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…
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…
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
"The Epic of Gilgamesh." The Norton Anthology of World Literature. 3rd ed. Vol. A. New York: W.W. Norton & Compnany, 2012. 99-150. Print
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.
is the idea of a divine being or, in other words, god. Early humans were
The Gilgamesh Epic is an ancient Mesopotamian story about life and the suffering one must endure while alive. Included in the story, is a tale of a great flood that covered the earth, killing all but a select few of it’s inhabitants. This story of a great flood is common to most people, and has affected history in several ways. It’s presence in the Gilgamesh Epic has caused many people to search for evidence that a great flood actually happened. It has also caused several other religions and cultures to take the same basic story, claiming it for their own.
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.
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.
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 has many similarities to the Bible, especially in Genesis and it’s not just that the both begin with the letter “g”’! One major similarity being the flood story that is told in both works. The two stories are very similar but also very different. Another being the use of serpents in both works and how they represent the same thing. A third similarity being the power of God or gods and the influence they have on the people of the stories. Within these similarities there are also differences that need to be pointed out as well.
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
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.
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 famous literary works of Gilgamesh, Ramayana, and The Odyssey have been studied, written about, and heralded in the literary world many times over. Each of the literary pieces has been held in the highest esteem for varying different reasons. Some of them have been because of the literary influences that they have produced over the subsequent years and the religious influences they had. The purpose of this writing assignment is to compare and contrast the religious influences found in each of the literary works. The story of Gilgamesh is based on a historical king with the same name who lived in the ancient Sumerian city of Uruk in what is present-day southern Iraq around 2700 BCE.
“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.