The Silmarillion and Genesis

Of all the stories in the Bible, Genesis is one of the most frequently told. It is also one of the most well-known stories. This I attribute largely to two factors, first, that Creation stories are almost always vital for developing a strong understanding of a religion, and second, the fact that it occurs at the beginning of the Bible, so everyone attempting to read the Bible starts with Genesis. Even if the reader doesn't make it all the way through (because let's face it, once you get out of the Torah, it gets pretty dry), they will read Genesis.

The story told in Genesis (whether you believe it or not) have been extremely important in the development of Christian or Christian-adjacent literature. The story finds its way into countless works, a notable example being Grendel's kinship with Cain in Beowulf. Genesis also gets adapted and retold quite frequently. My favorite instance of this is East of Eden, which is a retelling of Genesis that takes place in the Salinas Valley in early-20th century California.

Tolkien's Silmarillion also features his version of Genesis. Although there are obviously traces of other cultures' creation stories, Tolkien's own religion becomes more apparent than in much of his other works. The first instance of this would be Melkor's rejection of Ilúvatar's greater plan, which draws obvious parallels to Lucifer's rejection of God's plan in the Bible. As Lucifer became Satan, Melkor became Morgoth. There is also a "Fall" in Tolkien's work that resembles the Fall of Adam and Eve in Genesis and their exile from the Garden. This is when the Noldor leave Valinor in pursuit of the Silmarils, but attack their fellow elves, the Teleri. The fall of the Noldor divides elvenkind, which plays a major role in the rest of the history of Middle-Earth, just as the Fall of Man did in Genesis.