Adapa and Enmeduranki (1)

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The cuneiform lists of seven sages (apkallu) present different names in different order. Adapa is a short form of the name of the first primary sage, whose full name was Uanadapa. U-An is another short form of the name. His figure equals Oannes as the first sage in Berossus’ account. But in the apkallu list of Bit Meseri and elsewhere, Utuabzu/ Utuabba/ Adapa also takes the seventh position. There was a broad tradition in Babylonian scribal milieu that the figure associated with the number seven went to heaven and received insights into divine wisdom. The seventh antediluvian king was according to these lists Enmeduranki, the king of Sippar, who went to heaven and distinguished himself with divine wisdom.

The biblical patriarchs correspond to Mesopotamian (antediluvian) kings in regard to their position in corresponding historiographies. The Enoch figure in the Hebrew Bible and in the Books of Enoch is modelled on the Mesopotamian mythical king Enmeduranki - they both are listed in the seventh position in the list of antediluvian kings and patriarchs correspondingly. The Hebrew patriarch Enoch is sometimes also presented as the flood survivor because he was removed from the earth and was not found there when the flood swept over. In the Book of Jubilees (4.17-26) the sage Enoch is removed and conducted into the garden of Eden where he wrote down the condemnation and judgement of the world, and all the wickedness of men. Enoch is said to have lived 365 years which is related to the number of days in the solar year. Sippar, correspondingly, was the site of the most important temple of the sun god. Enmeduranki’s counterpart in the seventh position in the apkallu lists is Utuabzu/Adapa, who was also in heaven according to Bit Meseri and the Adapa Myth. The appearance of Adapa at the seventh place in the list of Bit Meseri is probably caused by the similarities between Enmeduranki and Adapa. Semantically there is also a correspondence between Genesis’ interpretation of Enoch’s name as ‘dedicated, trained’ and the Akkadian designation apkallu, which means ‘sage, expert’. The biblical Noah as the hero of the flood story corresponds to Ziusudra, because the both have the tenth position in the list of patriarchs and kings correspondingly.

Source (list of abbreviations) (source links will open in a new browser window)
Book of Jubilees 4.17-26

Bibliography

Amar Annus

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