The Memphite Theology

The Shabaka Stone
Ancient Near East

Thus it is said of Ptah: He who made all and created the gods. And he is Tatenen, who gave birth to the gods, and from whom everything came forth, foods, provisions, divine offerings, all good things. Thus is recognized and understood that he is the mightiest of the gods. Thus Ptah was satisfied after he had made all things and all divine words. He gave birth to the gods, He made the towns, He established the nomes, He placed the gods in their shrines, He settled their offerings, He established their shrines, He made their bodies according to their wishes. Thus the gods entered into their bodies, Of every wood, every stone, every clay, Every thing that grows upon him In which they came to be. Thus were gathered to him all the gods and their kas, Content, united with the Lord of the Two Lands.

Genesis 1:31

Hebrew Bible

29 Then God said, “I now give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the entire earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the animals of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has living breath in it—I give every green plant for food.” It was so. 31 God saw all that he had made—and it was very good! There was evening, and there was morning, the sixth day.

 Notes and References

"... the Memphite Theology also shares with the biblical creation account the idea that the creator took satisfaction in the creation. At the end of his creating, “Ptah was satisfied after he had made all things and all divine words.” Similarly, Genesis reads, “God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good ... he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done.” One key difference here is the link between God’s rest and Sabbath rest in Genesis (made explicit in Exodus 20:8–11), which is not found in any other ancient Near Eastern creation text ..."

Hays, Christopher B. Hidden Riches: A Sourcebook for the Comparative Study of the Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East (p. 66) Westminster John Knox Press, 2014

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