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(Operating under the assumption that Genesis was authored by Moses, and its intent is a polemic against other origin stories and their view of the deity at the time).

The Enûma Eliš is said to have influenced the writings in Genesis. What are the similarities and differences between the Genesis creation account and other creation stories of the time?

(Not limited to Babylonian—particularly interested to hear Egyptian origin stories from the time as well.)

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Just to add on to Frank's post because I can't comment yet:

Where does one experience God/ Where does God live: In the palace in the royal city (through priests), or in nature (directly)?

How is food provided: Free gift from God (foraging), or By The Sweat of Your Brow (agriculture).

Only God is reigns vs the king rules over people in Marduk's name.

The number 7 vs the number 6. Babylonians used base 6 number system.

Solar vs Lunar calendar. (See: Enoch lived 365 years).

I don't think it would make sense to compare it with other origin stories because it is a response specifically to the Babylonian one, written during the exile.

Which reminds me of the never ending cycle of violence in one story vs exile as the preferred form of justice in the other.

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I also thought that the ages in Genesis reflect lunar/solar calender shift. But it isn't so. The ages don't scale properly when you divide by 12. I think what was going on was that the authors had short geneologies, and they padded the ages to make the world older, because with the length of the geneologies, it would have begun way too recently to be believable. – Ron Maimon Apr 10 '12 at 8:21
I'm not saying every age listed has to do with solar year. I don't think they chose big numbers at random. The ages are actually another similarity/difference with Enuma Elish; I think the kings listed in there "reigned for 10000 years" and such. – tladuke Apr 13 '12 at 0:48
This would make an interesting question--- which ages are consistent with lunar calender? I thought that one of the people listed would have had to have had a child at the age of 7 solar years if this is correct, or something ridiculous like that. Also, methuselah doesn't live that long in this interpretation, only 81 years. I think they chose the ages to give an impression of gradual decay, that we are much less than our ancestors--- this is the gradual fall of Genesis. It makes you feel that all the best stuff is behind us, when it's the exact opposite. – Ron Maimon Apr 13 '12 at 8:11
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Enuma Elish and Genesis have the strongest connection in their first lines--"In the beginning" vs. "When on high." Some say that Genesis is written as a polemic against Enuma Elish. They are very different.

1a. Enuma Elish starts with the elemental representatives of chaos, Apsu and Tiamat. They are the father and mother of the gods respectively. It isn't creation so much as shaping the chaotic matter that already exists.

1b. In Genesis, God stands over creation. And He creates it all. I do not read 1:2 as the chaos that He shapes. I read it as that is how He created it.

2a. In Enuma Elish, Apsu wants to kill his children, the gods, because they are noisy. Tiamat tries to protect them. Their son, Ea, chief of the gods, uses magic to send Apsu to sleep and then kills him. Ea and his consort have a child named Marduk who is stronger than themselves. Marduk's playing with wind storms awakens the gods still sleeping within Tiamat.

Tiamat seeks revenge and creates 11 monsters to help her. Marduk offers to be the gods' champion if he is allowed to be their leader afterwards. They agree, he fights Tiamat, kills her, and shapes her body parts into the earth and sky. He then creates the stars and regulates the sun, moon, and weather. Note that he does not create the sun or moon. He merely regulates them.

The gods who sided with Tiamat are first forced to be slaves of Marduk's coalition. Then Marduk creates humans to do the work the gods don't want to do. Babylon is established as the home of the chief gods and Marduk is named king of all gods. This includes Enlil, who was king of the gods in the area's earlier civilizations.

2b. Genesis connects on some of the high points, but is very different. God makes the sun, moon, and stars. He does not regulate them. God creates man as the high point of creation, not as a race of slaves. God does not fight other gods because there are none. There are no monsters to fight. In fact, God creates the tannim, sea monsters or whales simply as part of his creation. God is not named or elevated to kingship. In Genesis, He is supreme from the beginning.

In an Egyptian account I read while in seminary, the creator god engaged in "self abuse" to make the world and other gods.

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