The Biblical story is partly based on the Enuma Elish or "Seven Tablets of Creation", which is part of the ancient Babylonian mythology. The Torah was not written down until the Babylonian exile, when ancient Jews were exposed to the diverse pagan mythologies of the Babylonian empire. At this time they adopted stories about creation, Adam and Eve, the Flood and other stories which were incorporated into the Jewish religion. Noah is based on the Sumerian mythological hero named Utnapishtim, who was also known as Ziusudra or Atrahasis.
It is unlikely that all these stories come from a "common origin". They were adopted at the time the Jews were in Babylon and were rapidly losing their own language and culture. We have no evidence to suggest what the Jewish religion was like "before" the Babylonian exile as all copies of the Torah post-date that time period.
If this is the case, and science has also discredited the literal interpretations of Genesis, why do people still accept it?
2007-01-15
20:33:09
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14 answers
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asked by
darth_maul_8065
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Religion & Spirituality