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Epic of Gilgamesh and the Book of Genesis

 

History tells us that since we have been able to write, our human

race has had the habit of recording historical tales, or stories.  Most of

the first stories were tales of heroic men, scouring their land in search

of some noble prize.  These stories are known as epics, and they give us an

excellent idea of the lifestyles and basic thought processes of early

humans.  Along the lines of these epics are the accounts told in the Bible,

especially those in the Old Testament.  As with the epics, these legends

give us some spiritual idea of the beginning of time and the accounts of

early man.  If we compare the stories and characters of the first epic, The

Epic of Gilgamesh, with those of the first chapter of the Bible, Genesis,

we not only discover some striking similarities, but also some notable

differences.

 

      If there is one thing that all early accounts revolve around, that

is the idea of a divine being or, in other words, god.  Early humans were

extremely religious, holding the belief that their very lives were in the

hands of their god.  This holds true for both the people of biblical times

as well as those of the epic era.  However, even as both groups believed in

a supreme being, they harbored different feelings and beliefs about the

subject.  In the epic, many gods are mentioned and worshiped, such as

Ninsun and Shamash.  These gods can give birth to mortals, and can

communicate with these mortals, usually through dreams.  In Genesis, there

is mention of only one God, a being that created the earth and skies, as

well as humans and wildlife.  This god can also communicate with mortals,

either through dream or direct conversation.  In both cases, the mortals

worshiped the god(s), but in the epic it seemed that the gods were more

likely to be persuaded by their servants.  In Genesis, God remains a fairly

strong, static being who, although unwavering, is fair and good to his

followers.

 

      The main character in the epic is Gilgamesh.  He is an extremely

powerful and beautiful man, created by the gods.  He is given human-like

qualities such as fear, sorrow, mortality, and thirst for knowledge but all

in all he behaves like a god.  He fights everything that gets in his way

and sleeps with every woman he desires.  It is not until his lone friend

and companion, Enkidu, dies that he begins to feel scared.  He wants to

live forever, so he sets out to find a means to do so.  He soon finds that

immortality is impossible for, although he was created by gods, he cannot

be one of them.

 

      Abraham was an important character in the book of Genesis.  Unlike

Gilgamesh, he was born a normal human, and grew up in the same way.  God

kept in contact with him, telling him that his offspring would be numerous.

It was thought that Abraham's wife was barren, so he had a child with her

slave, and named it Ishmael.  However, Abraham and his wife were visited by

some wise men who told them that she would soon produce a child.  Through

Abraham's faith in God, his wife gave birth to a son, Isaac.  At this point

God was still communicating with Abraham.  He told him to sacrifice his son

to him.  Having nothing but the utmost faith and reverence for his God,

Abraham prepared to do so.  At the last second, God stopped him, realizing

that Abraham had passed his test of faith.

 

      Both Gilgamesh and Abraham looked to their gods for help and

guidance.  However, as Abraham regarded his god with awe, Gilgamesh almost

expected his gods to give him guidance.  While Abraham lived his life in

accordance to his god's commands, Gilgamesh lived his life in accordance to

what he could and could not tame.

 

      Overall, there are some differences between the two tales that

might be overlooked.  In the epic, the common people are content serving

their gods.  They make their offerings and in return they are usually

granted what they ask for.  It appears the same way in Genesis, but on some

occasions we see a different light.  It sometimes seems that humans aren't

content with their position under God.  The very first instance comes when

Adam and Eve eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.  When they do

this, they are immediately given the ability to discern between right and

wrong.  The reason that they ate of the tree is because they wanted to be

more like their god.  Another instance is when the Tower of Babel is built.

It was built so that the people could be closer to heaven, maybe even take

it over.  In this way, they also wanted to be like god.

 

      While every two selections have their differences, some also have

similarities.  In both stories, both tell the tale of the great flood and

the ark.  They do have their differences; in the Bible it rained for forty

days, and in the epic only seven.  In Genesis, Adam and Eve try to become

god-like by eating the forbidden fruit.  In the epic, Gilgamesh attempts to

be a god by gaining everlasting life.  In both cases, neither succeed.

 

      The Epic of Gilgamesh and the Book of Genesis are two of the

earliest accounts of human civilization.  In their own way, they set an

example of how the population of the past lived.  They also set guidelines

for the way that we could live our lives.  By reading of the commitment

that Abraham made and the mistakes that Gilgamesh and Adam made, we can

shape our own lives.  Through the differences and similarities, both

accounts hold as much value for the people of today as they did for the

people who wrote them.

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