EBLA tablets:
can anyone find a picture of these tablets?
I cannot find any so far, probably because there are many in this collection, to find one tablet -the creation tablet may be hard...
from a report done on this they have said this:
below quote from a free journal online here (found using google scholar)-
http://biblicalstudies.gospelstudies.org.uk/pdf/bsac/1983_302_merrill.pdf
"EBLA AND CREATION In a startling revelation going back to one of his earliest .. publications of Ebla material, 71 Pettinato suggested the presence of a creation epic among the archives and in a later article pointed out that "it contains irrefragable elements resembling the account of the creation of the earth and the solar light [found in Genesis]. The affinity with Genesis 1," he said, "appears evident."72 Finally he has published the text (TM. 75. G. 1682) which appears to be technically not an epic but a hymn. The relevant translated lines follow: 73 Lord of heaven and earth: the earth was not, you created it, the light of day was not, you created it, the morning light you had not [yet] made exist. Lord: effective word Lord: prosperity Lord: heroism Lord: Lord: untiring Lord: divinity Lord: who saves Lord: happy life Ebla and Biblical Historicallnerrancy 315 The full implications of this poem would require a separate lengthy article but at least a few observations can be made. First, the tenor of the hymn is almost monotheistic in spirit. Creation is attributed to only one god. Second, the order (heaven. earth, light, and morning) is identical to that in Genesis 1: 1-5. Third, the inference is that creation is ex nihilo, not the manufacture of things from an original and eternal primordial substance. Fourth, the epithet of the god as the "effective word" following the statement of his creative work is identical to the biblical concept of God who creates by the spoken word (Gen. 1:3) and who, in fact, is that Word Himself (John 1: 1-3)."
and in a previous post I posted regarding ebla, this:
I may shorten this in time, but for now it's really long sorry:
"below quote from Encylopedia of apologetics by Geisler, baker publishing.:
The recent discoveries of creation accounts at Ebla (see Ebla Tablets) add evidence of this. This library of sixteen thousand clay tablets predates the Babylonian account by about 600 years. The creation tablet is strikingly close to Genesis, speaking of one being who created the heavens, moon, stars, and earth. The people at Ebla believed in creation from nothing (see Creation, Views of). The Bible contains the ancient, less embellished version of the story and transmits the facts without the corruption of the mythological renderings.
The Flood of Noah. As with the creation accounts, the flood (see Flood, Noahs) narrative in Genesis is more realistic and less mythological than other ancient versions, indicating its authenticity. The superficial similarities point toward an historical core of events that gave rise to all, not toward plagiarism by Moses. The names change. Noah is called Ziusudra by the Sumerians and Utnapishtim by the Babylonians. The basic story doesnt. A man is told to build a ship to specific dimensions because God(s) are going to flood the world. He does it, rides out the storm, and offers sacrifice upon exiting the boat. The Deity(-ies) respond with remorse over the destruction of life, and make a covenant with the man. These core events point to a historical basis.
Similar flood accounts are found all over the world. The flood is told of by the Greeks, the Hindus, the Chinese, the Mexicans, the Algonquins, and the Hawaiians. One list of Sumerian kings treats the flood as an historical reference point. After naming eight kings who lived extraordinarily long lives (tens of thousands of years), this sentence interrupts the list: [Then] the Flood swept over [the earth] and when kingship was lowered [again] from heaven, kingship was [first] in Kish.
There are good reasons to believe that Genesis gives the original story. The other versions contain elaborations indicating corruption. Only in Genesis is the year of the flood given, as well as dates for the chronology relative to Noahs life. In fact, Genesis reads almost like a diary or ships log of the events. The cubical Babylonian ship could not have saved anyone. The raging waters would have constantly turned it on every side. However, the biblical ark is rectangularlong, wide, and lowso that it would ride the rough seas well. The length of the rainfall in the pagan accounts (seven days) is not enough time for the devastation they describe. The waters would have to rise at least above most mountains, to a height of above 17,000 feet, and it is more reasonable to assume a longer rainfall to do this. The Babylonian idea that all of the flood waters subsided in one day is equally absurd. Another striking difference between Genesis and the other versions is that in these accounts the hero is granted immortality and exalted. The Bible moves on to Noahs sin. Only a version that seeks to tell the truth would include this realistic admission.
Some have suggested that this was a severe but localized flood. However, there is geological evidence to support a worldwide flood. Partial skeletons of recent animals are found in deep fissures in several parts of the world and the flood seems to be the best explanation for these. This would explain how these fissures occur even in hills of considerable height, and they extend from 140 feet to 300 feet. Since no skeleton is complete, it is safe to conclude that none of these animals (mammoths, bears, wolves, oxen, hyenas, rhinoceros, aurochs, deer, and smaller mammals) fell into these fissures alive, nor were they rolled there by streams. Yet because of the calcite cementing of these diverse bones together, they must have been deposited under water. Such fissures have been discovered in various places around the world. This is exactly the kind of evidence that a brief but violent episode of this sort would be expected to show within the short span of one year.
The Tower of Babel. There is considerable evidence now that the world did indeed have a single language at one time. Sumerian literature alludes to this several times. Linguists also find this theory helpful in categorizing languages. But what of the tower and the confusion of tongues at the tower of Babel (
Genesis 11)? Archaeology has revealed that Ur-Nammu, King of Ur from about 2044 to 2007 b.c., supposedly received orders to build a great ziggurat (temple tower) as an act of worship to the moon god Nannat. A stele (monument) about five feet across and ten feet high reveals Ur-Nammus activities. One panel has him setting out with a mortar basket to begin construction of the great tower, thus showing his allegiance to the gods by taking his place as a humble workman. Another clay tablet states that the erection of the tower offended the gods, so they threw down what the men had built, scattered them abroad, and made their speech strange. This is remarkably similar to the record in the Bible.
Conservative scholars believe Moses wrote these early chapters of Genesis (see Pentateuch, Mosaic Authorship of). But how could he, since these events occurred long before his birth? There are two possibilities. First, God could have revealed the accounts to Moses supernaturally. Just as God can reveal the future by prophetic revelation, he can reveal the past by retrospective revelation too. The second possibility is more likely, namely, that Moses compiled and edited earlier records of these events. This is not contrary to biblical practice. Luke did the same in his Gospel (
Luke 1:14). P. J. Wiseman has argued convincingly that the history of Genesis was originally written on clay tablets and passed on from one generation to the next with each clan leader being responsible for keeping them edited and up to date. The main clue that Wiseman found to this in the Bible is the periodic repetition of words and phrases, especially the phrase This is the generation of (for example, Gen. 2:4; 6:9; 10:1; 11:10). Many ancient tablets were kept in order by making the first words of a new tablet a repetition of the last words of the previous stone. A literary evaluation of Genesis compared to other ancient literature indicates that it was compiled no later than the time of Moses. It is quite possible that Genesis is a family history recorded by the patriarchs and edited into its final form by Moses.
The Patriarchs. While the narratives of the lives of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob do not present the same kinds of difficulties as do the earlier chapters of Genesis, they were long considered legendary because they did not seem to fit with the known evidence of that period. As more has become known though, these stories are increasingly verified. Legal codes from the time of Abraham show why the patriarch would have been hesitant to throw Hagar out of his camp, for he was legally bound to support her. Only when a higher law came from God was Abraham willing to put her out.
The Mari letters reveal such names as Abam-ram (Abraham), Jacob-el, and Benjamites. Though these do not refer to the biblical people, they at least show that the names were in use. These letters also support the record of a war in
Genesis 14 where five kings fought against four kings. The names of these kings seem to fit with the prominent nations of the day. For example,
Genesis 14:1 mentions an Amorite king Arioch; the Mari documents render the kings name Ariwwuk. All of this evidence leads to the conclusion that the source material of Genesis was first-hand accounts of someone who lived during Abrahams time.
Sodom and Gomorrah. The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah was thought to be spurious until evidence revealed that all five of the cities mentioned in the Bible were in fact centers of commerce in the area and were geographically situated as the Scriptures say. The biblical description of their demise seems to be no less accurate. Evidence points to earthquake activity, and that the various layers of the earth were disrupted and hurled high into the air. Bitumen is plentiful there, and an accurate description would be that brimstone (bituminous pitch) was hurled down on those cities that had rejected God. There is evidence that the layers of sedimentary rock have been molded together by intense heat. Evidence of such burning has been found on the top of Jebel Usdum (Mount Sodom). This is permanent evidence of the great conflagration that took place in the long-distant past, possibly when an oil basin beneath the Dead Sea ignited and erupted. Such an explanation in no way subtracts from the miraculous quality of the event, for God controls natural forces. The timing of the event, in the context of warnings and visitation by angels, reveals its overall miraculous nature.
The Dating of the Exodus. One of the several issues about Israels relationship with Egypt is when the Exodus into Palestine occurred (see Pentateuch, Mosaic Authorship of; Pharaoh of the Exodus). There is even an official Generally Accepted Date (GAD) for the entrance into Canaan of about 12301220 b.c. The Scriptures, on the other hand, teach in three different texts (
1 Kings 6:1; Judg. 11:26; Acts 13:1920) that the Exodus occurred in the 1400s b.c., with the entrance into Canaan forty years later. While the debate will rage on, there is no longer any reason to accept the 1200 date.
Assumptions have been made that the city Rameses in
Exodus 1:11 was named after Rameses the Great, that there were no building projects in the Nile Delta before 1300, and that there was no great civilization in Canaan from the nineteenth to the thirteenth centuries. However, the name Rameses is common in Egyptian history. Rameses the Great is Ramses II. Nothing is known about Rameses I. Also, the name might not refer to a city but to an area. In
Genesis 47:11, the name Rameses describes the Nile Delta area where Jacob and his sons settled.
Some scholars now suggest that reinterpretation of the data requires moving the date of the Middle Bronze (MB) age. If this is done, it would show that several uncovered cities of Canaan were destroyed by the Israelites. Evidence has come from recent digs that the last phase of the MB period needs more time than originally thought, so that its end is closer to 1400 b.c. than 1550 b.c. This realignment would bring together two events previously thought to be separated by centuries: the fall of Canaans MB II cities and the conquest.
In fact, while thousands of finds from the ancient world support in broad outline and often in detail the biblical picture, not one incontrovertible find has ever contradicted the Bible.
Geisler, Norman L.: Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics. Grand Rapids, Mich. : Baker Books, 1999 (Baker Reference Library), S. 49
