1. Maps by David P. Barrett used by permission
World Civilizations
Beginnings
© John Stevenson, 2017
Maps by David P. Barrett used by permission

2. Babylonian Creation Account
Enuma Elish
Seven Tablets
Apsu & Tiamat exist as primal gods
When the sky above was not named,
And the earth beneath did not yet bear a name,

3. Babylonian Creation Account
Enuma Elish
Seven Tablets
Apsu & Tiamat exist as primal gods
And the primeval Apsû, who begat them,
And chaos, Tiamat, the mother of them both,

4. Babylonian Creation Account
Enuma Elish
Seven Tablets
Apsu & Tiamat exist as primal gods
Their waters were mingled together,
And no field was formed, no marsh was to be seen;

5. Babylonian Creation Account
Enuma Elish
Seven Tablets
Apsu & Tiamat exist as primal gods
When of the gods none had been called into being.

6. Babylonian Creation Account
Chaos erupts with creation of other gods
Aspu killed & Tiamat takes Kingu as new husband
Marduk fights Tiamat and uses her corpse to fashion earth and sky

7. Babylonian Creation Account
Marduk kills Kingu and creates man from his blood
Sabbatu is established as observance
(Refers to full moon that appears once a month)

8. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Ennuma Elish
Genesis Account
When in the height heaven was not named,
And the earth beneath did not yet bear a name,
And the primeval Apsu, who begat them,
And chaos, Tiamut, the mother of them both
Their waters were mingled together…
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
And the earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving on the face of the waters…

9. Tiamat engulfs world in a primal chaos.
Ennuma Elish
Genesis Account
Tiamat engulfs world in a primal chaos.
The world was unformed and unfilled.
Light comes from the gods.
God brings light into existence.
Marduk makes the stars of the zodiac and ordains the year.
God sets sun and moon for signs, seasons, days, and years.
Marduk makes man from the blood of Kingu.
God creates man in His own image and likeness.

10. Ennuma Elish Genesis Account
Marduk commands the horns to determine six days, the seventh day to divide the crown, and the fourteenth day to be the Sabbatu (when the moon is full)
God creates in six days and rests on the seventh day which He appoints as a Sabbath

11. Ennuma Elish
Genesis Account
Moses is giving to us a refutation of the accepted mythos that was held in antiquity as he goes point by point to show that God is the true Creator of heaven and earth.

12. The heavens and the earth are created in six days.
Genesis 1
Genesis 2
The heavens and the earth are created in six days.
Creation of the man and woman (no time element mentioned).
Man’s creation is climactic
Man’s creation mentioned first

13. Now a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it divided and became four rivers (Genesis 2:10).
Pishon (around the whole land of Havilah)
Gihon (around the whole land of Cush)
Tigris (east of Assyria)
Euphrates

14. Tirgis
Euphrates
Havilah
Cush

15. Eden as Sacred Space

16. Water
Flaming
Altar

17. Genesis 4:17
Cain had relations with his wife and she conceived, and gave birth to Enoch; and he built a city, and called the name of the city Enoch, after the name of his son.

18. Now to Enoch was born Irad, and Irad became the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael became the father of Methushael, and Methushael became the father of Lamech. (Genesis 4:18).
Enoch
Irad
Mehujael
Methushael
Lamech

19. Genesis 4:19
Lamech took to himself two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other, Zillah.

20. Genesis 4:20-22
Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. 21 His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe. 22 As for Zillah, she also gave birth to Tubal-cain, the forger of all implements of bronze and iron; and the sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.

21. The Age of Humanity
James Ussher ( ) reckoned a chronology that put creation at Sunday, October 23, 4004 B.C.
Contradicted by archaeology
Assumes no gaps in genealogy
Stylized genealogies

22. Adam Noah Noah Terah Three sons Three sons Ten Generations

23. Morris & Whitcomb, The Genesis Flood
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
Adam 
Noah
Enoch
Morris & Whitcomb, The Genesis Flood

24. Genesis 1-6 Genesis 7-11 Creation history Noahic history
Adam’s sons (4:1-16)
Noah’s sons (9:18-29)
Technological Development of Mankind (4:17-26)
Ethnic Development of Mankind (10:1-32)
Ten Generations from Adam to Noah (5:1-32)
Ten Generations from Noah to Terah (11:10-26)

25. Genesis 6:14
Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood; you shall make the ark with rooms, and shall cover it inside and out with pitch.
tb;Te
Same word is used for
the ark into which the
baby Moses was placed

26. Genesis 6:15
This is how you shall make it: the length of the ark three hundred cubits, its breadth fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits.

27. Noah’s three sons (6:10)
Covenant with Noah (6:18)
• Promise to destroy the earth with a flood
Command to take food (6:21)
Noah & Family enter the ark (7:1)
Flood on the earth (7:11 – 8:13)
Noah & Family come out of ark (8:14)
Command not to eat blood (9:14)
Covenant with Noah (9:8-17)
• Promise not to destroy the earth with a flood
Noah’s three sons (9:18)

28. The Lord shuts the door and it rains 40 days and nights (7:15-16)
Waters increase until the mountains are covered (7:18-20)
150 days waters prevail (7:21-24)
God Remembers Noah (8:1)
150 days waters abate (8:3)
Waters decrease until the mountain become visible (8:4-5)
At the end of 40 days Noah opens the window (8:6)

29. Was the Flood
Local or Universal?

30. Universal language
The waters lifted the ark up above the earth (7:17).
The waters prevailed and increased upon the earth (7:18).
The waters prevailed exceeding upon the earth (7:19).
All the high hills were covered (9:19).
The water rose 15 cubits above the mountains (7:20).

31. Universal language All flesh died upon the earth (7:21).
The waters prevailed for 150 days (7:24).

32. The Biblical account says that the waters covered the whole earth.
Universal Flood
Local Flood
The Biblical account says that the waters covered the whole earth.
The word aretz (“earth”) is often used to describe a local area.
The Biblical language goes out of its way to use language of totality.
The account is given from the viewpoint of the narrator is from his perspective the destruction is total.

33. The size of the ark indicates that this was no local flood.
Universal Flood
Local Flood
The size of the ark indicates that this was no local flood.
The size of the ark is not related to the extent of the flood.
The purpose of the ark was punishment of world-wide sin. In a local flood some could have escaped.
God could have made certain all flesh was destroyed without flooding the entire globe.
There are world-wide traces of a flood.
The evidence is questioned as to its universality.

34. Entered ark and waited 7 days
- 7
Rained 40 days & 40 nights
- 40
Waters prevailed 150 days
- 150
Waters decreased 150 days
- 150
Noah opened window
- 40
Waited 7 days to send out 2nd dove
- 7
Waited another 7 days for dove
- 7
TOTAL
- 401 Days

35. Genesis 8:4
In the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark rested upon the mountains of Ararat.

36. Ararat

37. Gilgamesh Epic
I will proclaim to the world the deeds of Gilgamesh. This was the man to whom all things were known; this was the king who knew the countries of the world. He was wise, he saw mysteries and knew secret things, he brought us a tale of the days before the flood.

38. Gilgamesh Epic
When the gods created Gilgamesh they gave him a perfect body. Shamash the glorious sun endowed him with beauty, Adad the god of the storm endowed him with courage, the great gods made his beauty perfect, surpassing all others, terrifying like a great wild bull.

39. Gilgamesh Epic King of Erech Harsh ruler
People pray to Anu, the sky god
Anu sends Enkidu, a wild man of the forest
Enkidu is seduced by a temple prostitute who tames him after seven nights

40. Gilgamesh Epic Enkidu enters society and hears of Gilgamesh
Gilgamesh tries to crash a wedding and is confronted by Enkidu
They fight and then become friends
They go on quests to defeat monsters and gods

41. Gilgamesh Epic The gods turn on Enkidu and he gets sick and dies
Gilgamesh mourns the death of his friend and goes on a quest to find immortality
He hears of Utnapishtim who survived the flood.

42. Gilgamesh Epic
So Gilgamesh travelled over the wilderness, he wandered over the grasslands, a long journey, in search of Utnapishtim, whom the gods took after the deluge; and they set him to live in the land of Dilmun, in the garden of the sun; and to him alone of men they gave everlasting life.

43. Gilgamesh Epic Utnapishtim tells the story of the flood
People were too loud for the gods
“Tear down your house and build a boat”
7 decks & overlaid with pitch
7 days to build it
His family, relatives and craftsmen

44. Gilgamesh Epic Storm lasted 6 days Boat landed on Mount Nisir
Released a dove, a swallow, and then a raven
Made a sacrifice to the gods
When the gods smelled the sweet odor, they gathered like flies over the sacrifice

45. Gilgamesh Epic
Gilgamesh told he can get eternal life by staying awake for seven days
Utnapishtim’s wife bakes a loaf of bread each day and places it beside Gilgamesh

46. Gilgamesh Epic
Gilgamesh said, “What shall I do, O Utnapishtim, where shall I go? Already the thief in the night has hold of my limbs, death inhabits my room; wherever my foot rests, there I find death.”

47. Gilgamesh Epic
Utnapishtim: “There is a plant that grows under the water, it has a prickle like a thorn, like a rose; it will wound your hands, but if you succeed in taking it, then your hands will hold that which restores his lost youth to a man.”

48. Gilgamesh Epic
Gilgamesh is returning home with the plant, but stops for the night to sleep
A serpent comes and eats the plant, having its skin renewed

49. Gilgamesh Epic
“Was it for this that I toiled with my hands, is it for this I have wrung out my heart’s blood? For myself I have gained nothing; not I, but the beast of the earth has joy of it now.”

50. Genesis 10:1
Now these are the records of the generations of Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah; and sons were born to them after the flood.

51. Japheth
Shem
Ham

52. Japheth
Gomer
Magog
Tubal
Meshech
Javan
Tiras
Madai

53. Ham
Canaan
Mizraim
Put
Cush

54. Genesis 10:8-9
Now Cush became the father of Nimrod; he became a mighty one on the earth. 9 He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the LORD.”

55. Genesis 10:10-12
The beginning of his kingdom was Babel and Erech and Accad and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. 11 From that land he went forth into Assyria, and built Nineveh and Rehoboth-Ir and Calah, 12 and Resen between Nineveh and Calah; that is the great city.

56. Nimrod
Nineveh
Accad
Babel
Calneh
Erech

57. Lud
Asshur
Aram
Shem
Elam

58. Genesis 10 Genesis 11 Listing of the nations Division of the nations
Tells us what happened
Tells us how it happened

59. Now the whole earth used the same language and the same words.
Genesis 11:1
Now the whole earth used the same language and the same words.

60. It came about as they journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there (Genesis 11:2).
Shinar

61. Genesis 11:3
They said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly.” And they used brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar.

62. Genesis 11:4
They said, “Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.”

63. Ziggurat

65. Genesis 11:5
The LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built.

66. Genesis 11:5
The LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built.

67. Genesis 11:6-7
The LORD said, “Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them. 7 Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, so that they will not understand one another's speech.”

68. Genesis 11:8
So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of the whole earth; and they stopped building the city.

69. Genesis 11:9
Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of the whole earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of the whole earth.
lb,B'
ll;B'

70. Major Language Groupings
Indo-European (corresponds to Japheth): English, Spanish, Greek, German, French, Latin, Italian.
Semitic (corresponds to Shem): Hebrew, Arabic, Akkadian, Aramaic.
Hamitic (corresponds to Ham): Egyptian, Berber, Cushitic, and Chadic

71. Genesis 5 Genesis 11 Adam Seth Enosh Kenan Mahalel Jared Enoch
Methuselah
Lamech
Noah
Shem Ham Japheth 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Shem
Arphachshad
Cainan
Shelah
Eber
Peleg
Reu
Serug
Nahor
Terah
Abram Nahor Haran

72. Genesis 5
Genesis 11
Begins with Adam, but is preceded by a genealogy of the antediluvian world found in Genesis 4.
Begins with Shem, but is preceded by a genealogy of the postdiluvian world found in Genesis 10.
Ten generations are listed.
Ten generations are listed.
Ends with the birth of three sons.
Ends with the birth of three sons.

73. Genesis 11 not a Strict Chronology
The Number of Years is not Totaled.
The Name and Years of Cainan are Absent from the Hebrew Text.
Genesis 5 and Genesis 11 are Symmetrical in Form.
The earth was divided in the days of Peleg (Genesis 10:25).
Ancestral connections between people in Biblical genealogies are often abridged

74. Maps provided by
David P. Barrett
Used by Permission