Skip to main content
1 of 3
John Dee
  • 3.3k
  • 1
  • 12
  • 29

Some people associate Yah- with the Akkadian God Ea, which is Enki in Sumerian. Enki's cult belongs to the oldest city, Eridu. The temple, in the same location, is present in the oldest layers of the city (4,500 B.C.)

Enki was a creative fertility god. There was a pool of water in front of his temple that later became common among Mesopotamian temples. This might be the origin of holy water and baptisms. There wasn't much else in common with Yahweh, but were talking about 1,500 years between them. The cult worshipped fishes and had fish feasts. They've left a lot of fish bones behind. Enki remained the patron deity of Eridu until the Babylonian period. He appears to have a supportive role in the creation myths of Babylon and Marduk.

You may be interested in reading about the Ebla Bible Controversy. The influence that's being discussed may have been Nabi'utum (prophets) from Mari.

El was the patron deity of Yamhad (Aleppo). This was a powerful Bronze Age kingdom from 1800 B.C. until it was conquered by the Hittite king Suppiluliuma There is some indication that Hebrews received Yahweh from the Amalekites.

John Dee
  • 3.3k
  • 1
  • 12
  • 29