THE BIBLICAL CREATION ACCOUNT IN THE LIGHT OF ANCIENT WEST ASIAN CREATION NARRATIVES

Abstract

Creation narratives can be found in every religion and in every territory. In Ancient West Asia, every nation had its own god(s) to govern them. The authority of such god(s) is attached to the story of the origin of the world and the formation of humankind. The biblical creation narrative has an important place in the history of Israelite people. It narrates the story of God’s act of creation, which then leads to narrate the salvation history of the Israelites. Though there were so many creation stories already present in the surrounding nations, God gave the biblical creation account to Israelites with a specific purpose. This article elucidates the motif behind giving the biblical creation narrative amidst Ancient West Asian creation stories by bringing out the convergence and divergence.