The act of creation has been a highly debated issue by biblical scholars and cultural sociologists for centuries.  Artists have attempted to portray images of creation in reference to religious texts in numerous forms.  There are multiple differences and similarities that exist for this topic in the written word and art.  Such a comparison can be found between “The Story of the Beginning of Things” and the image of the Seated Buddha.  Similarly, a comparison can also be drawn between “The Bible: The Old Testament” and the image of Madonna and Child by Cimabue.  All of these works contain informative stories surrounding the creation of the world and man.  Primarily, such a comparison must be drawn to analyze the differences and similarities associated with alternative cultural suggestions of creationism for a deeper appreciation of the supposed event itself.

The story of creation is told in African folklore containing three God beings that each played a role in creating the world.  “The story of the Beginning of Things” tells of Nzame, Mbere and Nkwa creating the world and then also creating the first animals that are ruled by Fan, the first man made in their own image.  Just as Fan rules over the world, so too does the image of Seated Buddha.  While Buddha has a pleasant face and a peaceful aura, Fan shows nothing of the like as he becomes selfish and overly prideful and denounces the gods.  Buddha though is surrounded by angels who may be used for guidance and protection.  Fan was left on his own to rule the world as he saw fit, and had no source of guidance to assist him or protect him from the natural flaws of man.  While “Fan” means “strength” and can also be associated with power, Buddha is meant to instill a sense of peace to all creatures.

However, the story of creation in the Old Testament of the Bible also tells of the Christian story of God creating the world and creating the first man and woman, Adam and Eve, to procreate and rule the world.  He, like Nzame, created Adam out of his own image.  This story can be compared to the image of Madonna and Child that also alludes to the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ.  In this image the young child is seen surrounded by angels and Saints Peter and John showing his royal and powerful stature.  His mother Madonna or the Virgin Mary also sits on a throne as did the Seated Buddha.  Just as Jesus Christ is the Son of Man and the ruler of all things, only after it became clear that Adam and Eve were flawed and could be tempted by the evil serpent.  Nevertheless, Christ and Adam and Eve are referred to as royalty and depicted as such.

Both stories have similarities as well.  The Gods appeared to have created a failure in Fan and Adam and Eve.  Both sets of creatures had their flaws and did not trust their Gods as all-powerful beings.  They both betrayed their Gods and quickly were punished.  Just as God destroyed the world with the great flood, Nzame and the African gods destroyed the world with a fire and started anew.  The artwork also both depicts royalty, and angelic supervision, guidance or protection for Buddha and the Child.  The halos, or large circular images around the heads of the individuals, also allude to royalty for both cultures.  It appears as though each culture has found many similarities in the beliefs of how the world and mankind began.  Although the particular events vary, it shows an inherent nature of mankind to be disobedient and denounce their Gods while sometimes being too proud of their superior status over the world.