Discussion Week Two Questions
1. Similarities:
In both versions of the myth, with the group of gods in the Sumerian version and the one God in the Israeli version, the gods view the world as being corrupt and in need of cleansing. In the Sumerian version of the myth it reads, “The uproar of mankind is intolerable and sleep is no longer possible. So let the gods exterminate mankind.” In the Israeli text it reads, “Now the Earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and full of violence…”
Another similarity would be that in both versions of the myth, the two humans were instructed by their gods to build a version of the ark, and then place animals on it. This is seen in the Sumerian text where it reads, “…but the god of wisdom, Ea, warned the good mortal Utnapishtim to build a boat to save himself.” Later in the passage, Utnapishtim puts on board “…the beasts of the field both wild and tame.” A similar occurrence can be seen in the Israeli text when God speaks to Noah, telling him to “Go into the
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This can be seen in the Sumerian version when the flood waters have receded and Enlil sees the surviving Utnapishtim and cries, “Has any of these mortals escaped? Not one was to have survived the destruction.” The contrary can be seen in the Israeli version, when the passage reads, “The Lord then said to Noah, ‘Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation.’” Again, I feel as though this reflects on the Sumerian view that humans are limited and the world is, at any time, capable of falling back into chaos. The Sumerian gods were careless and reckless regarding the humans, whereas the Israeli God specifically chose a family that he had deemed worthy to create a new