DID YOU KNOW?
The answer
"When above," or "When on high." Enuma Elish is named for its first words. Michael Coogan and Cynthia Chapman, two Bible scholars, translate them "when above." The New Oxford Annotated Bible, a study Bible, gives "When on high." Genesis is named the same way. Its Hebrew name, Bereshit, is its first word, and the study Bible translates it "In the beginning (of)."
Why it’s interesting
Enuma Elish opens before anything has a name, with the skies above and the earth below still waiting for theirs. Coogan and Chapman note that Genesis 1 also opens with a "when" and a look at what was there before creation. So does the second creation story, at Genesis 2:4.
Scholarly consensus
Learn the Bible.
Not just the stories, but the history, authorship, and scholarship behind it.