Hugo Radau, a noted Assyriologist, was keenly aware of the implications of his field on biblical studies. Aware as well that biblical scholars often overstate the case, he was cautious about the application of such materials directly to the Bible. In this brief study of the creation account in Genesis 1, Radau makes full use of the Sumerian materials available in his day. Summarizing the sea monster versus deity scenario known from the Enuma Elish’s account of Marduk against Tiamat, he shows how Yahweh fits this role in Genesis 1. Going into linguistic detail of the Hebrew and Sumerian sources, he draws a set of correlations between the two. He then suggests that the Babylonian creation story did not originally contain the motif of the Marduk and Tiamat conflict. A thorough survey of Mesopotamian deities from the period that might be associated with the account is brought into the discussion as well. For students interested in the early stages of the association of Mesopotamian studies with the Bible, this booklet will provide provocative reading.

Hugo Radau (b. 1873) was an Assyriologist. He studied at Union Theological Seminary and earned his Ph.D. at Columbia University. He returned to Germany and studied with Wellhausen and Delitzsch.