Much of the reason for the interest in Jewish history and religion is that Judaism is the source of Christianity and Islam. The two most influential religions in the world today have absorbed and shared a large number of Jewish civilizations.
For example, the Christian Bible is divided into two parts, the New Testament and the Old Testament, which is derived from the Hebrew classic, the Tanakh, including the Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings.
Muslims, on the other hand, are not only required to believe in the Qur'an, but also to learn Xi Torah and Dhapur, which correspond to the Torah and the Collected Writings/Sacred Records in the Tanakh, respectively.
It can be said that Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all have the same origin, and their common source can all point to Judaism.
So, is Judaism completely original, and does it absorb and borrow from other civilizations?
The answer is that the Hebrew Bible account bears a striking resemblance to the literature of the Two Rivers Valley.
In 1849, the site of the library of Ashurbanipal was discovered by archaeologists. The Enuma Eilish and the Epic of Gilgamesh are presented in a relatively complete way, and the connection between the Hebrew Bible and the mythological literature of the Two Rivers basin has emerged.
It is currently housed in the Ashurbanipal Library of the British Museum
In this article, we will learn about the connection between the civilization of the two river basins and the Jewish civilization.
1. Sumerian civilization
At least 5,000-4,000 years ago, between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, there was a percussion plain called Mesopotamia. It gave birth to one of the earliest civilizations of mankind, the Sumerian civilization.
By that time, the Sumerians had learned to use wheels and had mastered agricultural irrigation systems such as canals, dikes, and reservoirs.
The Sumerians were extremely intelligent. They used carving knives to carve images on cylindrical stone, rolling them on soft clay tablets, and drying them to form paintings one by one, which is the Sumerian technique of roller sealing.
Not only that, but the Sumerians also invented the earliest written record system of mankind - cuneiform. The Sumerians pressed reed rods on soft clay tablets to form straight lines and wedge-shaped patterns, which were baked and dried to preserve the text.
Sumerian clay tablet text
In addition, the Sumerians also introduced concepts such as the sexagesimal system, 60 minutes per hour, 60 seconds per minute, and 360 degrees of circumference.
The earliest Sumerian period consisted of several independent city-states. These city-states were divided by canals and boundary stones. Each city-state was ruled by a priest or king who presided over the religious ceremonies of that city. At the center of each city-state was the temple of the city's patron deity, and different city-states worshipped different gods.
In Uruk, the oldest of the world, people worship the father of the gods, An, and the goddess Inanna. In the shrine of Nipur, people worship Enlil, the god of wind. In Larsa, Utu is their sun god. In Yerita, the god of water and knowledge is worshipped, and in your, the god Nanna is the symbol of the moon.
These gods mirror the Sumerian understanding of natural phenomena. The Sumerians at that time believed that the sun, moon and stars, wind and rain, thunder and lightning, storms, droughts and floods were all at work of the gods. Stories about the gods were created and spread among the people, and gradually myths became formed.
II. The Myth of the Great Flood of Jusudra
In Sumerian mythology, we can also see the myth of the Great Flood similar to "Noah's Ark", the earliest being the story of Jusudra.
One day, the gods seemed dissatisfied with humanity and decided to unleash a great flood to wipe out humanity. In a city-state of Sulubak, the water god Enki reminds a man named Jusudra. He was advised to build a large ship to escape the flood.
Like Noah, Jusudra also became a flood survivor. When the flood was over, the gods directed his ship to the south to Durmun, where he could reproduce.
In later archaeological research, scholars have found that Sumerian history is divided into pre-flood and post-flood history, and that Jusudra was the son of the last king before the flood.
III. The Flood Myth of Atrahashis
Coincidentally, the legend of Jusudra is not the only legend of the Great Flood.
A similar story took place around 2300 BC. During this period, in the middle and upper reaches of the valley of the two rivers, the Amorites migrated. The Amorites later lived in the city of Akkad. These men fought far and wide, gradually unifying the region, including the two river basins, and established the first empire in human history, the Akkadian Empire.
The Akkadian Empire also had its own myths and legends of the Great Flood. In this mythological system, the main god Enlil created some minor gods, who were responsible for working and cultivating the land, building waterways, managing rivers, watching mountains and rivers, and so on. Over the years, the little god complained.
Oia (also known as Enki, the god of water in Jusudra's story) proposes to create some humans as servants to ease the toil of the minor gods. As a result, human beings were created to be God's instruments to help them accomplish the work of the earth. Humans worked very hard to cultivate, but their numbers swelled dramatically, and it affected the rest of the Lord God Enlil.
The main god, Enlil, decided to unleash a flood to wipe out humanity once and for all. Unable to bear to see humanity exterminated, Oia secretly reminded a man called Atrahashis to build a ship and take his family and animals to escape the disaster. Atrahashis was as good as a stream, and managed to escape the flood unleashed by Enlil. Atrahashis managed to survive.
4. The Epic of Gilgamesh: Utnabistin takes refuge from the Great Flood
The Akkadian Empire fell after only 100 years of existence, but the myth of the flood during the Akkadian Empire has been passed down from generation to generation.
Around 1,900 B.C., the Babylonian kingdom rose in the valley of the two rivers. The flood myth is re-enacted in the Epic of Gilgamesh.
In the Epic of Gilgamesh, the human being who survived the Flood is called Utnabistin. Utnabisdin lives in Sulubak.
One day, when the gods decided to send a great flood to wipe out humanity, Oia (Enki) secretly reminded Utnabistin to build a big ship. Utnabistin followed Oia's instructions.
At the end of the seven days of the Great Flood, the land was in a vast ocean, and Utnabistin wanted to test whether there was any land. So he released a dove to look for, and the dove flew back, and there was no land, and then he released another swallow to fly, and the swallow flew back, but there was no land, and he released another raven, but the raven was gone, and the land appeared. Utna Bistin managed to survive.
5. The Epic of Gilgamesh is strikingly similar to Noah's Ark
Let's compare the myth of Noah's Ark:
After 220 days, the ark came to a halt near Mount Aare, and the floodwaters began to recede. It took another 40 days for the summit of Mount Aare to be revealed. At this time, Noah released a raven to fly around but was unwilling to fly back, and later released a pigeon, but it did not find land to perch on and flew back. Seven days later, Noah released the dove again, and this time he immediately brought back the branches of the olive tree, and Noah knew that the flood had dispersed. After another seven days, Noah released the pigeon for the last time, and this time it did not return to the ark. Noah's family and various animals walked out of the ark."
The description of Noah's Ark bears a striking resemblance to the Epic of Gilgamesh. If there are similarities, is it a coincidence?
6. "Enuma Eilish"
In addition to the story of Noah's Ark, which can be found in different periods of the Mesopotamian plains, the Book of Genesis of the Old Testament can also find traces of imitation in the Babylonian myth of Enuma Eilish.
According to Enuma Eilish, before the creation of the world, there was chaos between heaven and earth, and the freshwater god Apsu and the saltwater god Tiamat mixed their waters, and in the mixture, Abuzu and Tiamat gave birth to gods.
The noise of the gods playing with them disgusted Abozu, who wanted to kill the young gods, but was opposed by Theamat. When Oia (also the mythical Enki of the Great Flood) heard the news, he decided to strike first, and together with the other gods, he hypnotized Abuzu and killed him. After that, Oia became the head of the gods.
He and his wife, Damkina, gave birth to a son, Marduk. Determined to avenge her husband, Tiamat created eleven monsters to help her and won the support of some of the gods. Faced with impending danger, the mighty Marduk was chosen to fight against Tiamat.
Enuma Eilish
Marduk made a declaration of war to Tiamat. Tiamat, on the other hand, bestowed the Tablet of Heaven with her son and second husband, Jin Gu, a symbol of authority, and ordered him to confront Marduk. Jin Gu led the "Eleven Monsters" to meet him, but in front of Marduk's power, he was quickly defeated, and finally Jin Gu was killed by Marduk.
Armed with a bow and arrows, Marduk summoned winds and rain, lightning and thunder, and he summoned all kinds of winds to besiege Tiamat. Tiamat opened his mouth to swallow Marduk in his stomach. Just as Tiamat was about to swallow him in his mouth, Marduk manipulated the storm to keep Tiamat's mouth from closing, and then stabbed her with a sword.
Marduk sliced her body in half with a sword, one half of heaven and the other half of earth. Tiamat's breasts form mountains, and next to it springs form water. From her eyes came the Tigris and Euphrates. Heaven and earth come into being.
Marduk made a place in heaven for the gods to stay. Next, Oia went to create humanity, and humanity was created to serve the gods as servants of the gods. Near the Euphrates, Marduk also built a place where the gods could rest when they occasionally came to the earth, and that was Babylon. Babylon means "God's Gate", and it is the city where the gods come down to rest.
When Hammurabi the king of Babylon gave the Code of Law, he declared that I had been sent from Marduk, that I was God's representative, and that you should obey the law that I was about to give. It can be seen that the law of Babylon also fully reflects the relationship between man and God at that time, man is the servant of God, and King Hammurabi's power comes from the authorization of God Marduk.
7. The connection of Enuma Eilish to the Hebrew Bible
1. The knowledge of the structure of the universe is highly similar
Both the Enuma Eilish and the Hebrew Bible have myths of God's creation of the world, and the form of the myths reflects their understanding of the structure of the universe.
The ancients of Mesopotamia believed that the world was like a flat disk, surrounded by seawater. Humans inhabit an entire continent and drift from one ocean to another. The water of the rivers and lakes comes from Abozu, the god of fresh water in the underground. Abu Zu continuously supplies springs, wells and rivers, and connects with the seawater. The sky is an arc-shaped disc on the earth, where the edges meet the earth, and the gods dwell above it.
According to the Jewish literal translation of the Bible, the book of Genesis goes like this: When God began to create the heavens and the earth, the earth was formless and nothing. God hovers above the waters. On the first day, God said there would be light, and there was day and night. On the second day God said that the water should be filled with air, and the water would be divided in two, and the air in the middle would hold the water apart, and the heavens would be formed, and on the third day, the waters under the air would gather together and form the sea, and the exposed place would form the earth, and on the fourth day the stars would be created, and on the fifth day the birds would be born, and on the sixth day the beasts and men would be created, and on the seventh day they would rest.
It can be seen that the Enuma Eilish and the Hebrew Bible are highly similar in their understanding of the world, both of which are a mass of chaos wrapped in water, and then separated to form heaven, earth, lake, sea, etc.
The Hebrew Bible traces back to the ancient Hebrew perception of their place of residence as a circular land floating on fresh water, surrounded by seawater, and the sky covering the earth like a dome. It is very similar to the understanding of the ancient people of the Mesopotamian plain.
2. References to the Sabbath
Both Enuma Eilish and Genesis have this plot: after the creation of humans, the gods need to rest. It is believed that the Sabbath is a reference to Mesopotamian myths and legends.
3. The location of the Garden of Eden is in the valley of the Two Rivers
In the Hebrew Bible, there are four rivers in the Garden of Eden: the Euphrates, the Tigris, the Gihon, and the Bison. The Euphrates and Tigris rivers formed the Mesopotamian plain by their impacts. It can be seen that the location of the Garden of Eden is closely related to the area of the two rivers.
4. Abraham's footprints span the valley of the two rivers
The Hebrew Bible records that Abraham led his people from your to Canaan. Located on the lower reaches of the Euphrates River, your was one of the most civilized cities in Mesopotamia at the time and the birthplace of Mesopotamian religion.
Along the way, Abraham passed through the cities of Babylon, Lima, Haran, and Damascus, including the major cities of the two river valleys and the Fertile Crescent. Judging from Abraham's footprints, his range of activities is closely related to the valley of the two rivers.
There are many more connections between Enuma Eilish and Genesis, and the list goes on. More importantly, the entire Hebrew Bible shows a great deal of the Two Rivers civilization. The two river basins and the Egyptian civilization far away on the Nile River were connected through the Canaan region of the Middle Jordan River, forming a crescent-shaped civilization exchange area, also known as the Fertile Crescent. This was also the main area of activity of the ancient Israelites. Therefore, it is no coincidence that the Hebrew Bible and the myth of the Two Rivers Civilization have a striking similarity.