Download Enlil Enki Genesis

Enlil, Enki and Genesis
I recently went through a video course called "Between the Rivers: The History
of Ancient Mesopotamia". I also read a few books containing the primary
sources from the time of the Babylonians and earlier in Mesopotamia. Though
Egyptologists may disagree, Mesopotamia, in particular the Sumerians, seems
to be the oldest civilization for which we have records. It has Eridu, the earliest
city we have records for. It has the Akkadian empire (conquered by Sargon)
which is the first empire we have records for. And it has the city of Ur, which
was the city that Abraham left likely around 2000 B.C. during the Ur III
dynasty. So, if the early history in Genesis is at all historical then there
should be at least some
similarities from the writings
from Sumeria and the writings
in Genesis.
All writings from early
Mesopotamia relating to history
seem to be considered as being
totally mythical. There doesn't
seem to be a separate genre of
early historical writings from Mesopotamia like there is for later periods. But
embedded in the early myths we would expect at least some remnants of
history, distorted but handed down over time. Lets see what we find.
Here are the relevant quotes from various Mesopotamian accounts relating the
history of man. While there may be some conflicting myths, in general we can
Identify some Mesopotamian gods with the characters in Genesis:




Enlil (and also An)- the creator God who sends the flood, has the
tablets of destiny
Enki/Ea - Satan, who helps mankind escape Enlil, he is the father of
Marduk (who is later Zeus in Greece) who takes the tablets of destiny
and replaces Enlil as the head of the gods
Ninmah - Eve, who chooses good or evil for her descendants
Ziusudra/Utanapishtim - Noah, who builds a boat and takes animals to
escape the flood
1. Enlil controls everything
From Hymn to Enlil (Harps that once, P101-102)
Compare to Psalm 95:2-4 and Psalm 69:34
"Enlil - his orders august into the far yonder, his words holy, his unalterable
utterances decisive into the far future...", "Heaven and Earth bowed of
themselves down to him, and all the gods of high descent humbled themselves
before him, loyally awaited for their part instructions."
2. Enlil controls the destiny of the earth
From Myth of the Storm God Zu
Compare to Acts 4:26-28 and Romans
8:28-30
"Also the omens of all the gods he (Enlil)
controlled, ..., His eyes behold what Enlil
does as sovereign. The crown of his
sovereignty, the robe of his divinity, The
tablet of destinies belonging to his divinity...
"
Note: all the kings down until Babylon
went to Enlil's temple to be crowned king
3. Enlil separates heaven and earth
From Song of the Hoe
Compare to Genesis 1:6-7
"Not only did the lord make the world appear in its correct form -- the lord
who never changes the destinies which he determines: Enlil, who will make the
human seed of the Land come forth up from the earth -- and not only did he
hasten to separate heaven from earth, and hasten to separate earth from
heaven, but, in order to make it possible for humans to grow in Where Flesh
Came Forth he first suspended the axis of the world at Dur-an-ki."
4. The first people were made from clay
From The Harps that once... P156
Compare to Genesis 2:7
"When you have drenched even the core of the Apsu's fathering clay imma-en
and imma-shar can make the fetus bigger, and when you have put limbs on it
may Ninmah act as your birth-helper..."
5. Enki was considered to be wise and crafty
From The Harps that once... P155
Compare to Genesis 3:1
"Enki... the ingenious and wise one, skillful custodian of heaven and earth..."
Note: Two of Enki's symbols are a goat and a double helix snake, his
compassion disarms the stern wrath of his brother Enlil, see
http://en.wikiped
ia.org/wiki/Enki
6. Enki and first woman chose Good or Evil for descendants
From The Harps that once... P158-159
Compare to Genesis 3:1-6
"Enki and Ninmah were drinking beer and began to feel good inside. Ninmah
said to Enlil: "As for the build of men, what makes it good or bad is mine affair,
whichever way my turn of heart, I am making the decision about mode of being,
good or bad." (The result was that many offspring were deformed, possibly a
reference to sin)
7. A snake takes away eternal life
From Gigamesh P99
Compare to Genesis 3:13-15
"Its name shall be "Old Man Grown Young", I will eat it myself, and be again
as I was in my youth! At twenty leagues they broke bread, at thirty leagues they
stopped for the night. Gilgamesh found a pool whose water was cool, down he
went into it, to bathe in the water. Of the plant's fragrance a snake caught scent,
came up [in silence], and bore the plant off."
8. Eve driven out of Eden
From The Harps that once... P 165
Compare to Genesis 3:23-24
"I am one lamenting. ... I am one driven out of my house, at my beer-pouring
party... I am become one lingering outside, cannot enter at wish! Now I cannot
dwell under heaven, cannot dwell on earth, cannot in the country get out of
your sight. Where you dwell not, in a house I shall build, I shall not hear your
voice. Where you live not, in a city I shall build, me myself despairing silense
will fill. "My city is destroyed, my house wrecked, my children taken captive. I
am a fugitive driven out of Ekur (the temple of Enlil), I myself, even, have not
escaped out of your hands!"
9. "Sons of God" took any women they wanted
From Epic of Gilgamesh tablet 2
Compare to Genesis 6:1-4
"For Gilgamesh, the King of Broad-Marted Uruk, open is the veil of the people
for choosing. He will have intercourse with the 'destined wife,' he first, the
husband afterward. This is ordered by the counsel of Anu, from the severing of
his umbilical cord it has been destined for him."
10. Man's thoughts were continually evil so God decides to wipe out
Mankind
From Story of Atrahasis
Compare to Genesis 6:5-7
"The country was as noisy as a bellowing bull. The God grew restless at their
racket, Enlil had to listen to their noise. He addressed the great gods, 'The
noise of mankind has become too much, I am losing sleep over their racket.
Give the order that surrupu-disease shall break out. (A God who can hear
thoughts might refer to hearing evil thoughts continually as man being "noisy")
11. Noah saves animals, gives sacrifice, has seemingly endless life
From The Harps that once... P149-150
Compare to Genesis 6:13-8:22
"All the evil winds, all stormy winds gathered into one and with them, then, the
flood was sweeping over the cities of the half-bushel baskets for seven days and
seven nights. After the flood had swept over the country, after the evil wind had
tossed the big boat about on the great waters, the sun came out spreading light
over heaven and earth. Ziusudra then drilled an into the interior of the big boat.
Ziusudra, being king, stepped up before Utu kissing the ground opening in the
big boat. And the gallant Utu sent his light before him. The king was
butchering oxen, was being lavish with the sheep Barley cakes, crescents
together with...he was crumbling for him juniper, the pure plant of the
mountains, he filled on the fire and with a ...clasped to the breast he... You here
have sworn by the life's breath of heaven the life's breath of earth that he verily
is allied with yourself; you there, An and Enlil, have sworn by the life's breath
of heaven, the life's breath of earth. that he is allied with all of you. He will
disembark the small animals that come up from the earth! Ziusudra, being king,
stepped up before An and Enlil kissing the ground. And An and Enlil after
honoring him were granting him life like a god's, were making lasting breath of
life, like a god's, descend into him. That day they made Ziusudra, preserver, as
king, of the name of the small animals and the seed of mankind, live toward the
east over the mountains in mount Dilmun."
12. Noah telling the story of
the flood
From Gilgamesh
Compare to Genesis 6:13-8:22
"Gilgamesh spoke to
Utanapishtim (Noah), the
Faraway: "I have been looking
at you, but your appearance is
not strange--you are like me!
You yourself are not different--you are like me! My mind was resolved to fight
with you, but instead my arm lies useless over you. Tell me, how is it that you
stand in the Assembly of the Gods, and have found life!"
Utanapishtim spoke to Gilgamesh, saying: "I will reveal to you, Gilgamesh, a
thing that is hidden, a secret of the gods I will tell you! Shuruppak, a city that
you surely know, situated on the banks of the Euphrates, that city was very old,
and there were gods inside it. The hearts of the Great Gods moved them to
inflict the Flood. Their Father Anu uttered the oath (of secrecy), Valiant Enlil
was their Adviser, Ninurta was their Chamberlain, Ennugi was their Minister
of Canals.
Ea (Enki), the Clever Prince, was under oath with them so he repeated their
talk to the reed house: 'Reed house, reed house! Wall, wall! O man of
Shuruppak, son of Ubartutu: Tear down the house and build a boat! Abandon
wealth and seek living beings! Spurn possessions and keep alive living beings!
Make all living beings go up into the boat. The boat which you are to build, its
dimensions must measure equal to each other: its length must correspond to its
width. Roof it over like the Apsu.
I understood and spoke to my lord, Ea: 'My lord, thus is the command which
you have uttered I will heed and will do it. But what shall I answer the city, the
populace, and the Elders!' Ea spoke, commanding me, his servant: 'You, well
then, this is what you must say to them: "It appears that Enlil is rejecting me so
I cannot reside in your city, nor set foot on Enlil's earth. I will go down to the
Apsu to live with my lord, Ea, and upon you he will rain down abundance, a
profusion of fowl, myriad(!) fishes. He will bring
to you a harvest of wealth, in the morning he will let loaves of bread shower
down, and in the evening a rain of wheat!"'
Just as dawn began to glow the land assembled around me- the carpenter
carried his hatchet, the reed worker carried his flattening stone,... the
men ...The child carried the pitch, the weak brought whatever else was needed.
On the fifth day I laid out her exterior. It was a field in area, its walls were
each 10 times 12 cubits in height, the sides of its top were of equal length, 10
times It cubits each. I laid out its interior structure and drew a picture of it. I
provided it with six decks, thus dividing it into seven levels. The inside of it I
divided into nine compartments. I drove plugs to keep out water in its middle
part. I saw to the punting poles and laid in what was necessa
ry. Three times 3,600 units of raw bitumen I poured into the bitumen kiln, three
times 3,600 units of pitch ...into it, there were three times 3,600 porters of casks
who carried vegetable oil, apart from the 3,600 units of oil which they
consumed and two times 3,600 units of oil which the boatman stored away. I
butchered oxen for the meat, and day upon day I slaughtered sheep. I gave the
workmen ale, beer, oil, and wine, as if it were river water, so they could make a
party like the New Year's Festival. and I set my hand to the oiling. The boat
was finished by sunset.
The launching was very difficult. They had to keep carrying a runway of poles
front to back,
until two-thirds of it had gone into the water. Whatever I had I loaded on it:
whatever silver I had I loaded on it, whatever gold I had I loaded on it. All the
living beings that I had I loaded on it, I had all my kith and kin go up into the
boat, all the beasts and animals of the field and the craftsmen I had go up.
Shamash had set a stated time: 'In the morning I will let loaves of bread
shower down, and in the evening a rain of wheat! Go
inside the boat, seal the entry!' That stated time had arrived. In the morning he
let loaves of bread shower down, and in the evening a rain of wheat. I watched
the appearance of the weather-- the weather was frightful to behold! I went
into the boat and sealed the entry. For the caulking of the boat, to Puzuramurri,
the boatman, I gave the palace together with its contents.
Just as dawn began to glow there arose from the horizon a black cloud. Adad
rumbled inside of it, before him went Shullat and Hanish, heralds going over
mountain and land. Erragal pulled out the mooring poles, forth went Ninurta
and made the dikes overflow. The Anunnaki lifted up the torches, setting the
land ablaze with their flare. Stunned shock over Adad's deeds overtook the
heavens, and turned to blackness all that had been light. The... land shattered
like a... pot. All day long the South Wind blew ..., blowing fast, submerging the
mountain in water, overwhelming the people like an attack. No one could see
his fellow, they could not recognize each oth
er in the torrent. The gods were frightened by the Flood, and retreated,
ascending to the heaven of Anu. The gods were cowering like dogs, crouching
by the outer wall. Ishtar shrieked like a woman in childbirth, the sweet-voiced
Mistress of the Gods wailed: 'The olden days have alas turned to clay, because
I said evil things in the Assembly of the Gods! How could I say evil things in
the Assembly of the Gods, ordering a catastrophe to destroy my people!! No
sooner have I given birth to my dear people than they fill the sea like so many
fish!' The gods--those of the Anunnaki--were weeping with her, the gods
humbly sat weeping, sobbing with grief, their lips burning, parched with thirst.
Six days and seven nights came the wind
and flood, the storm flattening the land. When the seventh day arrived, the
storm was pounding, the flood was a war--struggling with itself like a woman
writhing in labor. The sea calmed, fell still, the whirlwind and flood stopped up.
I looked around all day long--quiet had set in and all the human beings had
turned to clay! The terrain was as flat as a roof. I opened a vent and fresh air
(daylight!) fell upon the side of my nose. I fell to my knees and sat weeping,
tears streaming down the side of my nose. I looked around for coastlines in the
expanse of the sea, and at twelve leagues there emerged a region of land. On
Mt. Nimush the boat lodged firm, Mt. Nimush held the boat, allowing no sway.
One day and a second Mt. Nimush held the boat, allowing no sway. A third day,
a fourth, Mt. Nimush held the boat, allowing no sway. A fifth day, a sixth, Mt.
Nimush held the boat, allowing no sway. When a seventh day arrived I sent
forth a dove and released it. The dove went off, but came back to me; no perch
was visible so it circled back to me. I sent forth a swallow and released it. The
swallow went off, but
came back to me; no perch was visible so it circled back to me. I sent forth a
raven and released it. The raven went off, and saw the waters slither back. It
eats, it scratches, it bobs, but does not circle back to me. Then I sent out
everything in all directions and sacrificed a sheep. I offered incense in front of
the mountain-ziggurat. Seven and seven cult vessels I put in place, and into the
fire underneath I poured reeds, cedar, and myrtle. The gods smelled the savor,
the gods smelled the sweet savor, and collected like flies over a sheep sacrifice.
Just then Beletili arrived. She lifted up the large beads which Anu had made for
his enjoyment: 'You gods, as surely as I shall not forget this lapis lazuli around
my neck, may I be mindful of these days, and never forget them! The gods may
come to the incense offering, but Enlil may not come to the incense offering,
because without considering he brought about the Flood and consigned my
people to annihilation.' Just then Enlil arrived. He saw the boat and became
furious, he was filled with rage at the Igigi gods: 'Where did a living being
escape? No man was to survive the annihilation!' Ninurta spoke to Valiant
Enlil, saying: 'Who else but Ea could devise such a thing? It is Ea who knows
every machination!' La spoke to Valiant Enlil, saying: 'It is yours, O Valiant
One, who is the Sage of the Gods. How, how could you bring about a Flood
without consideration Charge the violation to the violator, charge the offense
to the offender, but be compassionate lest mankind be cut off, be patient lest
they be killed. Instead of your bringing on the Flood, would that a lion had
appeared to diminish the people! Instead of your bringing on the Flood, would
that a wolf had appeared to diminish the people! Instead of your bringing on
the Flood, would that famine had occurred to slay the land! Instead of your
bringing on the Flood, would that (Pestilent) Erra had appeared to ravage the
land! It was not I who revealed the secret of the Great Gods, I only made a
dream appear to Atrahasis, and thus he heard the secret of the gods. Now then!
The deliberation should be about him!'
Enlil went up inside the boat and, grasping my hand, made me go up. He had
my wife go up and kneel by my side. He touched our forehead and, standing
between us, he blessed us: 'Previously Utanapishtim was a human being. But
now let Utanapishtim and his wife become like us, the gods! "
13. Long life removed from mankind a few generations after the flood
From Gilgamesh P XLV
Compare to Genesis 9:28 and Genesis 11:10-26
"After the assembly had made the Deluge sweep over... Ziusudra, one of
mankind, still lived!... From that time we swore that mankind should not have
life eternal."
"After the Flood had swept over... when the gods An and Enlil... had not sent
down from heaven (once more) kingship, crown and even city, and for all the
overthrown people had not established (once more) mattock, spade,
earth-basket and plough, the things which ensure the life of the land, then a
man spent one hundred years as a boy, free of duties, another hundred years he
spent, after he grew up, (but still) he performed no task of work."
14. Changing of one language into many
From Harps that once...
Compare to Genesis 11:1-9
"Once upon a time, there was no snake, there was no scorpion, There was no
hyena, there was no lion, There was no wild dog, no wolf, There was no fear,
no terror, Man had no rival. In those days, the land Shubur-Hamazi,
Harmony-tongued Sumer, the great land of the me of princeship, Uri, the land
having all that is appropriate, The land Martu, resting in security, The whole
universe, the people well cared for, To Enlil in one tongue gave speech.
Then the lord defiant, the prince defiant, the king defiant, Enki, the lord of
abundance, whose commands are trustworthy, The lord of wisdom, who scans
the land, The leader of the gods,
The lord of Eridu, endowed with wisdom, Changed the speech in their mouths,
put contention into it, Into the speech of man that had been one."
Note: Eridu was the first known city and it had a large Ziggurat, Enki,
who opposed Enlil in the Sumerian flood story, was the patron god of
Eridu, and there are correspondences between "Eridu" and "Babylon",
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eridu#Possible_location_of_Tower_of_Babel
Note: the first successful large city was Uruk. One myth tells of how the
plans for building civilization were stolen from Eridu and taken upstream
to Uruk, See http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sumer_anunnaki/esp_sumer
_annunaki16.htm
15. World replaces creator God with polytheism
From Harps that once... P171
"Enlil was passing through Kiur, and as Enlil was passing through Kiur the
fifty great gods, and the seven gods of formulating the decisions, were seizing
Enlil in Kiur: The sex offender Enlil will leave the town! The sex offender
Nunamnir will leave the town! Enlil, in accordance with what has been decided
about him, left town. Enlil was walking along, Ninlil was following..."
16. Hammurabi was a follower of a creator god
From Code of Hammurabi
"When lofty Anum, king of the Anunnaki, and Enlil, lord of heaven and earth,
the determiner of the destinies of the land, determined for Marduk, the
first-born of Enki, the Enlil functions over all mankind, made him great among
the Igigi, called Babylon by its exalted name, made it supreme in the world,
established for him in its midst an enduring kingship, whose foundations are as
firm as heaven and earth - at that time Anum and Enlil named me to promote
the welfare of the people, me, Hammurabi, the devout, god-fearing prince, to
cause justice to prevail in the land, to destroy the wicked and the evil, that the
strong might not oppress the weak, to rise like the sun over the black-headed
people, and to light up the land. Hammurabi, the shepherd, called by Enlil, am
I; the one who makes affluence and plenty abound; who provides in abundance
all sorts of things for Nippur-Duranki; the devout patron of Ekur; the efficient
king, who restored Eridu to its place"
17. Four males and four
females come out of water
From Egyptian Creation Myths
Flood related myth from
ancient Egypt:
The oldest of the Egyptian
creation myths was that eight gods, fo
ur male and four female, were created out of water. That would fit well with
the flood story since four men and four wome
n came out of the ark. Each of them lived much longer than their descendants
and had tales of a more populated world that was lost, so they could have
seemed like Gods with eternal life to their descendants.
Note about Terah and Abram and Ur
Depending on the specific dating, Terah and Abraham may have left Ur during
the Ur III dynasty. If so Ur may have been the thriving capital city of
Mesopotamia at the time. The first king of Ur rebuilt the major Ziggurats in
Nippur (to Enlil), Ur, Uruk and Uridu (the first known Ziggurat). And the
second king of the Ur III dynasty wrote arrogant things about how great he was
and he declared himself to be a god. He was the second king in history to do
that. The first king to declare himself to be a god was told in a dream by Enlil
that he would have some kind of disaster. That king destroyed the temple of
Enlil and his Akkadian empire was taken over and destroyed some time not too
long after that (during the reign of the next king).
So, if the chronology I am
using correctly dates Abraham's
life (somewhere around 2000
B.C.,), the dates could match up
with him leaving Ur possibly
during the Reign of Shulgi, who
was the second king to declare
himself a God. At that point it
would make sense that God
might abandon Mesopotamia and create a new nation that recovers the true
history of the creator God and the flood.
Also, it is interesting that Ur and Haran (where they originally went) both have
the same patron god of the Moon. The new testament says Terah and Abraham
were actual polytheists who were called out of that society rather than pure
monotheists out of step with the culture. Abraham would have seen, and likely
visited many times, the Zigurat pictured here. The timeline also suggests it may
have been built during the lifetime of Terah, Abram's father.
Since Shulgi declared that writings be re-written in a new format, there would
have been many scholars at this time re-writing older texts. It is possible that
Terah and Abraham may have learned about more accurate histories than were
popularly known at the time and so they came to reject the mythologies that
had come to surround their history.
From The Harps that Once Page xii "The majority of works we possess seems
to have come down to us in a form given them slightly later, during the period
of the Third Dynasty of Ur, some of the rulers of which - notably Shulgi - were
much concerned to preserve extant older literary works and to encourage the
creation of new ones".
Summary:
These correlations do not prove that the ancient history listed in the Bible is
accurate. One could just as easily argue that the history in Genesis is a cleaned
up version of Sumerian myths, which may be the reason why churches do not
teach people about these correlations in Sunday School. But at least it can be
said that a best guess at pulling history out of the earliest myths is consistent
with what we would expect if the Bible history in Genesis is true. Perhaps that
is part of the reason why the Book of Genesis has stood the test of time and
today over half of the world's population (including Christians, Muslims and
Jews) honor the book of Genesis.