The Bible tells of a story of when God killed everyone because he was angry with the way people had became. God sent a flood to kill everyone who was acting like this except Noah and the animals on his ark. In the story of Gilgamesh they also tell of a deadly flood and many argue that the flood in the bible was based on this. Scientist who have study this say that the story are different in many ways yet have some easily identifiable similarities(historywiz.com). The biblical and the story of Gilgamesh share many similarities and differences in the flood. Even though the to floods are based in different time periods the share many similarities. Noah and Gilgamesh each receive seven days notice to the flood (icr.org). They both also …show more content…
receive direction to build a ship that they will us to save a pair of each animal (godandscience.org).
Both had a bird as a scout to tell when it was safe to come out (creation.com). Both make a sacrifice to there gods when they get off the bout after the flood (historywiz.com). Both complained about the orders they received (icr.org). These are some of the similarities in the two stories. There are also many differences between these two stories. God Shows sorrow in the bible while in Gilgamesh Utnapishtim shows remorse for his peoples death. God said that he would never again flood the Earth (Heidel 23). One obvious difference in these two stories would be how long the flood lasted in the bible the flood lasted forty days and forty nights, in Gilgamesh it lasted six days and six nights (creation.com). The two stories were nearly separated by 1800 years (icr.org). God comes to noah and tells directly while the gods from the story of Gilgamesh they come to him in a dream (icr.org). Noah was allowed to bring family members and a pair of each animal only while in Gilgamesh he and a few others were allowed Gilhooly2 to go as well as a pair of each animal, and his bout was square but Noah's was rectangular (icr.org). These are many of the differences that the two stories
have. The stories are both similar and different in many ways. It will never be foreshore wether these stories were related do to there similarities such as the direction the each received. Then again we can never say they were related do to there differences. this decision will always be based on your own opinion. in my opinion i believe that the bible teaching was not based off of it as there are many differences as you read above.
It contains useful comparisons and historical data to help support his analysis. The author considers the story to hold very value for Christians. It concerns the typical myths that were tied to pagan people. Despite that theory, there have been many Christians who have studied the afterlife and creation in the epic. He suggests an interesting thought when he starts to explain the story. The author hints that maybe the main character, Gilgamesh, was a historical figure. The base analysis for his line of thought is the story of the flood found in the bible. After looking at the lengths of time of each story, he considers it to not be a problem. To provide some evidence, the author shows a chart of a series of questions about each flood and compares the two. The most striking comparison in the chart was the command to build a boat; "O man of Shuruppak, son of Ubar-Tutu, tear down thy house, build a ship; abandon wealth, seek after life; scorn possessions, save thy life. Bring up the seed of all kinds of living things into the ship which thou shalt build. Let its dimensions be well measured."17 The text from the quote can almost match what the bible said. In both stories the person was commanded to build a boat because a flood is coming due to man’s sins or man’s wickedness. In the conclusion of the article, the author says a bold statement; “the widespread nature of flood traditions throughout the entire human race is exce...
The Sumero-Babylonian version of the epic of Gilgamesh, after two and a half millennia of dormancy, was resurrected by British archaeologists in the nineteenth century. Amid the rubble of an Assyrian palace, the twelve clay tablets inscribed the adventures of the first hero of world literature – King Gilgamesh, whose oral folk tales go back to at least 3000 years before Christ (Harris 1). Tablet XI contains the story of the Flood. In this essay let us compare this flood account to the more recent Noah’s Flood account in Genesis of the Old Testament.
Most of us have probably heard the famous bible story about Noah’s Ark and The Flood. What most may not know, is that this story is just one of a great many. A variety of ancient cultures, from the Greeks and the Middle East, to Asia and the Americas, have in their mythologies a story of a Great Flood that drowns the earth. These stories mostly contain the same themes: a god or group of gods becomes angry; they flood the earth but save a small group of people. These people build a boat to survive. After the flood they repopulate the earth.
The Biblical account in Genesis, probably written by Moses around 1500 B.C., and the story of creation and flood in Ovid's Metamorphosis, written somewhere between 8 and 17 A.D., have weathered the criticism and become the most famous. The Genesis account, however, may be the most prominent of the two accounts. Within these accounts, are many similarities, as well as differences, which make these two writings well respected, while holding their own in the literary world. Though both accounts of the creation and flood are well respected on their own, when compared side to side, they are drastically different.
The focus of this analysis is on Genesis (chapter 7) and Gilgamesh (lines 1 - 25). These two different passages will be analyzed to relate each document and how the author's worldview shapes his account of the flood.
One difference that backs it up is in The Epic of Gilgamesh the rains that cause the floods only last six days, six nights and in “The Flood Story in Genesis” the rains last forty days, forty nights. A quote that tells about the flood is when Utnapishtim said, “For six days and six nights the wind blew, torrent and tempest and flood overwhelmed the world, tempest and flood raged together like warring hosts (pg. 25).” This quote by Utnapishtim describes how bad the weather, rains, and wind were during the six days and six nights of the storm. On the other hand in “The Story of the Flood” it rained for forty days, forty nights. While God was talking to Noah he said, “For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth (pg. 48 line 4).” This quote describes how long God will have the rain go for. It also says that he is doing it to destroy all of mankind.
The flood of Gilgamesh was written before 2000 B.C, while the Genesis story was written in 400 BC Which was much later then the Gilgamesh flood. Biblical writers probably knew of the much older flood but revised it so that it fit with their own history and worldview. They most likely intended the original story with their own mythology. Despite the many similarities between the two stories, the differences are revealed in a number of different topics that distinguish the biblical version of the story from the ancient version.
Enkidu and Adam were both tempted by a woman to do a bad deed and in return gains knowledge. Though Gilgamesh sets out on a journey to receive everlasting life, and did not receive it; he now knows that he will die, but it counts as to what one does on earth that will make a difference on judgment day. One that leads a selfless life and a life dedicated to the teachings of the Word can and will receive everlasting life through Jesus Christ. The story of the great flood, tests both Utnapishtim and Noah to build this boat/ark and then in return is given some form of blessing. Though Utnapishtim went behind the backs of the gods and Noah was sent instructions directly from God, both survived the flood. The Epic of Gilgamesh teaches a lesson that can be used in everyday life, just as how the Bible lessons and stories should be used in everyday life. Even the word, Bible have an acronym meaning, “Basic Instructions Before Leading Earth,” which is something that should be followed
The Epic of Gilgamesh and Hebrew Scripture share a few common traits. The flood stories involve a God deciding to flood the earth. Both lead to a man building a boat to survive the flood and to ensure the continuation of mankind. However, the reasoning behind the floods differ between the two stories.
Both The Epic of Gilgamesh and the story of Noah’s ark share similar events because it’s possible that they originated from one another.
The relation to the Genesis Great Flood Myth: While every culture has their own version of the flood myth, they all have some similarities to each other. I found the resemblance between the Sumerian account of the flood and the Genesis narrative, Noah’s Ark, highly interesting. Both individuals from the accounts had someone who ‘warned’ them about the incoming flood so they can save rescue their family and creatures of the earth as a second chance. I also find that the ‘why the flood happened’ between the two reports is similar, yet different- similar because it was a God who wanted to start all over, yet different because of the why.
The flood story that is told in The Epic of Gilgamesh has the same principle as the story of Noah told in the book of Genesis in the Bible, but there are some major differences. In the epic, Utnapishtim is immortal and, although Noah was extremely old when he died, he wasn’t immortal. Utnapishtim was a human, but because he saved mankind, Enlil said, “Hitherto Utnapishtim has been a human, now Utnapishtim and his wife shall become like us gods.” (Gilgamesh 11.206-207) In the Biblical story, God told Noah that he was going to send a flood and asked him specifically to make the ark in order to save mankind. In Genesis 6:13-22, God tells Noah why he’s flooding the earth and exact instructions to build the ark. “13 So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. 14 So make yourself an ark of cypress[a] wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. 15 This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide and thirty cubits high.[b] 16 Make a roof for it, leaving below the roof an opening one cubit[c] high all arou...
In this paper I will be comparing Gilgamesh and Genesis flood stories. There are significant similarities in these stories that are strong enough to cause debates among scholars. I will be analyzing the similarities and differences between these stories extensively and look into how both characters respond to circumstances they are in very differently even though they mostly perform similar acts such as building arks, making sacrifices; their intentions and outcomes are very different and I will discuss that throughout this paper Their stories have a similar plot line and themes but many key differences as well that will be discussed throughout this paper.
The closest parallel to the Biblical story of the flood occurs in the Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh, our fullest version of which is furnished by an Akkadian recension prepared, in the seventh century B.C. for the great library of King Ashurbanipal at Nineveh. The story itself is far older. We have fragments of versions dating as much as a thousand years earlier, and we possess also portions of a Summerian archetype.
Other similarities closely tie these two Flood Myths almost mirroring the symbolic ideas within both stories. The number seven is very significant in both of these stories. In the story of Utnapishtim, the Boat he built was finished on the seventh day. Also the rain that flooded the earth, stopped on the seventh day. In the Hebrew story of Noah, the waters of the flood were upon the earth seven days after Noah constructed the arc. After the earth was flooded and the rain subsided, during two seven day instances, Noah sent forth a dove to determine if dry land existed nearby. The two stories also showed that the Gods gave specific instructions down to the dimension regarding the construction of the two boats and both men were ordered to keep the blood line of animals alive by sparing the lives of a male a female being of each species.