Literal belief in the flood story

[Confused Ape]

We have presupposed the Biblical God for this thread.

Let's presuppose other deities just for a change. Why were humans created and why was there a flood?

Atra-Hasis

Atra-Hasis ("exceedingly wise") is the protagonist of an 18th-century BC Akkadian epic recorded in various versions on clay tablets. The Atra-Hasis tablets include both a creation myth and a flood account, which is one of three surviving Babylonian deluge stories.

Babylonia

Babylonia was an ancient Akkadian-speaking Semitic nation state and cultural region based in central-southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq). It emerged as an independent state c. 1894 BC, with the city of Babylon as its capital. It was often involved in rivalry with its fellow Akkadian state of Assyria in northern Mesopotamia. Babylonia became the major power in the region after Hammurabi (fl. c. 1792 - 1752 BC middle chronology, or c. 1696 – 1654 BC, short chronology) created an empire out of many of the territories of the former Akkadian Empire.

Synopsis

The creation of humans from clay to do agricultural work.

Tablet I contains a creation myth about the Sumerian gods Anu, Enlil, and Enki, gods of sky, wind, and water, “when gods were in the ways of men” according to its incipit. Following the Cleromancy (casting of lots), sky is ruled by Anu, earth by Enlil, and the freshwater sea by Enki. Enlil assigned junior divines[6] to do farm labor and maintain the rivers and canals, but after forty years the lesser gods or dingirs rebelled and refused to do strenuous labor. Instead of punishing the rebels, Enki, who is also the kind, wise counselor of the gods, suggested that humans be created to do the work. The mother goddess Mami is assigned the task of creating humans by shaping clay figurines mixed with the flesh and blood of the slain god Geshtu-E, “a god who had intelligence” (his name means “ear” or “wisdom”).[7] All the gods in turn spit upon the clay. After ten months, a specially made womb breaks open and humans are born. Tablet I continues with legends about overpopulation and plagues. Atrahasis is mentioned at the end of Tablet I.

Humans became a nuisance.

Tablet II begins with more overpopulation of humans and the god Enlil sending first famine and drought at formulaic intervals of 1200 years to reduce the population. In this epic Enlil is depicted as a nasty capricious god while Enki is depicted as a kind helpful god, perhaps because priests of Enki were writing and copying the story. Tablet II is mostly damaged, but ends with Enlil's decision to destroy humankind with a flood and Enki bound by an oath to keep the plan secret.

The flood story.

Tablet III of the Atrahasis Epic contains the flood story. This is the part that was adapted in the Epic of Gilgamesh, tablet XI. Tablet III of Atrahasis tells how the god Enki warns the hero Atrahasis (“Extremely Wise”) of Shuruppak, speaking through a reed wall (suggestive of an oracle) to dismantle his house (perhaps to provide a construction site) and build a boat to escape the flood planned by the god Enlil to destroy humankind. The boat is to have a roof “like Apsu” (a subterranean, fresh water realm presided over by the god Enki), upper and lower decks, and to be sealed with bitumen. Atrahasis boards the boat with his family and animals and seals the door. The storm and flood begin. Even the gods are afraid. After seven days the flood ends and Atrahasis offers sacrifices to the gods. Enlil is furious with Enki for violating his oath. But Enki denies violating his oath and argues: “I made sure life was preserved.” Enki and Enlil agree on other means for controlling the human population.

Anyway, on to 'folktale' history with an example from Britain to illustrate what I mean.

Vortigern

Vortigern (/ˈvɔrtɨdʒɜrn/;[1] Welsh: Gwrtheyrn; Old English: Wyrtgeorn; Breton: Guorthigern; Irish: Foirtchern), also spelled Vortiger and Vortigen, was a 5th-century warlord in Britain, a leading ruler among the Britons. His existence is considered likely, though information about him is shrouded in legend. He may have been the "superbus tyrannus" said to have invited Hengist and Horsa to aid him in fighting the Picts and the Scots. But they revolted, killing his son in the process and adding Sussex and Essex to their own kingdom. It is said that he took refuge in North Wales, and that his grave is in Dyfed or the Llŷn Peninsula. He is cited at the head of the genealogy of the early Kings of Powys.

There's no evidence that Hengist and Horsa really existed but we do know that Angles and Saxons established kingdoms in what is now England. (The land of the Angles).

So on to another Bible story which might well have started out as 'folktale' history. This is just my own opinion, of course.

Abraham

Abraham (Hebrew: אַבְרָהָם‎ About this sound listen (help·info)), originally Abram, is the first of the three biblical patriarchs of Israel whose story is told in chapters 11 through 25 of the Book of Genesis.

Abram was called by God to leave his father Terah's house and native land of Mesopotamia in return for a new land, family, and inheritance in Canaan, the promised land.

Groups of humans were always moving around in pre-history. So, groups of people might well have migrated from Mesopotamia to Canaan. We have no idea what the original 'folktale' history explaining this migration was but we do know how the story ended up. The settlers would have taken their Mesopotamian myths with them. When the Israelites adopted a monotheistic deity, the myths were adapted to suit the new religion.

1: In the original myth humans were created out of clay to do agricultural work. It was a group project because all the deities were involved. The story ended up as God creating Adam from the dust of the earth. When Adam and Eve were thrown out of Eden, Adam's punishment was agriculture being very hard work.

2: In the original myth the capricious god, Enlil, decided to get rid of humans once and for all by sending a flood. The kind and helpful god, Enki, tells Atra-Hasis to build a boat so he, his family and his animals will be saved. Combining Enlil and Enki into one deity resulted in God being a deity who couldn't make up his mind about what he wanted to do where humans were concerned.

The name, Adam, has an interesting history, too.

Adam - Etymology

Adam (Hebrew: אָדָם, Arabic: آدم) as a proper name, predates its generic use in Semitic languages. Its earliest known use as a genuine name in Historicity is Adamu, as recorded in the Assyrian King List.[2] use as a common word in the Hebrew language is ׳āḏām, meaning "human". Coupled with the definite article, it becomes "the human".[3]

Its root is not attributed to the Semitic root for "man" -(n)-sh. Rather, ׳āḏām is linked to its triliteral root אָדָם (A-D-M ), meaning "red", "fair", "handsome".[4] As a masculine noun, 'adam [5] means "man", "mankind" usually in a collective context as in humankind.[4][6] The noun 'adam is also the masculine form of the word adamah which means "ground" or "earth". It is related to the words: adom (red), admoni (ruddy), and dam (blood).[7]