Tanakh and Literature of the Ancient Near East

Some argue that the great similarity between the stories in Breishit to stories in sources that are unquestionably more ancient, may serve to substantiate the authenticity of those stories. On the other hand, others argued that the biblical story was simply a duplication of the earlier Mesopotamian tradition.

However, the contrasts between the stories point to the fundamental differences between the pagan and the monotheistic worldviews, and demonstrate the superior moral message of the Torah’s story over that of the pagan story. The fact that the traditions of the great flood and creation were familiar to the nations of the Ancient Near East presents no difficulty, and there is no reason that the Torah should refrain from recording it just because it was already well-known. It is specifically the comparison of the messages arising from the respective descriptions that strengthens the distinction between them.