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by Bolton Davidheiser, Ph.D. Chairman, Science Division, Biola College
A couple of generations ago the Christian public was told that the Biblical account of creation was based upon Babylonian and Assyrian legends. It did not seem to occur to the experts who made this declara tion that the Babylonians and Assy rians might have based their legends upon stories handed down from early times, with ever increasing depar ture from the truth, while the Bibli cal account of creation and of sub sequent times recounts the same events but with the benefit of divine inspiration. In the Biblical account of creation there is one God (although expressed in the plural because of the Trinity), but in the legends of Babylonia and Assyria there are many gods. The exploits of these gods strongly sug gest that they are really deifications of Nimrod and other men of renown who lived before and after the flood. The Biblical account is simple and dignified, while the legends are -fan tastic stories involving intrigues, slaughters, and drunkenness among the gods. Professor F. A. Filby of South- East Essex Technical College has rather recently written a book in which he describes similarities and differences between the Biblical and the Assyrio-Babyonian accounts.* Marduk, the Babylonian god of creation, had parents, grandparents, and other ancestors for many genera tions. There are various references among the clay tablets that recount the legends which seem to equate Marduk with Nimrod, the mighty man of valor who defied God. Nimrod lived after the flood, and the Baby lonians seem to have confused the events of antediluvian times with the activities of gods before their crea tion narrative begins. Marduk fought with a goddess named Tiamat, who represented the ocean. Engaging in a fight of this kind can hardly be considered as very gallant for a great one of valor, but according to the legend it was the beginning of creation. Marduk slew the goddess and used half of her body to form the earth and the other
half to form the heavens. Since she was a goddess representing the ocean, a parallel to the Scriptural ac count may be noted in that the earth was first covered with water and there was also water above the fir mament (which fell when the “win dows of heaven” were opened at the time of the flood). Parallels of this sort may be interpreted as showing some evidence that the Babylonians were descended from people who had heard the true story of creation, but that the story had become grossly corrupted. However, to say that Moses derived the Biblical descrip tion of creation from stories like this is altogether absurd. Marduk created man from the body of another slain god, named Kingu. The function for which man was created was to wait upon the gods while they rested. The lesser gods, in appreciation for what Mar duk did for them, built him a temple “made of bricks with its head on high” — rather clearly the Tower of Bgbel. The final episode in the Babylonian story of creation contains a number of titles of Marduk, who is pro claimed by the other gods (ancient men of renown) as the One True God. As Professor Filby comments, Satan thus deceived the vast masses of mankind in ancient days, and as a result the heathen religions origi nated. It seems incredible, but it is a fact that in recent times erudite scholars also have been deceived by the ancient creation myths of Baby lonia and Assyria. They, in turn, have deceived many who rely upon their scholarship. Besides this, no doubt, many others have been trou bled needlessly in their faith. In this case as in others, the critics of the Bible made their devastating pronouncements with what appeared to be a conviction of assurance and finality. But when they were shown to be wrong, the fact that they were in error was not published as widely as their original damaging pro nouncements were published. *See review of this book in this issue of The King’s Business.
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guages formed the foundation for proper bib-
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