nature rather than above it. Often, too, creation is presented as stemming from selfish or arbitrary concerns.
See Tanakh and the Literature of the Ancient Near East (3), by R. Amnon Bazak, for analysis of similarities as well as vast theological differences between the Biblical account of creation and Enuma Elish. He notes that in the Babylonian version, "all the gods (including the creator god), representing the forces of nature, are themselves created out of nature", while the Torah "presents a single, transcendent God, having no progeny and not influenced by nature, devoid of any physical aspects or influences." R. Bazak connects this analysis to other instances of parallels between Biblical narratives and ancient Near East literature.
For an online translation of Enuma Elish, the Babylonian creation story, see here. See also A. Heidel, The Babylonian Genesis: The Story of Creation (Chicago, 1951): 1-60, available for download here. The latter also includes analysis and discussion.
Creation of Man
See בריאת האדם בבראשית ב' ובאתרח'סיס, a video lecture by Dr. Yoshi Fargeon, for a discussion of the parallels and contrasts between the account of man's creation in Bereshit 2 and the Epic of Atrahasis. The Mesopotamian account asserts that man was created solely to serve the gods and work in their stead, so they can rest. Tanakh, in contrast, asserts that man was not created just to work; life was not mean to be harsh. Man was supposed to live in the Garden of Eden where all is provided for, but due to sin, toil was introduced.
In Myths of the Creation of Man and the Jericho Statues, Ruth Amiran draws a connection between accounts of man’s formation from clay and clay statues that have been uncovered by archaeologists. This underscores the images that were associated with man’s creation in the ancient world.
See Tanakh and the Literature of the Ancient Near East (3), by R. Amnon Bazak, for analysis of the claim that ancient Mesopotamian literature contains parallels to the institution of Shabbat. R. Bazak demonstrates the significant differences between the Biblical and Mesopotamian institutions.1 While the latter were very much related to the lunar calendar and considered days of bad luck, appeasement to the gods, and meant for only a small segment of society, the Biblical Shabbat is unrelated to the lunar cycle, is considered a day of blessing and affirmation of faith in Hashem as creator, and is an egalitarian institution applying to everyone from servants to rulers.
The Sons of God and the Daughters of Men
See The Sons of God and The Daughters of Men: Genesis VI, by Dr. William Harper, who contrasts the narrative in Bereshit 6 with Ancient Near Eastern parallels, showing the ways in which Tanakh undermines pagan theology through this narrative.