The Garden of Eden is recognized in the three Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. But some other religions and cultures have creation stories containing a similar concept to the biblical Garden of Eden that date back much further in history than the Old Testament. And while most scholars readily acknowledge the more ancient sources for the Book of genesis, the vast majority of Jews and Christians seem either unaware of the roots of their own religions and/or have little interest if any in learning that truth.
References:
•Foster, B. R. The Epic of Gilgamesh. (New York & London. W. W. Norton & Company, 2001)
•Gunkel, H. The Legends of Genesis: The Biblical Saga & History. (Schocken Books, New York, 1975)
•Crawford, H. Sumer and the Sumerians. (Cambridge University Press, 1991)
•Herbert G. May, H.G. & Metzger, B.M. Editors. The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha. [Revised Standard Version]. (New York. Oxford University Press, 1977)
•James, E.O. The Tree of Life: An Archaeological Study. (E.J. Brill, Leiden, 1966)
•Kramer, S.N. Sumerian Mythology: A Study of Spiritual and Literary Achievement in the Third Millennium B.C. (Create Space Independent Publishing Platform, Philadelphia, 1961)
•Kramer, S.N. The Sumerians, Their History, Culture and Character. (The University of Chicago Press, 1963)
•Kramer, S.N and Maier, J. Myths of Enki, the Crafty God. (New York & Oxford. Oxford University Press. 1986)
•Kuhrt, A. The Ancient Near East: c. 3000-330 BC, Vol. 2. (Routledge, 2018)
•Lambert, W. G. & Millard, A. R. Atra-Hasis, The Babylonian Story of the Flood. (Oxford University Press. 1969)
•Pinches, T.G. The Old Testament in the Light of the Historical Records and Legends of Assyria and Babylonia. (London. The Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1908)
•Pritchard, J.B. The Ancient Near East. (Princeton University Press, 2010)
•Sarna, N.M. Understanding Genesis: The World of the Bible in the Light of History. (Schocken Books, New York, 1966)
•Speiser, E.A. Genesis. (Anchor Bible, 1964)
•von Rad, G. Old Testament Theology: The Theology of Israel’s Historical Traditions. (Harper & Row, New York, 1962)
