The Creation Story…of Genesis from Gilgamesh Discovered in the nineteenth century, The Epic of Gilgamesh is claimed to be one of the world’s oldest surviving pieces of literature. It details the life of a historical figure, Gilgamesh, the king who reigned over the Sumerian city-state of Uruk around 2700 B.C.E. (Britannica). He exemplifies the hardships of a supremely strong man that must accept his mortality while still trying to find meaning in his life. In contrast, the first five books of the Bible that were written before Christ (B.C.), the Pentateuch, recount the prophecies of the Son of God to come – fully divine and fully man. The first five books of the Old Testament were “written by Moses during the forty years that the children …show more content…
In both tales, the extent of each flood was global, and their causes are related: man’s wickedness or man’s sin. Because of their global extent and the general understanding of all of humankind being sinners, one can comprehend that both were intended for all beings of the Earth (except for a select few that will be discussed later). For example, both had “heroes” that were spared and were, and are, considered righteous. These chosen ones were each ordered to build a boat and both, although they ultimately complied, initially complained about or rejected the given request. Once built though, the structures that were created in The Epic of Gilgamesh and in the book of Genesis are almost mirror images: one door, many stories, and many individual compartments. As stated previously, some beings were spared, and in both tales, these passengers (of humankind) were mainly family or (of animal-kind) were wildlife comprised of each species. Nearing their redemption, both passengers used birds to test for land that eventually ended in the arks possessing the landing spot of a mountain. Finally, after a peaceful landing, both flood accounts tell the story a character that made a sacrifice and that character receiving some blessing afterwards. Throughout these similarities, though, there are also some differences that make for great
Although flood myths are found around the world, each one differs slightly. In the story of Noah’s Ark, God is angry that the Sons of God and human women bore children, creating the race of giants. Following this, God instructs Noah to build the Ark to save his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives, along with animals, to repopulate the earth. Then, God sends torrential rain for forty days and forty nights, covering the highest peaks with more than twenty feet of water. The water, eventually, recedes.
In Genesis 6-9 we read about the flood. The main point of this story is that God cares about the world. God is a loving person and he hates corruption. In Genesis 6:11 it says that God saw the earth as corrupt and full of violence, so he had to change this, by sending the flood. He wanted his world to be new again and to be like it was when he first created it.
Within the flood stories of Gilgamesh and the Bible, there exist both similarities and differences. One commonality is the destruction of mankind. In Gilgamesh, the gods unite to attempt and terminate mankind. Enlil ordered a flood to come and swipe all of mankind. Consequently, Ea betrays the gods and told Utnapishtim their scheme.
Even though Genesis and Gilgamesh are two separate stories, they both have similarities as well as differences such as: why the two Gods were upset and why they made the Flood, who the two Gods saved from the Flood and how the Flood ended up. Throughout different cultures, there have been different types of literature. It has changed the content but not necessarily the overall meaning. Different cultures have their own way of how The Flood came about and what really happened. In both of these stories, the Gods get mad at mankind, but they get mad for different reasonings.
For “Noah and the Flood” they had a very similar plot. The lord saw how mankind was evil, and “how every plan devised by his mind was nothing but evil all the time”(60). Which occurred in Mesopotamia in the distant past. Same as utnapishtim, Noah was warned by the lord, and was told specific instruction to build an ark to survive the flood. While the Epic of Gilgamesh, and Noah and the flood contain many similarities, they also contain many differences As the two separate characters from each story was minding their business they soon get a message sent from the gods about the flood.
Assessing The Similarities of Ancient Flood Stories The story of a great flood is a classic archetype that occurs throughout various cultures and religions. Whilst many are comparable, few are so closely related and frequently scrutinized as “The Great Flood” of The Bible and the flood story occurring within the text of The Epic Of Gilgamesh. While there are a myriad of similarities that aliken the two texts to each other, there are also several differences that provide a stark contrast between the texts, and consequently the two cultures from which the stories originate. One of the most glaring differences between the flood story of The Epic Of Gilgamesh and The Bible actually occurs within one of their similarities.
To portray how society was like for the Earliest People, The Epic of Gilgamesh depicts how women were the main source of life and male’s curiosity of how they do not take part in procreation. The Earliest People believed that women were crucial to procreation and they created
The flood in both these stories represent a fresh start because the flood is the way for the gods to have a clean slate. It also shows that even the gods have flaws and make mistakes, even though they are often portrayed as
“Extinction is the rule. Survival is the exception (Carl Sargon)”. According to The Epic of Gilgamesh and Genesis, unprecedented floods occurred in both stories. The exception fell on the kind men, Utnapishtim and Noah: they survived the powerful event of destruction. However, in the same theme of the stories, there are sources of similarity and differences.
Gilgamesh is an epic hero because, he part divine, interacts with gods and his story has a series of adventures and superhuman victories. Gilgamesh is a king that shows off his power and enviably shows his weak side in most altercations. Most scholars see him as a historical figure, but I myself think he is definitely an epic hero. He oppresses people who call out to the gods, this is not very heroic, but his other actions will show the truth. Gilgamesh IS an epic hero.
Both gods believed that they needed to have a flood to clear out their
The Epic of Gilgamesh and the Bible have a few similar events and historians think that they may refer to the same event. The Epic of Gilgamesh and the Bible share a similar event, the flood, and a similar character, the serpent. Though there are still several distinctions between the two stories. The Bible and the Epic of Gilgamesh both contain a serpent as one of the less significant characters.
The Epic of Gilgamesh: Relevant Truth for Today’s Society The Epic of Gilgamesh is set in Uruk, an ancient city of the ancient Mesopotamian civilization of Sumer, now modern-day Iraq. The epic was said to be written by Sin-liqe-unninni, but it is based on five earlier Sumerian poems with no known author. The piece was difficult to translate, and there are two main version for the Epic of Gilgamesh. This is the result of the environment during the time the piece was being written.
The Epic of Gilgamesh is the first epic poem to be written in ancient West Asia. It was written around the third millennium BCE in Mesopotamia by Sumerian people (Spodek, 127). The epic is based on actual an historical figure, a Sumerian king who reigned the city-state of Uruk around third millennium BCE. Ashurbanipal, the last Neo-Assyrian king who was literate, built a great library in his capital and preserved 20,000 tablets including the earliest complete version of The Epic of Gilgamesh (Spodek, 128). Sumerian attitudes towards gods, friendship, and the story of the great flood are revealed throughout the epic.
The Epic of Gilgamesh is the oldest story known to mankind, being written on Sumerian clay almost five thousand years ago (Garone). Since the story was originally known orally, the culture and themes from The Epic of Gilgamesh must have existed long before it was finally inscribed (Mark 4). Having known this, the cultures and themes can be compared to today’s society, discovering about how they have shifted and evolved, and also observe how they are similar. The ancient days of Gilgamesh has brought culture that has greatly influenced today’s society. Because Gilgamesh was set around the time of late Babylonian or early Sumerian society, the Babylonian and Sumerian cultures also play a role in shaping the world into what is is today (Mark).