Comparing Genesis And The Epic Of Gilgamesh

While the book of Genesis in the bible and The Epic of Gilgamesh have striking similarities in the sense of creation and the great flood, the interactions between the divine beings and humans differ greatly. One matter that impacts the entire relationship between gods and humans in both accounts is that the gods in the epic are not almighty beings like God in Genesis since they cannot control each other’s domains. Because of this, they must travel from place to place and work with other gods to carry out a certain task. The gods in The Epic of Gilgamesh were very much like humans and interacted more with them in daily life. In contrast, the all-powerful god in Genesis seems distant and far from having human-like characteristics and does not need to interact with other gods. At the same time, both stories display the reverence and fear humans have for the supreme beings because of their authoritative qualities.

This relationship between humans and the divine for Genesis is a stark contrast to Gilgamesh’s story. In The Epic of Gilgamesh there isn’t one God, there are multiple gods.

In the Epic of Gilgamesh, the stories reminded me of the Holy Bible because many of their stories are similar. For instance, in the Holy Bible, it starts off with “In the beginning...Now, the serpent was more cunning...You shall not eat of every tree of the garden”. Which meant that there was a snake and it had tempted Eve into consuming a plant of the tree which God had specified that they should not eat to where they get banned out of the garden. As to in the Epic, it says “A snake smelled the fragrance...While going back it sloughed off its casing.”. Where the snake had stolen the plant of eternal life from Gilgamesh and consumed it. So, the comparison in between the two stories is the snake was the culprit of good will and luxury.

The presence of fundamental storytelling methods across the globe establishes a universal connection between societies. Contrasting cultures influence variation among symbolism and moral values, however collective literary essentials exist. For instance, an abundance of flood stories that expand across the world verifies a connection among the traditions of mankind. The strong resemblance between the flood accounts in the ancient Mesopotamian myth The Epic of Gilgamesh and the biblical narrative of Noah’s Ark in The Genesis propose a closer relationship that encourages further analysis. The major plot points are echoed in both texts despite differentiation of detail, however the crucial distinctions are observed through the contrasting religious themes. In contrast to Gilgamesh, the Genesis is a religious narrative that promotes monotheistic ideals. Both texts articulate nearly identical scenarios, however the Genesis adaptation provides a Christian perspective by offering moral interpretation. Further exploration of both assists in the determination of significance between the differences.

However, the path leading to that differs greatly. For Utnapishtim praise is not presented to him at first, he is presented with anger by the god Enlil for having survived the deluge. The Epic of Gilgamesh states, "Then at once Enlil arrived, he saw the boat, he was seized with anger, filled with rage at the divine Igigi: From where escaped this living being? No man was meant to survive the destruction!" (Epic of Gilgamesh, Tablet XI, Lines 171-176). The god Enlil wished for no man whatsoever to survive the flood and when he saw that Utnapishtim was still alive it threw him into a frenzy. He was angry with the other gods for going against his back and letting Utnapishtim know of the oncoming destruction. The gods however, set him straight telling him there were other ways. An apologetic Enlil then bestowed Utnapishtim and his wife with the gift of becoming gods as well. In the Genesis account however, God knew all along that Noah and his family were on a boat since he ordered them to create it and board it. Genesis states, "God blessed Noah and his sons" (Gen 9:1). God in Genesis is more of a kind-hearted individual compared to the god Enlil of the Babylonian

Ancient world literature and early civilization stories turn around 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, idea and theme are generally found correlative. It is hard to believe that that one work did not affect the others. The first great heroic epic poem of Gilgamesh and the Old Testament are two cultures that are hundreds of years apart. Upon studying the book of Genesis and the story of Gilgamesh; whereas one

There is an infinite amount of ways to compare and contrast these two stories together. In both stories there was a worldwide flood, but they were for different reasons. In “Genesis” the reason for the flood was the chaos and wickedness, but in “The epic of Gilgamesh” the flood was because of sins. The floods for both were different in means of duration because in “Genesis” the flood had lasted forty days and nights, but in “The epic of Gilgamesh” it had only lasted six days and nights. Another similarity about them is after the floods they both had sent out birds to check, but there is the catch. They sent out different birds. In “Genesis” there were three doves and a raven, but in “gilgamesh” there was a dove, swallow, and a raven. Finally, one last thing that is very specifically different about these two stories is that one flooded the whole earth while the other flooded one city, but both also took out mankind. As you can see there are numerous ways to bring these two stories together and ways to differentiate

The Epic of Gilgamesh was translated by Andrew George and the Iliad was written by Homer. These are both heroic epics that show some similarities in their stories. The Epic of Gilgamesh came to us in a fragmentary form and was written in some form we no longer have. It possibly influenced the Iliad because the Iliad showed some modification of the epic and was written later than Gilgamesh. Both stories show some similarities in theme, such as pride, morality, friendship, love, fate, and free will. In both the books, pride seems like a big topic. Comparing the pride in the character Gilgamesh in the, The Epic of Gilgamesh, and Achilles in the Iliad shows that the mistakes both make is that they can not let go of their pride.

In many different texts such as “Gilgamesh” and “The Odyssey”, there is a relationship displayed between God and man or “the divine”. In these stories the gods are almost always close by. The gods in Gilgamesh are very similar to the humans in terms of appearance. Not only that but they behave similar as well. They have emotions and feel things but also expect things of the humans. They want sacrifices and for the humans to obey them. In obeying and pleasing the gods however, the humans in return expect to be guided by the gods and kept safe. This is because the humans see the gods as unconquerable, almighty, and immortal beings. Although being seen that way to the human’s, the gods have their weaknesses too. Despite the fact that there are gods in Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh himself is two thirds god and one third man. He too has unbelievable strength and does unbelievable things like killing the Humbaba and the Bull of Heaven. He is capable of doing things like the gods because he is like them to an extent. He too feels things such as sadness and grief when his friend Enkidu dies. The gods play a part in the lives of man in this way too. For example, the gods agreed in council that either Gilgamesh or Enkidu must die for what they had done in killing the Bull of Heaven. In the end this resulted in Enkidu’s death. Gilgamesh like the gods, doesn’t only feel and have emotions but has a weakness as well. Gilgamesh’s weaknesses in this story are arrogance and pride. He displays this

Ancient Hebrew people living in Mesopotamia believed that the sky was another body of water and that there was a dome protecting them from the water spilling out. Their culture wasn't very scientifically advanced. This belief made the perception of how the flood started different than an everyday rainstorm. Since the sky was a dome leading to the body of water above, the flood came when God let open the doors on the dome and let the water out. Their view is shown in this verse in Genesis: “In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month: on that day All fountains of the great abyss burst forth, and the floodgates of the sky were opened” (Genesis 7:11). Ancient Hebrew people believed that

A key theme in the Epic of Gilgamesh is the role of gods, as several gods are mentioned by name with a significant part to play in the story. For Christians, this is a major red flag who

In Gilgamesh, a literary product of Mesopotamia, contains many of the same themes and motifs as the Hebrew Bible. According to Genesis I, God made man in his own image. The story, The Epic of Gillamesh, succeeds to support the idea of God(s) creating man due to the several points in the book. When comparing the details within the stories, they are very similar.

In both of the stories there were floods that wiped out the humans. In the book of Genesis the flood happened because the world was filled with lawlessness . In Gilgamesh the flood happened because the citizens of the city became annoying. In both stories the gods weren’t pleased with what they created so they used the flood to restart the human race. In Gilgamesh only one city was flood but in the book of Genesis the whole was was flooded.

The Epic of Gilgamesh and the flood presented in the Book of Genesis have striking similar features. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Utnapishtim was informed by Ea, god of wisdom, that there would be a global flood caused by Man’s sins. The flood was also intended for one city and all mankind. Utnapishtim built a square boat and allow his family members and all species of animals to climb aboard. After the flood continued for six days and six nights, he sent out a Dove, Swallow, and Raven to test to find land. On the seventh day, the ark docked at Mt. Nisir and he was blessed with eternal life.

supposed to have decided to destroy the earth by water. In the Biblical book of