One who has studied both the Bible and the “The Epic of Gilgamesh” can easily point out several common stories found in both of these works. Though these texts do not mirror each other in doctrine, culture, society, or even story line, there are correlations that exist between the two. Some of these commonalities include the flooding of the earth, battles with those sent from God, size and type of weapons, and an isolated life in the wild. The Bible and The “Epic Gilgamesh” have significant parallels, which included a common geographical area of origin, similar cultures, and the use literary likeness, all of which point toward Biblical liberties being taken from the Mesopotamian Epic. Ancient Babylon and Israel lie in the same region only …show more content…
separated by around one thousand miles. This geographic closeness allowed for social, cultural, and economic interactions. This mingling of the two peoples can best be observed in their writings, and this essay will look at the Old Testament of the Bible as it relates to the ancient Israelites and the Mesopotamian work “The Epic of Gilgamesh”. The Bible, whose origins are controversial at best, was adapted from the sacred Jewish text the Torah. The Torah is believed to provide the most accurate representation of the history of the Jewish people. The Mesopotamian work “The Epic of Gilgamesh”, is not a complete historical account of the people of Babylon, instead it follows the mythical tale of a mighty king called Gilgamesh. Though the story of Gilgamesh is a myth, he is believed to have been an actual Sumerian King of the city of Uruk, who ruled around 2500 B.C. However in “The Epic of Gilgamesh” (henceforth the Epic) holds no true historical account instead it tells of the adventures of Gilgamesh and his companion Enkidu. In these adventures we find most of the parallels that exist between the two; the most notable parallel is that of the flood story. Gilgamesh following Enkidu’s death seeks to obtain everlasting life from “Utanapishtim” or Noah of the Hebrew record. Frolov and Wright noted the similarities between the texts: The two texts are almost identical in every respect, including such minute details as the sealing of the survivor’s vessel with pitch/bitumen, the release of the birds to check whether dry land has appeared, the mountaintop offering after the flood, and God’s or god’s delight at the ‘pleasant fragrance’ of the sacrifice, causing them to forswear further floods (462). As Frolov and Wright point out the two versions of this particular story are almost the same.
Is it than implausible that the Hebrew author had a copy or at least access to the Epic and did he simply reuse the account of “Utanapishtim”? David Damrosch answers these questions by speaking on the circulation of the Epic he stated “Gilgamesh appears, in fact, to have been the most popular literary work ever written in the ancient Near East; texts have been recovered from no fewer than fourteen sites, not only all over Mesopotamia, but as far away as Hattusa, the Hittite capital in what is now Turkey, and Megiddo, some fifty miles north of Jerusalem (196).” From Damrosch we understand that the Epic had wide circulation well beyond Babylon’s border, and the geographical evidence shows that the Epic did indeed reached the Hebrews. When the tablets of the Epic were translated in 1872 there erupted a debate over the history and veracity of the Bible. The similarities between the story of Noah’s Ark and the flood story related by “Utanapishtim” are compelling enough to call into question the authenticity of some of the Old Testament stories. Viewing the Bible from this prospective caused many gather that the Hebrew record derives this commonality in text from mimesis of the Epic. The Epic came to light during the late stages of the Victorian era, known for competing views between the scientific and religious communities. The former prescribed to the teaching of Charles Lyell, and …show more content…
Charles Darwin. Those from the religious communities, fought against the teaching of evolution over the well-known creation story. Where the Epic fits into this debate is fascinating, because both sides used it to strengthen their argument against one another. Vybarr Cregan-Reid points out that their were four lines of thinking on the Epic. The Orthodox Christians saw the Epic, as evidence that the flood described by Noah was indeed true. While other Christians whole heartily dismissing the Epic as conciliate text that did nothing, but taint the true wording found in the Bible. Yet others saw the Epic as an independent text, which predated other records of the great flood. The final side to this debate was those who sought to discredit the Bible, and by so doing the notion of the creation, in hopes to further their support of evolution (227-228). With each side attempting to shift the debate in their favor, one must look past the account of the flood and search for other commonalities in the texts. With reason to believe that the Israelite author knew of the Epic and in particular the wrestling match between Gilgamesh and Enkidu. One can begin to see yet another parallel between the two works. From the Hebrew work one comes across the wrestling match involving Jacob, akin to the battle between Gilgamesh and Enkidu. Esther J. Hamori notes that the broader stories of Jacob and Gilgamesh differ greatly, and seem to have no inherent relation to one another. However Hamori points out how the stories are presented to the reader, and notes that both are presented in the same order. Hamori believes the Israelite author took the framework of the Epic and used it to formulate the wrestling match of Jacob. These liberties can be observed not only in the order of the story, but is revealed in the fight scenes in particular (626). These scenes of combat in both works are similar in the method in which they fought, motivation to fight, and the result of the confrontation. Esther J. Hamori unfolds the fight seen further when she compares the two: In each story the hero is met at night by his opponent, who begins the fight. The antagonist is divine or divinely created for this very purpose. This aggressor is not known by the hero at the time of the attack. The hero, however, is known to him. The aggressor provokes the hero to unarmed combat. They wrestle, though in neither case is the bout intended to be a fight to the death. Rather, in both stories the match functions as a rite of passage. In neither case is there a traditional end to the fight. In addition to unusual lack of lethal intent, there is also no decisive more that would provide a logical conclusion to the match. Each hero at some point simply lets his attacker go, and the latter ceases to be seen as an antagonist. The hero is somehow appeased, and his opponent blesses him (627). These fight scenes show once again the literary likeness found between the two works. The Hebrew author did not reuse the exact story found in the Epic, instead the Epic served as a template were by he composed the story of Jacob. The Israelite author went much further in using parts of the Epic in his work. We see the Hebrew author utilize another part of the Epic when he wrote about the curse of King Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4.
The afflictions King Nebuchadnezzar suffers in Daniel 4 closely resemble the plight of Enkidu the wild man from the Epic. King Nebuchadnezzar was isolated in the wild, and he became like unto the wild beast, eating of the grass, and drinking from the pools of water, becoming dumb. This isolation mirrors that of Enkidu, who knew not the taste of bread or the flesh of a woman. He was not enlightened to the things of the world, as a result of living in the wild. Hector Avalos notes the reason for imposing such a beastlike condition upon Nebuchadnezzar was he was “the Babylonian king who looted and destroyed the temple of Jerusalem (504).” The Hebrew author knowing the story of Enkidu and his condition prior to his great awakening by the temple priestess used his condition as a punishment for a great offender of their
faith. The Mesopotamian literary tradition from which the ancient authors of the Bible drew inspiration, templates, and pre-combined elements to tell their peoples history is apparent. This inspiration drawn from the Epic started with an almost identical version of the flood story told by “Utanapishtim”. With each example it grows clearer that the Epic had a tremendous impact on the Torah and in turn the Bible. These two cultures interacted with one another and that interaction must have included the sharing of the Epic, which was incorporated into the Jewish history we know today.
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.
There is much debate over the historical accuracy of the Hebrew Bible and The Epic of Gilgamesh. Some claim that to understand a work of literature requires extensive knowledge of the background of this work. The contrary position is that a work of literature can be interpreted solely on it’s content. The meaning of the term classical literature is that it can be applied during any period of time, it is eternal. Yet the conditions surrounding the author might still be of interest to the reader, and of importance to the work. As with many cases, the truth is somewhere in between the two extremes. Both sides have valid arguments about the importance of historicity.
The Epic of Gilgamesh. Trans. Benjamin R. Foster. Text. Martin Puncher. New York: W.W and Company, 2013.Print.
Some of the simpler similarities are that the extent of the flood reaches every part of the earth, the flood is intended to destroy mankind, aside from the heros and their families, Utnapishtim and Noah are found righteous by their God or gods, and they build an ark to certain qualifications. An example of a less obvious similarity is the location of where the arks first touche land. In the general sense, they both landed on a mountain: Noah’s “ ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventh day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat” (Genesis 75) and Utnapishtim's “boat stuck fast beside Mt. Nimush” (Gilgamesh 57). Taking this information a Step deeper reveals that Mt. Ararat and Mt. Nimush are about 300 miles apart. Both boats land in a relatively close proximity. Further proving the idea that the Sumerians and Hebrews experience the same event. Utnapishtim’s and Noah’s lives are dramatically changed by the flood. They sacrifice all that is familiar to them in order to receive the blessings of God or the gods. The heroes are both examples of a term I will call the archetypal path of blessing. Utnapishtim and Noah are both comfortable with what they have before the flood, but as Christopher Columbus States “One can never cross the ocean until one has the courage to leave the shore.” Utnapishtim and Noah give up what is ordinary to receive what is great. The blessings of both characters exceed
Ancient world literature and early civilization stories are mostly centered on human’s relationship with higher beings. Ancient civilizations were extremely religious, holding the belief that their very lives were in the hands of their almighty god or goddess. This holds true for both the people of biblical times as well as those of the epic era. However, their stories have some differences according to cultural variation but the main structure, ideas, and themes are generally found correlative. It is hard to believe that one work did not affect the others. The first great heroic epic poem of Gilgamesh and the Old Testament are parts of two cultures that are hundreds of years apart. Whereas Gilgamesh is a myth and the book of Genesis is the basis of many religions, they both have notably similar accounts of symbols, motifs, meaningful events according to the relationship between the divine and humans in literature.
"The Epic of Gilgamesh." The Norton Anthology of World Literature. 3rd ed. Vol. A. New York: W.W. Norton & Compnany, 2012. 99-150. Print
is the idea of a divine being or, in other words, god. Early humans were
Foster, Benjamin R. "The Epic of Gilgamesh." The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Gen. Ed. Martin Puchner. 3rd ed. Vol. A. New York: Norton, 2012. 95-151. Print. 13 March 2014.
Whether in Christianity in the form of Noah’s Ark, or through Mesopotamian history in the form of an immortal, the idea of a great flood has proven to be a common story throughout the world. Though Noah’s Ark may be the most popular form of the story, it is not the oldest. Many people believe Noah’s Ark was based on Utnapishnem’s flood story. The two stories are obviously based on the same thing, but one must wonder which one is true or which came first.
The Epic of Gilgamesh is a poem dating all the way back to ancient Mesopotamia, 2700-2500 B.C.E., and is considered to be one of the first literary writings. The Mesopotamians lived in a way that, at first glance can remind one of the Ancient Greeks. The two cultures seemed to share similar characteristics, like their interaction with the gods, comparable hierarchy, kingship, and religious class being the social order, and the acceptance of combat and violence, all of which can be witnessed in the epic. So it can be assumed that the Epic of Gilgamesh exerted a profound influence on ancient Greek culture, and many other cultures throughout history.
Gilgamesh, The Epic of. Vol. A. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Ed. Martin Puchner, et al. 3rd ed. New York: W. W. Norton and Company, 2012. 95-150. Print.
Many have heard and have the read the stories in the Bible, e.g. the story of the Garden of eden and of Noah’s ark — where Noah saved the world from a flood that would have eradicated all life on earth; but, what many forget to keep in mind, is that the stories in the Bible contain many motifs as the the Epic of Gilgamesh — a much more ancient piece of writing. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh, the protagonist, is illustrated as a cruel and tyrannical dictator of the city of Uruk — a city he built himself. He was so horrible, to the end that his people prayed to the “Gods” to send a nemesis that will over power Gilgamesh. Their prayers were answered.
The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Odyssey both are held in high respect by literature analysts and historians alike for the characterization of the hero and his companion, the imagery brought to mind when one of them is read, and the impressive length in relation to the time period it was written in. The similarities that these two epics share do not end with only those three; in fact, the comparability of these works extend to even the information on the author and the archetypes used. However, The Odyssey and The Epic of Gilgamesh contrast from one another in their writing styles, character details, and main ideas. Both epics weave together a story of a lost man who must find his way, but the path of their stories contrast from one another.
“The Epic of Gilgamesh” was written in 1800 BCE. This is the oldest existing written story. Gilgamesh, a mighty king of Uruk, who is one-third man and two-thirds God, abuses his power. Gilgamesh does multiple of things that no one else in this time period could do. Although Gilgamesh is more powerful than others, he faces many obstacles that hurt him mentally.
Most of the ancient civilizations that have peen present throughout history, produce artifacts, stories, poems or other forms of literature that we can learn from and are passed down from generation to generation. The Epic of Gilgamesh is one piece of literature that really takes us back in time and helps us dissect the events of its time. A poem which was written over four thousand years ago The Epic of Gilgamesh can be used as a true historical narration of the Mesopotamian culture. The discussion of religion and cultural aspects, which include their attitudes towards gods, death, heroes and also the social and political organizations, also allows us to not only see, but also feel the experiences of such events. The Epic of Gilgamesh portrays to its readers how rich the ancient Mesopotamian civilization actually was and helps us in figuring out what the true meaning of life is.