Comparing The Holy Bible And The Epic Of Gilgamesh

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There are many different religions, and each religion has its own way that it believes. This includes different ideas on certain things that have happened in history. Some religions might argue about how the Earth was created, or how many gods we have. One example of something in history that we do have two different views on is the story of the flood that was sent to wipe out all life on earth. The two stories come from the Holy Bible, and the other is from the Epic of Gilgamesh. Both of these stories include the flood, but they explain different ways of how it happened.

The story in the Bible is that a man named Noah, who is a very holy and religious man, is called upon by God. God tells him that there is much violence and sin

in the world, so God is going to send a flood that will kill all life on earth so that he can start over. God tells Noah to build a large wooden ark so that he and his family shall live. God also asks Noah to place on the ark, two of every species of bird and creature (male and female) and food to feed them all so that these animals can reproduce all over the world. So Noah did what he was told and built the ark and put every species of animal on it. No sooner than this was done, the flood started. It rained for forty days and forty nights as the water rose high above the earth’s surface. After the fortieth day the rain stopped and Noah released a dove out of a window so that he could see if the water had receded yet. On the second try seven days later the dove brought back an olive branch. The third try Noah released the bird it did not return; this meant that there was land somewhere. Once the ark had rested on land and all of the water had dried up God told Noah and his family to come out of the ark. God then promised that he would never flood the Earth again. To remind himself of this, he puts a rainbow in the sky every time it rains.
The story in the eleventh tablet of The Epic of Gilgamesh starts with a man named Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh has been trying to hunt down a man named Utanapishtim who was a god. Gilgamesh finds him and asks Utanapishtim how he became a god. In response, Utanapishtim tells him his story.
Utanapishtim was once king of Shuruppak, a big, beautiful city near the Euphrates River. During this time, the gods gathered together for a secret meeting. Enlil, who is the god of earth, wind, and air, ordered that a flood be sent to destroy mankind. Ea, the god of wisdom and crafts betrayed the other gods by warning Utanapishtim about the flood. Ea told him that the gods are going to flood the Earth. He told Utanapishtim to build an ark of massive proportions and to place “the seed of each living thing” on the boat, along with his family and his possessions. He then asked Ea what he was supposed to tell the people of Shuruppak, which were the people that were going to help him build the ark. Ea told him to lie; to tell them that Enlil wants him to leave and that if he does leave then the people will be showered with good fortune. So Utanapishtim told the townspeople this and he fed them for seven days while they helped build his ark. By the time the rain came Utanapishtim and his family were already sealed inside. After seven days Utanapishtim released a dove but it came back because it could not find any land. He then release a swallow, but it too returned. He lastly let a raven out, it didn’t come back, so that meant that it found land. Once Utanapishtim and his family reached shore, he made a sacrifice. When Enlil heard that someone had survived the flood he was outraged. Ea told Enlil that if he wanted to punish people, then he should punish those who need to be punished, not everyone. Enlil understood this, so he blessed Utanapishtim and his wife and turned them into gods.
After Utanapishtim finishes the story, he asks Gilgamesh if he thinks that he is worthy of becoming immortal. To test Gilgamesh, Utanapishtim tells him to try to stay awake and not sleep for a week. Gilgamesh fails the test as soon as it starts.