A Comparative Analysis of the Origin and Divine Causation of Death in Ancient Near Eastern Literature and in the Old Testament
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Andrews University Digital Commons @ Andrews University Dissertations Graduate Research 2011 A Comparative Analysis of the Origin and Divine Causation of Death in Ancient Near Eastern Literature and in the Old Testament Lazarus Castang Andrews University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/dissertations Part of the Analysis Commons, Biblical Studies Commons, and the Comparative Methodologies and Theories Commons Recommended Citation Castang, Lazarus, "A Comparative Analysis of the Origin and Divine Causation of Death in Ancient Near Eastern Literature and in the Old Testament" (2011). Dissertations. 23. https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/dissertations/23 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Research at Digital Commons @ Andrews University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Andrews University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ABSTRACT A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE ORIGIN AND DIVINE CAUSATION OF DEATH IN ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN LITERATURE AND IN THE OLD TESTAMENT by Lazarus Castang Adviser: Randall W. Younker ABSTRACT OF GRADUATE STUDENT RESEARCH Dissertation Andrews University Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary Title: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE ORIGIN AND DIVINE CAUSATION OF DEATH IN ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN LITERATURE AND IN THE OLD TESTAMENT Name of researcher: Lazarus Castang Name and degree of faculty adviser: Randall W. Younker, Ph.D. Date completed: September 2011 The present dissertation attempts a comparative analysis of both the origin of death in the creation accounts and the divine causation of death in the main flood accounts in the ancient Near Eastern (ANE) literature and the Hebrew Old Testament (OT). Both literatures are examined for their implicit or explicit conceptions of the origin and divine causation of death. The origin of death in the ANE literature is located in the Egyptian Osirian myth and the Mesopotamian Enki-Ninmah myth, Enûma Elish, Epic of Gilgamesh, and the Adapa legend. The divine causation of death is studied in the Eridu Genesis, Atra-Hasis Epic, Gilgamesh Epic, and Berosus flood story. The origin of death in the OT is located in the creation account of Gen 1–3, and the divine causation of death is dealt with in context of the flood story of Gen 6–9. Two tables outlining the similarities and differences between the individual ANE accounts and the OT are respectively placed at the end of the section on the origin of death in the creation accounts and the divine causation of death in the flood accounts. Following chapter 1, the introductory chapter, chapter 2 examines the ANE (Egyptian and Mesopotamian) and Hebrew OT creation accounts to discover the origin of death. The two accounts are treated separately. However, in chapter 3 the individual findings of the two accounts on the origin of death are compared and contrasted. I conclude that in the ANE literature death originated with divine deicide in war and also in a god-given human mortal nature, whereas in Hebrew literature mortality and death originated with human sinful choice to flout the divine proscription against eating the forbidden fruit. In chapter 4 on the divine causation of death, the Mesopotamian and Hebrew flood accounts are also treated separately. But in chapter 5 the respective findings of the two accounts are compared and contrasted on the divine causation of death. In both the ANE and Hebrew accounts of the flood there is direct divine agency of the flood event; the flood is a global event involving the physical destruction of humanity, and a human remnant is divinely saved from the inundation. In contrast, in the ANE flood account, god-given rigmu (noise) resulting in divine insomnia seems to be the sole cause of the flood, and the gods are capricious, deceptive, and fearful in the flood. But the Hebrew account portrays human sin as the conditional cause of the flood, lex talionis as the judicial principle in the flood judgment, and God is presented as gracious in probation, salvific in intent, and just in retribution. In conclusion, the twin concepts (origin and divine causation of death) studied in this dissertation find convergence in the ANE account when the gods who created mankind endowed them with mortality, thus, the divine creators of mankind are at once the causal originators or original causers of death. This convergence is absent from the Hebrew account because at creation humanity was endowed with immortality, not mortality, and mortality and death originated with human sin. In ANE flood account, human noise leading to divine insomnia and apparent arbitrary divine will are the cause of the flood, but in the Hebrew OT flood, human sin is the conditional cause and God the effectual cause of the flood. © Copyright by Lazarus Castang 2011 All Rights Reserved Andrews University Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE ORIGIN AND DIVINE CAUSATION OF DEATH IN ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN LITERATURE AND IN THE OLD TESTAMENT A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy by Lazarus Castang September 2011 A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE ORIGIN AND DIVINE CAUSATION OF DEATH IN ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN LITERATURE AND IN THE OLD TESTAMENT A dissertation Presented in partial fulfillment Of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy By Lazarus Castang APPROVAL BY THE COMMITTEE: Faculty Adviser, Director, PhD/ThD Programs Randall W. Younker Tom Shepherd Professor of Old Testament and Biblical Archaeology Richard M. Davidson Dean, SDA Theological Seminary J. N. Andrews Professor of Old Testament Interpretation Denis Fortin Jiøí Moskala Professor of Old Testament Exegesis and Theology Nicholas Miller Associate Professor of Church History Gregg King Date approved Professor of Biblical Studies Southern Adventist University Dedicated to my dear wife, Carol-Ann, and our four loving children, Daniel, Jesse, Sharon, and Tamara TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS. vii LIST OF TABLES. ix PREFACE. x Chapter I. INTRODUCTION. 1 Statement of Problem. 1 Statement of Purpose. 5 Justification of the Study. 5 Research Assumptions. 7 Methodology. 8 The Scope of the Study. 11 Definitions of Terms.. 13 II. THE ORIGIN OF DEATH.. 19 Ancient Near East. 19 Egypt. 22 Genre Classification and Function. 23 Account Analysis. 24 Theological Implications.. 33 Theodicean Implications.. 37 Mesopotamia.. 42 Enki-Ninmah Myth. 42 Enuma Elish. 51 Gilgamesh Epic.. 58 Adapa Myth.. 79 Hebrew. 91 Exposition of Genesis 1–3. 91 Genre Classification and Function. 92 Account Analysis. 94 Theological Implications.. 129 iv Theodicean Implications.. 131 Psalm 104 and Genesis 1–3. 133 Genre Classification and Function. 133 Account Analysis. 134 Theological and Theodicean Implications. 146 III. A SUMMARY AND COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN AND HEBREW PERSPECTIVES ON THE ORIGIN OF DEATH. 149 Summary Analysis of Ancient Near East. 149 Egyptian Perspective.. 149 Mesopotamian Perspectives. 151 Conclusions about ANE Accounts. 154 Summary Analysis of the Hebrew Old Testament. 154 Comparative Analysis of ANE and Hebrew Perspectives. 155 Divine Contribution. 156 Divine Morality.. 157 Human Choice and Nature. 158 The Nature of Death. 159 The Trajectory of the Human, Angelic/Divine Condition. 160 The Devil's Role in Death's Advent. 161 Theological Offense. 163 IV. DIVINE CAUSATION OF DEATH. 167 Extrabiblical Ancient Near Eastern Flood Accounts. 167 The Eridu Genesis.. 167 Genre Classification and Function. 168 Account Analysis. 170 Theological Implications.. 177 Theodicean Implications.. 179 The Atra-Hasis Epic. 182 Genre Classification and Function. 184 Account Analysis. 184 Theological Implications.. 199 Theodicean Implications.. 201 The Epic of Gilgamesh. 203 Genre Classification and Function. 204 Account Analysis. 205 v Theological Implications.. 211 Theodicean Implications.. 213 Berosus's Babyloniaca. 217 Genre Classification and Function. 218 Account Analysis. 218 Theological Implications.. 222 Theodicean Implications.. 223 The Hebrew Old Testament Flood Account. 224 Exposition of Genesis 6–9. 224 Genre Classification and Function. 225 Account Analysis. 227 Theological Implications.. 246 Theodicean Implications.. ..