Essay Comparing Noah And The Epic Of Gilgamesh
The Parallels between Noah and the Epic of Gilgamesh
The story of the flood in the Epic of Gilgamesh is a well-known parallel to the story of Noah’s ark in the Hebrew Scriptures of Genesis. The flood in both stories destroys mankind by the power of a deity. These floods drowned men, women, children, and some babies and infants, as well as eliminating all of the land animals and birds. The floods represent a new beginning for mankind as well as the gods’ or God’s anger against the humans. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, the Earth is flooded for six days and six nights because a god, Enlil, was disturbed by the humans when trying to take a nap. In the book of Genesis, God chose to flood Earth for forty days and forty nights not because the humans …show more content…
In Hebrew Scripture, Noah believes in only one god making him monotheistic. Another difference between the stories is the reaction of Enlil and God after the flood has taken place. When Enlil discovered Utnapishtim has survived the flood, he is furious and demands to know who is responsible for saving him. Ea takes responsibility and accuses Enlil of bringing about a harsh, unnecessary genocide. In Genesis, things go differently. God takes full responsibility of the flood, admits that it served no purpose, and promises to never destroy all of Earth again.
Gilgamesh traveled a long way to hear the story of how Utnapishtim was granted immortality. Utnapishtim and his wife all became immortal for surviving the flood. Utnapishtim 's immortality is not reflected in the biblical story of Noah because God did not grant immortality to him. Noah was simply blessed for following the orders of God.
The similarities between the story of Noah’s ark and the flood in the Epic of Gilgamesh strike enough suspicion in the authenticity of some of the Old Testament tales. One question that comes to mind is if the authors of the Bible reused an older tale. If only we had more evidence, so that we can prove that these stories are both coincidental. (Core
The story of the flood in the Epic of Gilgamesh is a well-known parallel to the story of Noah’s ark in the Hebrew Scriptures of Genesis. The flood in both stories destroys mankind by the power of a deity. These floods drowned men, women, children, and some babies and infants, as well as eliminating all of the land animals and birds. The floods represent a new beginning for mankind as well as the gods’ or God’s anger against the humans. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, the Earth is flooded for six days and six nights because a god, Enlil, was disturbed by the humans when trying to take a nap. In the book of Genesis, God chose to flood Earth for forty days and forty nights not because the humans …show more content…
In Hebrew Scripture, Noah believes in only one god making him monotheistic. Another difference between the stories is the reaction of Enlil and God after the flood has taken place. When Enlil discovered Utnapishtim has survived the flood, he is furious and demands to know who is responsible for saving him. Ea takes responsibility and accuses Enlil of bringing about a harsh, unnecessary genocide. In Genesis, things go differently. God takes full responsibility of the flood, admits that it served no purpose, and promises to never destroy all of Earth again.
Gilgamesh traveled a long way to hear the story of how Utnapishtim was granted immortality. Utnapishtim and his wife all became immortal for surviving the flood. Utnapishtim 's immortality is not reflected in the biblical story of Noah because God did not grant immortality to him. Noah was simply blessed for following the orders of God.
The similarities between the story of Noah’s ark and the flood in the Epic of Gilgamesh strike enough suspicion in the authenticity of some of the Old Testament tales. One question that comes to mind is if the authors of the Bible reused an older tale. If only we had more evidence, so that we can prove that these stories are both coincidental. (Core