NES 1930 Assignment2

7/28/2019 NES 1930 Assignment2

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Michelle Chen

Professor Monroe

NES 1930

The Encyclopedia of Mesopotamian, Egyptian, and Biblical Accounts

Most cultures typically tell myths, a narrative or of statement, to portray phenomena in

which cannot be explained with logic or rational reasoning. One of the most perplexing concepts

even since the Mesopotamian, Egyptian, and Biblical times were the origins of humans and the

reasons for their behavior. The creation of mythical creatures, such as Gods, was created to

explain how the humans retained their current place in the world. All accounts prove similar in

that they at first introduce the creation in mankind and then teach mankind about their morals

through their implementation of punishment.

Most texts begin with a supreme being with supernatural powers, bringing forth the

inception of the human population. In the Egyptians story of Atrahasis, the Gods were once

men performing laborious work and complaining about their around-the-day workload.

Instead of continuing to suffer the labor, the Gods decided that it would be the perfect idea to

make the foreman perfect in order to take the heavy burden [away from] the Gods

(Atrahasis 42). Ea, a supreme ruler of the Gods, agrees and decides to create man. In the

Egyptian myth, the Gods resemblance to the human mind created man. Like humans, the Gods

protested against the long hours of work. The Egyptian myths portray Gods to have the same

attributes as man; however, despite that Gods nag just like man, the Gods remain ultimately

more powerful than the humans. One is the creator, the other is the created. Similar to the Bible,

God created man to work. Instead of laborious work, man had to ensure that the land God had

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created was properly maintained. Man must have dominion over the fish of the sea, and the

fowl of the air (Gen 1:26). Instead of portraying Gods like man themselves, the God in the

biblical tradition was portrayed to be the Supreme Being over the world. In this relationship,

God falls still above man as he resides over man while man resides over the rest of His creation.

Within both texts (the Bible and the Egyptians account of the creation of man), man must do

laborious work to maintain the Gods work. This man serves as the extension of the Gods role

upon the Earth. Both these texts allude to the fact that man was created to work for the Gods,

suggesting that the meaning of life for them was to work for a supreme being. These two texts

serve to explain the creation of human existence initially.

In all texts, Gods assume mans role was to protect and satisfy the Gods. Illustrated in

the Mesopotamian account, the origin of man was that the Gods created mankind to ensure

their safety (351). They were created to serve the Gods, making great food offerings and

waiting on the Gods (Pritchard 35). Thanking the Gods for their creation of mankind, man

reveres the Gods for their promise that the land be prosperous. However, the Mesopotamian

account does not discuss the rebellion that erupts from man only the Egyptian and the Biblical

version does. In the Egyptian version (the Memphite theology of creation), Re was the king of

man he had created man to serve him and to bring him pleasure . However, Re discovered that

man was plotting against his God instead of abiding by his duty of satisfying Re (Pritchard 3, 4).

The Gods and Re decided to destroy all of mankind with the Eye. However, man tricked Re by

deviously trick Re to drink beer. Once Re became drunk man escapes from being slaughtered.

In this account, mans relationship with the God was of deception. Man was filled with sin and

void of the obedience towards the Gods. Man became noisy and deceiving instead of revering

God. Comparing the two accounts, the Mesopotamian account neglects the rebellious nature of

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humans while the Egyptian account demonstrates the destructive and dubious nature of man (and

because of this nature he was able to escape his punishment). Both Mesopotamian and Egyptian

accounts allude to the roles of humans to protect the God. While the Mesopotamian account

suggests that humans would forever remain loyal to their God, the Egyptian myth depicts

otherwise humans being noisy and rambunctious creatures. Both these myths serve to explain

the accounts of human existence.

In both the Biblical account and the Egyptian account, the Gods had chosen to rid the

humans sin with a Great Flood. In the Biblical account, God had initially created man to

illuminate Gods image; however, God had then saw the wickedness of man (Gen 6-7). Mans

thoughts were replete of evil thoughts. God then decided to destroy man. Unknowingly, God

fell in love with Noah, a human who had abided by Gods laws of honesty and reverence. God

instructed Noah to construct an ark, bringing with him all animals of one male and one female.

Once God had flooded the lands, Noah gave the Lord burnt offerings at his man-made alter.

God, in turn, took pleasure in this offering and decided to never smite any more every thing

living (Gen 8:21). Both brought upon a great flood onto the plains of the Earth. Like the

Egyptian myth, God had punished man for his sins and his violence (or noisiness) (Pritchard

3,4). The Egyptian account had alluded to a Great Flood in which Enlil initiated. Enkil had

sympathy towards the humans and whispered towards Atrahasis the instructions of surviving the

catastrophe. Atrahasis had brought his family and the animals onto the ark and had survived the

flood (in which likewise destroyed all life outside of the ark). The significance of the flood

terrorizing the earth resembles the punishment humans had to endure for their sins. Both Gods

sought to destroy mankind by completely wiping all life from the face of the earth; however,

both God and Enkil had sympathy towards man and resolved by letting one good man survive

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the catastrophe. God and Enkil anticipated that the land would now be pure and free of evil once

the evil has been wiped clean. Both accounts suggest a hidden moral behind the myth, to never

lose hope of God. Noah had remained loyal to God in the midst of the turmoil; Atrahasis

remained observant and open to God. Because of their responsibility and their loyalty, they both

saved mankind from destruction.

Three cultures physically separated in the past could become similar in the meaning of

life. The three compelling cultures resemble each other in many ways that there lies a supreme

being in which humans must serve under and satisfy. By first explaining the human existence

and why it came to be, the myths strategically allude to consequences of misbehavior. With the

inclusion of the Great Flood in two of the three texts, the punishment for misbehavior serves to

scare the people in their society into perfect harmony.

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Works Cited

Berossus. "The Epic of Atrahasis."Livius. Articles on Ancient History. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Feb.

2013. .

Pritchard, James B., and Daniel E. Fleming. "The Creation Epic (Enuma Elish)." The ancient

Near East: an anthology of texts and pictures. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University

Press, 2011. 3,4,35. Print.

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NES 1930 Assignment2