Cosmogonic Myths, Social, Religious, Political Purpose, Enuma Elish and Genesis - Term Paper Example

Cosmogonic myths, social, religious, political purpose, Enuma Elish and Genesis The purpose, meaning and value of human life and the world in which he exists, has appeared differently to different people and societies. These cosmogonic myths had importance and relevance to the social, political and religious structure of that period and society. While none of these myths is simple, they do have something in common. The object of this paper is to examine that all these complex myths relate to the beginning of the world and have a lot in common. The cosmogonic myth is the model for all other myths. It relates how the world came into existence. In the Egyptian, Australian, Greek, and Maya myths, the world was created from nothing. In most myths, the deity is the all-powerful, which remained at the centre of religious life as amongst the Hebrews, but in the case of the Australian Aborigines, Greeks, and Maya the deity withdrew and became a peripheral deity (Encarta, 1997). The Navajo and Hopi believed that the creation of the world was a progression from the lower to the upper worlds until humanity emerged. Africa, China, India, the South Pacific, Greece, and Japan follow the world egg principle in which the creation emerged with the breaking of the fertile egg. The people of West Africa refer to it as the placenta of the world while the Polynesians believed that there various layers of emergence as in the coconut shell. According to Genesis, the creation of the world proceeds from nothing (creatio ex nihilo) while Enuma Elish is the world-parent myth, in which the offspring of the world parents, Apsu and Tiamat, defeat them in a battle and from the immolated body of Tiamat, the world is created. In other world-parent myths from the Egyptians, Zuñi, and Polynesians the offsprings push the parents apart in search of light or knowledge, creating a space for the deities to make a human world. In other cosmogonic myths widespread among Siberian-Altaic peoples, in Romania, and in India, creation came into being through the help of an earth diver, an animal (a turtle or a bird) who dives into the primordial waters to bring up a small piece of earth that later expands into the world. The Greek philosophers used myths to arrive at reality while in the Judeo-Christian tradition, God was revealed to humanity within human history and society (Uchicago, n.d). In the modern culture, myths were seen as products of irrationality; human virtues were divinized at time, which also led to the formation of a myth. The Enlightened scholars had a deeper understanding of the myths and they could find a relation between the myth, the culture, and the history of the society. For the Romantic scholars, myths were a mode of understanding and perception and they possessed prestige equal to or greater than the rational grasp of reality. The common feature to all cosmogonic myths is that they have evolved with time. The myths took place before the world came into being. All myths are related to gods and places, supernatural beings or processes and have been important aspects of religion. The world in each case was made up of the earth, the sky and the waters. Similar to the sacrifice of Tiamat, the Hindu myth according to Rig-Veda, the world is the result of the sacrifice of the Gods. Thus we see that all the cosmogonic myths have a common basis, just erupted in different forms in different parts of the world. The Story of Flood The Story of flood as narrated in the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Genesis has a lot in common but the major point of dispute is which occurred first. While some claim that Biblical flood is a modified copy of the Epic of Gilgamesh others feel that Genesis is the original account and the Gilgamesh account merely a distortion. Gilgamesh, two-thirds God and one-third human was the greatest king that ever existed on earth but he oppressed the people in his kingdom. Gods decided to flood the entire earth to destroy mankind. The flood was the result of man’s sins and wickedness in both cases. The flood in Genesis was announced through Noah whereas Utnapishtim was the hero in the Epic of Gilgamesh. Both were ordered to build a boat and the means of flood in Gilgamesh was floodwater but in Genesis, it also included underground water. Both were asked to save their family and a sampling of animals. While the rains in Gilgamesh lasted just 6 days, it lasted for 40 days in the Genesis. Both the floods occurred in the Mesopotamian plain. In both cases the boats came to rest on a mountain, although different mountains. The unique common feature was the release of the birds to determine when the waters had receded although it was dove in the case of Gilgamesh and a raven in Genesis. In the ancient culture, boats were necessary to escape, as no other means was available. The people had to be warned through someone, hence the two characters were chosen. Offerings were made to the Gods in both cases although the offering differed depending upon the two cultures. In Gilgamesh epic, wines and a sheep were offered, in the Biblical story, burnt offerings of all the clean animals on the ark was made by Noah (Deem, 2005). Both cultures were noted for their nautical skills but the boat in Gilgamesh Epic was an unseaworthy cube with a slate roof while Noah’s ark was perfect in design. This denotes that Sumerians had no expertise in shipbuilding. The description of God’s act in both cases relates to the culture at that time. In Genesis, the Gods were just and patient and showed mercy to Noah. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, the gods have been shown as capricious, squabbling, and famished for the offerings from the humans. This clearly indicates that people in this time made gods in their own image (Sarfati, 2004). Thus, the story of flood has similarities and dissimilarities in both cases. Job’s questioning Job was virtuous, pious, and rich with materialistic possessions. God, through Satan put Job to test by inflicting repeated misfortunes. Despite the calamities, he turned to God and refused to curse God even when his wife incited him. Even when his friends tried to convince him that this was punishment for his sins, he refused to curse or God. At the same time, he was convinced of his innocence and that his suffering was not related to his sins. Nevertheless, he put forth questions on life, death, and sufferings. God’s ways are unknown to humans. They view suffering as a punishment while in reality suffering is an expression of God’s grace and not merely a punitive manifestation of His wrath. This is amply proved when God restores Jobs fortunes -- gives him double what he had before (West, 1989). Job’s life and suffering represent the transformation of the Jews. God assures him, that even though he may be suffering God is always with him, protecting him. God sent Elihu to awaken his consciousness. The fact that Job could see, converse and surrender to God, and God finally rewarding him with Gods Suffering Servant through whom the Gentiles will receive divine salvation, shows the omnipotent and omniscient nature of God. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Enkidu was sent on earth by the Gods as the conscience of Gilgamesh to tame him. Gilgamesh himself has been depicted as demi-God. In this, a paradise on earth has been created where Utnaspishtim and his wife have been placed. Through them God has shown that man has some kind of knowledge on how to attain immortality, which proves God’s omnipotent and omniscient nature as in The Book of Job. In both these cases, it is faith that sees them through immortality. In Enuma Elish, the concept of God is entirely different – they have taken birth as humans on earth. The epic begins with light and ends with mankind. It depicts the struggle between the cosmic order and chaos. In this, there are three primeval gods and fight takes place between the gods. Marduk defends the divine beings. Several other gods are also created all of who represent different aspects of the physical world. Through this epic, it is shown that mankind exists for the service of the gods. Are Gilgamesh and Job tragic characters? According to Aristotle, “Tragedy is the imitation of a good action, which is complete and of a certain length, by means of language made pleasing for each part separately; it relies in its various elements not on narrative but on acting; through pity and fear it achieves the purgation (catharsis) of such emotions”.  Adversities in life give a jolt, awaken us, and bring us to reality as it happened in the case of Job and Gilgamesh. Through human birth God teaches that the meaning of life can be explained but has to be experienced (in Aristotle’s words through acting and not on narrative), that purpose of birth has to be fulfilled, that divine support is necessary to attain the seemingly impossible, that consciousness has to be awakened and finally inner purification alone can lead one to salvation. The stories of both Gilgamesh and Job teaches us to face adversities, challenges and emerge victorious. Unless we learn the lesson on life and immortality, death does not come. Through Gilgamesh, we learn that man is capable of development. Through pity and fear – as Aristotle says, both these characters were scared but had the support of the Gods in accomplishing their feat, which establishes that this was one of the purposes of their birth. Through Enkidu and Elihu, God teaches us to awaken the consciousness within and take an account of the gain or loss when transcendence from one state to another takes place. Once we recognize the weakness in the self, immediate corrections should be made. Both Job and Gilgamesh were inconsolable when they were struck with tragedy but this did not make them tragic characters. In fact, this made them embark upon a quest seeking immortality as a means to peace, meaning, and joy in life. Light begins to glimmer gradually just as man evolves as he progresses in life and finally emerges into the day – light dawns in his life, realization comes, the consciousness awakens. Direction can be given but it has to be experienced by the self. Job and Gilgamesh are representatives on earth to teach lessons of life and death to people. Their lives and struggles are mere representations of the constant turmoil that every human being undergoes while on earth. It also teaches us the sufferings are blessings; it is the grace of God to overcome and repent for the sins. Atonement of sins bring inner purity (catharsis as Aristotle says) and only when we are pure can we attain salvation. This does not make them tragic characters because they are mere representatives to teach mankind. References: Deem R (2005), Is the Biblical Flood Account a Modified Copy of the Epic of Gilgamesh? 13 Aug 2006 Encarta (1997), "Mythology," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2006 13 Aug 2006 Sarfati J (2004), Noah’s Flood and the Gilgamesh Epic, 13 Aug 2006 UChicago (n.d.), 13 Aug 2006 West D (1989), A Commentray on the Book of Job, 13 Aug 2006 Further Readings: Bratcher D (2006), The Mesopotamian/Babylonian Creation Myth, 13 Aug 2006 Wikipedia, Book of Job, 13 Aug 2006 Wikipedia, Enuma Elish, 13 Aug 2006 Read More