Although many versions of the Epic of Gilgamesh exist, the poem holds the distinction by many as being the world’s oldest written story. Gilgamesh predated the Book of Genesis in the Bible by more than a thousand years. However, there are many similarities worth examining. The most prominent theme both works share is one of a great flood which destroys all of humanity. Although the reason for the flood in Gilgamesh is not explicitly stated, it is evident that the assembly of the great gods, at Enlil’s urging, brought the flood as judgement for the sins of mankind. The eleventh tablet in Gilgamesh, line 187 reads, “Punish the wrongdoer for his wrongdoing, punish the transgressor for his transgression.”(147). Just what motivated Enlil
Utnapishtim and Noah were also given detailed instructions on how the vessels were to be made and which humans and animals were allowed to board the vessels to weather the flood. One of the most noteworthy passages in Gilgamesh contains the gods’ commandment to Utnapishtim to build the boat by saying: “O man of Shurupak, son of Ubar-Tutu, wreck house, build boat; forsake possessions, seek life; belongings reject and life save! Take aboard the boat the seed of all living things; the boat you shall build; Let her dimensions be measured of all kinds of living things into the ship which thou shalt build. Let its dimensions be well measured” (143). In The Epic of Gilgamesh, Utnapishtim brings animals, family and some others onto the ark built to withstand the flood, and Noah brought his family and various animals onto the ark he had made. The Book of Genesis says that Noah was instructed by the Lord to “Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch. And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits”
Flooding can be a common occurrence in river valleys the world over, but the flood in Gilgamesh is mainly caused by the God of Thunder, Adad. Adad was aided by Shullat and Hanish, the destroying gods, and Errakal, the god of death and Ninurta, the god of war. Tablet eleven, line 108 tells us “Adad’s awesome power passed over the heavens; Whatever was light was turned into darkness. He flooded the land, he smashed it like a clay pot!” (145). The origin of Gilgamesh’s flood points to the deluge of rain caused by Adad and the god’s thunderstorm. The Genesis account alludes to both rain and water from the ground as being the source of the flood. “All the wellsprings of the great deep burst and the casements of the heavens were opened.” “For in seven days’ time I will make it rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe out from the face of the earth all existing things that I have made.” (164). Both stories speak of all living things upon the earth perishing except for the animals and human beings aboard the ark at the time of the
Lorey, F. 1997. The Flood of Noah and the Flood of Gilgamesh. Acts & Facts. 26 (3) Web. 4 Feb. 2014. When reading the story, someone can take many different viewpoints. In the article above, the author is analyzing the Epic of Gilgamesh through a creationists view point.
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.
...nd his family to “be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.” God promises that “never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” The offering of sacrifice, and its acceptance by God – these are repeated in both accounts of the Flood.
The Epic of Gilgamesh records a story of a world-wide flood and pre-dates Genesis. So some claim that this invalidates the Genesis record. But P.J. Wiseman presents an interesting theory in this regard in his book Ancient Records and the Structure of Genesis (New York: Thomas Nelson, 1985).
Perhaps the most popular comparison with Noah's Flood is that of an ancient Babylonian story of a similar flood. A quick look at the text does show some key similarities between them however there are also some pointed differences. I will show you both and let you decide whether there is or is not a connection.
Once the Ark was finished, God sent the rain. It rained for 40 days and 40 nights and a great flood completely covered the Earth and destroyed all God's creation except for those Noah had saved.
First we shall examine the background of text so that we might understand how the culture and society had an impact on the works. The story of Gilgamesh supposedly started to take form around the year 2500 B.C., but was not written down until about 1300 B.C. The epic was passed down and developed in oral form for approximately one thousand years. As a result, the story must have changed drastically from the original, until it was finally written down on Sumerian clay tablets.
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 Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the earliest known stories, recounts the tale of the reckless King Gilgamesh and his adventures with his friend Enkidu, a natural man created by the gods from clay to humble and teach Gilgamesh to become a better ruler. Through Enkidu’s death, the once fearless Gilgamesh becomes fearful of his own inevitable demise and journeys to find immortality. However, by finding compassion for his humanity, he is able to come to terms with his mortality and continue living wholeheartedly as the ruler of Uruk. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh learns to accept his mortality by gaining compassion for himself.
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.
After the gods ended the flood in the Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh used a dove and a swallow to search if the outside land was safe for the humans and the animals to exit the boat. As the days went by, nature kept Gilgamesh and his people safe when “… Mount Nisir held the ship fast, and did not let it slip away (13).” Nature held on to Gilgamesh and protected the contents of the boat. A natural feature allowed Gilgamesh and his people to feel secure, Gilgamesh’s presence was merely a glimpse of hope because of his hard work beforehand. Another natural feature that allowed people to be safe was Indra’s thunderbolts. The great dragon’s destruction was by a thunderbolt from Indra, the same natural element Indra continued to use to protect his people. If nature had not provided Indra with the thunderbolt, then the defeat of the dragon would have been more difficult of a task to complete for Indra. An obvious nature driven society is the Egyptians’ reliance of the Nile. The whole Egyptian society needed the Nile in order to survive. The Nile added prosperity to Egyptian lands and when the Nile would flood “all that exists is in anguish (Hymn 21).” The Egyptians relied on the Nile to not destroy their crops and their food supply by floods. Mount Nisir, thunderbolts, and the Nile are all parts of nature that define the fate of human
1. Flood is sent by God to destroy his creation, which has become corrupt and evil The humans are so wicked and evil that "it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart" (Gen. 6:6). He says,"I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth. . . " (Gen. 6:7)
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.
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.
Continuously, the water receded and Noah sent out several birds to scavenge the water for any signs of land or life. Around two months later, God speaks to Noah and tells him to open the door to the ark. As Noah came out of the ark, he built a pleasing altar and sacrifice for the Lord. God smelled the aroma and promised to never again curse the ground of man. God would also chsose to bless Noah for being a righteous and blameless man and following His instructions.