Introduction to 'Enuma Elish'

The Enuma Elish is an ancient creation poem from the Babylonian era which was published on seven clay tablets consisting of around 115-170 lines per tablet. It is estimated the tablets were written around the 18th century BCE, because this was when the feature god of the tablet, Marduk, was a popular figure. The poem is integral to understanding the Babylonian worldview of creation and mankind's service to the gods. It is also a story about Marduk rising as the chief god of Babylon above all other gods in this time.

One of the clay tablets

The name 'Enuma Elish' is taken from the first two words of the poem and when translated from the original Akkadian means 'when on high' or 'when in the heights'. The poem can be split into two parts, the first involves the beginning of the universe and the birth of the Babylonian gods and the second part is an epic battle between the god Marduk and the mother goddess Tiamat and the god Kingu-eventually leading to Marduk being the ruling god of gods. In the final phase of the poem the city of Babylon is created for Marduk with a temple for him known as 'Esagilla' and Marduk is announced as the central god of Babylon.

In the beginning the universe is not yet formed but there was water, Apsu the fresh water and his wife Tiamat the salt water and chaotic oceans. After some time the water mixes together and new gods arise bring into creation the universe. Apsu has no patience for the commotion of the other gods and decides to murder them all, Tiamat tries to stop him but is unsuccesful. Eventually Apsu is conquered by his great grandson Ea with a sleeping spell. Ea then has his own son, the god Marduk who is a favourite among the other gods, and he is gifted the winds to play with. His winds upset the salty seas which enrages Tiamat who has since given birth to a new group of gods to her new husband Kingu. Tiamat creates eleven monsters to fight for her and appoints Kingu as the supreme leader, in the end however Marduk defeats Tiamt and becomes very powerful. Marduk forms the world from the corpse of Tiamat and mankind is created from the blood of Kingu to serve the gods and do all their labor on earth for them.

Marduk attempting to kill Tiamut

Research the following questions:
Why was Babylon such a significant place for Jews?
How did Babylon affect Judaism?
What happened to the Jewish religion as a result of the Jews residing in Babylon?
Who is the author of the Enuma Elish?
What century was the Enuma Elish written and when was Genesis 1 and 2 written?
Who is the relevant audience to the Enuma Elish?
What is the literary style of the Enuma Elish? Identify literary features to justify your answer.
What purpose do creation stories serve?
Complete a list of the differences and similarities between the Enuma Elish and the Genesis creation stories.