In the Beginning, God Created Laughter: Genesis 1–2:4 as Subversive Comedy Open Access

Abstract

It is well observed that the priestly creation account bears a notable resemblance to the Babylonian myth, the Enuma Elish, with particular emphasis on grammatical, linguistic, and thematic parallels. Seen through the lens of humor theory, these similarities and nuances between the Hebrew and Babylonian texts might serve as evidence of theo-political satire. This thesis explores the priestly creation account in Genesis 1–2:4, analyzing its linguistic, grammatical, and thematic similarities and differences to the Babylonian Enuma Elish. By applying humor theory alongside historical-critical and philological methods, the paper argues that the priestly narrative functions as a subversive comedic parody of the Babylonian myth, serving as a form of societal critique and offering comfort to the exiled communities by glorifying the God of Israel, and thereby affirming their deity’s supremacy over the Babylonian pantheon. I contend that the authors of Genesis 1–2:4 deliberately drew upon the narrative structure of the Enuma Elish to subvert it, positioning their deity as the heroic creator of all. The similarities serve as a deliberate “setup,” with the nuanced differences functioning as a “punchline.

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION: WHY SO SERIOUS? .....................................................................................1

CHAPTER ONE: WHAT’S SO FUNNY: A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO HUMOR

THEORY…………………………………………………………………………...……………. 6

Humor and The Ancient Near East 6

A Brief Introduction to Humor Theory Humor, Comedy, and Laughter Prominent Theories of Humor 10

Superiority Theory 10

Relief Theory 11

Incongruity Theory 12

Humor as Comfort 14

Humor as Social Critique 15

Humor as Identity Formation 16

Humor as Revelatory Truth 18

Humor Studies into The Hebrew Bible 19

Incongruity and Balaam’s Talking Ass 19

Farcical Humor in the Book of Esther 20

Tragic Humor in the Book of Jonah 22

Conclusions and Scholarly Reservations 24

Making the Case for a Comedic Reading of Genesis 1 25

CHAPTER TWO: SETTING UP THE JOKE: GENESIS 1–2:4 IN

CONTEXT…………………….…………………………………………………………………28

The Exilic Context: Life in Babylon 28

The Enuma Elish: The Babylonian Creation Story 30

Dating the Myth 30

Plot Summary 31

Themes–Enuma Elish 33

Creation 33

Humanity & Work 34

Marduk The Champion 34

Significance in Babylonian Life 35

Genesis 1–2:4: The Priestly Creation Narrative 36

Plot Summary 36

Themes–Genesis 1–2:4 37

Priestly Distinctive 37

Creation through Speech 38

Order from Chaos 38

Human Representatives 39

A Blessed Creation 40

Linguistic Echoes 40

Before Creation 41

Water, Water Everywhere 41

Tehom and Tiamat 42

A Wind of God 43

The Making of Humanity 45

Shared Scripts 45

CHAPTER THREE: OH, NOW I GET IT!: PARSING THE HUMOR OF

GENESIS 1–2:4 ………………………………………………………………………………... 50

Targeting Babylon: Subtle Defiance through Narrative 52

Monotheistic Creative Speech vs. Polytheistic Creative Violence 52

Humanity: Living Idols of God 54

The God of Israel vs. Tehom 58

Difference as Comedic Subversion 61

Genesis 1–2:4 in the Language of Humor Theory 63

Genesis 1–2:4 & Superiority Theory 63

Genesis 1–2:4 & Relief Theory 65

Genesis 1–2:4 & Incongruity Theory 66

The Comic Social Function of Genesis 1–2:4 67

Genesis 1–2:4 as Comforting Humor 67

Genesis 1–2:4 as Humorous Social Critique 68

Genesis 1–2:4 as Humorous Identity Formation 69

Genesis 1–2:4 as Humorous Revelatory Truth 70

Putting the Joke Together 71

CONCLUSION ………………..……………..……………..……………..……………..…….. 73

BIBLIOGRAPHY……………………………………………………………………………......78

About this Master's Thesis

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School	Candler School of Theology
Department	Theological Studies
Degree	M.T.S.
Submission	Master's Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Theology Religion, Biblical Studies
Keyword	Babylonian Exile Humor Theory Parody Biblical Studies Ancient Near East Exegesis Enuma Elish Hebrew Bible Genesis
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Dr. Joel B. Kemp, Emory University
Committee Members	Alison Greene, Emory University

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