end of the Atrahasis Flood story) occurs in the sentence upon Eve regarding the greater difficulty of childbirth after the fall (Gen. 3:16). Since no moral fall is present in Mesopotamian texts, this biblical negative side of childbearing appears to have been transposed to follow the Flood story. Atra-hasis' "curse" upon the Babylonian Eves differs in content.V. Comparisons Comparisons can now be drawn between the contents of the two Creation-Flood stories: the Atra-hasis Epic and the Eridu Genesis. While comparisons between individual segments are possible, it is difficult to compare the Creation stories of the Eridu Genesis and the Atra-hasis Epic, because that portion of the Eridu Genesis is missing and its contents can only be inferred from later passages. Both Flood stories are somewhat fragmentary but appear to be relatively close in content.The greatest difference comes in the middle segment dealing with antediluvian life. The Sumerian source the Eridu Genesis provides a relatively optimistic view of this period, and its duration is framed in a long chronology. In contrast, the Semitic source the Atra-hasis Epic takes a more pessimistic view of man's physical environment and frames its duration in a short chronology. THE HEBREW CREATION-FLOOD STORY: GENESIS 1-9I. Comparisons Now lets look at a comparison of Gen 1-9 with the Creation-Flood stories discussed above with the approach being that of literary form and though. Each of the three main elements in the accounts can be compared individually with its counterpart in Genesis. II. The Creation Story It is difficult, if not impossible to compare the Creation narratives of Gen. 1-2 with the Eridu Genesis, because the latter portion is badly damaged. The main comparison therefore must come between Atra-hasis and Genesis. In Atra-hasis several gods were involved in the project of Creation. When the lesser gods rebelled against Enlil after forty years of labo...
