Modern Interpretation of Etiology


Context: comparison with other ancient literature from the region

Genesis: etiology according to ancient Israel

Enuma Elish: Babylonian creation epic

Epic of Gilgamesh: Babylonian ancestral legends

Plato: Greek philosophical exploration of the human condition


Authorial intent: etiology

Etiology is the study of origins, asking why things are the way they are

Is the world basically good?

Why are we here?

Why do we fall in love?

Why is life hard? Why do we have to grow up?

Where does evil come from?

Why are there different languages, nations and cultures?

How did things get their names?