Another creation myth.

[Lotan]

Does the bible contain elements of a third creation story?

Long before the accounts of Genesis 1 and 2 were written there was an earlier creation story known throughout the ancient Near East. In this myth a god defeats the forces of chaos (symbolized as a dragon) in battle, and splits the dragon’s body to create the earth and the heavens. A well known example of this myth is the battle between Tiamat and Marduk, from the Babylonian Enuma Elish. In other versions, from different places and times, it is the local god that is cast as the hero. According to the bible, YHWH was no exception.
From the Encarta encyclopedia...
Creation Myths

"Leviathan, in the Bible, one of the names of the primeval dragon subdued by Yahweh at the outset of creation: “You crushed Leviathan’s heads, gave him as food to the wild animals” (Psalm 74:14; see also Isaiah 27:1; Job 3:8; Amos 9:3). Biblical writers also refer to the dragon as Rahab (Job 9:13; Psalm 89:10) or simply as the Abyss (Habakkuk 3:10).

The biblical references to the battle between Yahweh and Leviathan reflect the Syro-Palestinian version of a myth found throughout the ancient Near East. In this myth, creation is represented as the victory of the creator-god over a monster of chaos.

The closest parallel to the biblical versions of the story appears in the Canaanite texts from Ra’s Shamrah (14th century BC), in which Baal defeats a dragonlike monster: “You will crush Leviathan the fleeing serpent; you will consume the twisting serpent, the mighty one with seven heads.” (The wording of Isaiah 27:1 draws directly on this text.)

A more ancient version of the myth occurs in the Babylonian Creation Epic, in which the storm god Marduk defeats the sea monster Tiamat and creates the earth and sky by cleaving her corpse in two. The latter motif is reflected in a few biblical passages that extol Yahweh’s military valor: “Was it not you who split Rahab in half, who pierced the dragon through?” (Isaiah 51:9; see also Job 26:12; Psalm 74:13, 89:10)."

A great many details of this story can be found in the references that are scattered throughout the bible which depict YHWH as an anthropomorphic deity among other deities, existing before creation. The later accounts, in Genesis, appear to be an attempt to gloss over this earlier popular belief, and to distance Yahwism from other traditions.
So, have creation 'scientists' managed to locate YHWH's blade?

[Cathar1950]

I love this thread because I love reading about the ancient gods.
The answer Lotan is, No. It is the same story that is being referred to not a different one. Although the Genesis story is a remake. But let's be fair
Murduk was a god come lately. It was Anu and his sons that were cool. Murduk was his grandson and when he took over he inherited all the Achievements and praise due to his father, uncle and grandfather.
Now Anu was a character he bit of one of his kids genitals off and spit them out making three other children. Sounds like circumcision. I wonder if that is where the practice came from? Kind of interesting.
They say The Egyptians practiced it too. But they did get a lot from Summer. Which brings us back to Anu.
It is the same two stories. It isn't a third one.

[palmera]

I've studied the similarities (of which there are many) between the Enuma Elish and Genesis. Though I do not see Genesis as presenting a third creation myth I do see Genesis (both in it's creation accounts and throughout- flood, tower of Babel) and more specifically the Hebrews who wrote it (of which two original lines of authorship have been established) reacting to it through writing as a means to establish themselves and YHWH as not only in opposition to the Babylonians but (in reference to YHWH) as the followers of a more complete, true (whatever else you want to call it) connection to the divine. Some historians and Biblical scholars maintain that Genesis was compiled after the Babylonian captivity of the Hebrews. The obvious parallels in the creation myths are not only accounted for, but the bitter undertones in Genesis toward the Babylonians is also accounted for. The basic structure of the first creation account in Genesis may be seen outlined in the Babylonian account: the formless void, the six days of creation/ the six generations of gods creating- also the parallels in substance of the generations and creation days, etc. Much of the first creation myth came from the Enuma Elish, but it's substance is not one of alignment but of opposition.

[Lotan]

The answer Lotan is, No. It is the same story that is being referred to not a different one.

I think that I may have worded my original post poorly. What I meant by "third creation story" was that references to another version of the creation story (besides Genesis 1 & 2) were to be found in the bible, and that these references shed light on the creation story as a whole. I brought this up for several reasons;
-because creationists don't account for it in their models. 'Answers in Genesis' says nothing about heaven and earth being fashioned from the hide of a dragon. There's no creation ex nihilo in this story.
-it shows that the Israelite mythology wasn't unique.
-it shows that the Israelites weren't the strict monotheists that they have been made out to be.

Much of the first creation myth came from the Enuma Elish, but it's substance is not one of alignment but of opposition.

According to my reading, the Genesis 1 tradition dates from the Babylonian exile, but Genesis 2 dates from the 10th century BCE.
Would you be able to point out a couple of anti-Babylonian polemics from the creation accounts found in Genesis?

[Cathar1950]

There's no creation ex nihilo in this story.
-it shows that the Israelite mythology wasn't unique.
-it shows that the Israelites weren't the strict monotheists that they have been made out to be.

I concur Lotan.
The gods of other people were powerless. YHWH was in charge of everyone the Babylonian were his tools and rod of his anger. Granted this was written later, an after the fact interpretation and rewrite.
so the only anti-Babylonian polemics would be that the later Deuteronomist and post-exile writers not only neutered the other gods but also removed them.
This is where they become monotheist.