Comparing the Epic of Gilgamesh Flood Myth and Book of...

Comparing the Gilgamesh and Genesis Floods The rendition of the historic, worldwide Flood recorded in Genesis of the Old Testament is similar to the account recorded on Tablet 11of the Sumero-Babylonian version of the epic of Gilgamesh, discovered in the 1800’s by British archaeologists in Assyria. Let us compare the two in this essay. Alexander Heidel in his book, The Gilgamesh Epic and Old Testament Parallels, provides a background for the survivor of the Sumero-Babylonian Flood, Utnapishtim: Utnapishtim was the son of Ubara-Tutu, the Otiartes, or, rather, Opartes of Berossus. According to Berossus, the deluge hero was the tenth Prediluvian king in Babylonia. Also in the Sumerian inscription he is referred†¦show more content†¦[. . .] Build an ark. [. . .] Load the seed of every living thing into your ark, the boat that you will build. Let her measure be measured; let her breadth and length be equal. Cover it with a roof as the abyss is covered. (Gardner 226) There is no reason given by Utnapishtim for the deluge. On the contrary, the Judaic version of the Flood in Genesis states in 6:5-8 a very clear, explicit reason for the Flood: The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that very imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the Lord said, â€Å"I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the ground, man and beast and creeping things and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.† Likewise in Genesis 11:13 God gives a reason for the Flood: And God said to Noah, â€Å"I have determined to make an end of all flesh; for the earth is filled with violence through them; behold, I will destroy them with the earth. In Column 2 of Tablet 11 the Sumero-Babylonian Flood narrative continues with the measurements and construction of the ark: One acre was its whole floorspace; ten dozen cubits the height of each wall; ten dozen cubits its deck, square on each side. I [Utnapishtim] laid out the contours, drew it all. I gave it sixShow MoreRelatedEssay on The Theme of Knowledge in Gilgamesh and Genesis940 Words   |  4 Pagestrue 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 religionsRead MoreSimilarities Between Paradise Lost And Paradise Lost1239 Words   |  5 PagesParadise Lost comparison to three epics of antiquity There are many ways to compare and contrast Paradise Lost with the three other epics of antiquity. The epics are Paradise Lost, Aeneid, The Epic Gilgamesh, and The Iliad. The most obvious difference is era. Paradise Lost is an epic poem from the 17th century and is written in blank verse which is the most modern phrasing method. According to an article on Enotes, out of the other three epics, the Iliad and Aeneid came from the same dactyllicRead MoreAncient Eastern Thought and the Old Testament Essay10692 Words   |  43 PagesLIBERTY UNIVERSITY THE BIBLE AMONG THE MYTHS JOHN, N. OSWALT A SUMMARY PAPER OF THE TEXT ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN THOUGHT AND THE OLD TESTAMENT SUBMITTED TO DR. RANDY G. HANEY DEPARTMENT OF THEOLOGY BY 03 MARCH 2013 Table of Contents CHAPTER 1: HISTORY AND METHODS 3 CHAPTER 2: COMPARATIVE STUDIES, SCHOLARSHIP, AND THEOLOGY 6 CHAPTER 3: SUMMARY OF THE LITERATURE OF THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST 10 CHAPTER 4: THE GODS 14 CHAPTER 5: TEMPLES AND RITUALS 19 CHAPTER 6: STATE AND FAMILY