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Similarities between the epic of Gilgamesh and the book of Genesis
Creation myth comparisons
Creation myth comparisons
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Frank Lorey's article, The Flood of Noah and the Flood of Gilgamesh, contains what Lorey and other researchers believe to be a link between the flood that covered the world from the Hebrew and Christian bible to a similar event that is referenced in the mythological story The Epic of Gligamesh. While Lorey does make this claim he does note that due to the relatively close geographical location of both of these civilizations, which could lead to these two events simply being a retelling of a shared mythology between the two groups, and that the depending on how you divided up the dates that the Hebrew story could possibly be older the the Epic's interpretation. He does, however, point out several very peculiar similarities between the two
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.
In “Noah Count and the Arkansas Ark” the author demonstrates the value of education as one not just in books or math. The author uses education that doesn’t just include a classroom. The Dad has been around farming for a long time and is a farmer, so he knows when it will rain. The dad uses this experience from farming to have the wits to prepare for a flood because he knows it’s coming. So, the dad has learned from experience. The son’s opinion of his dad’s sense will change throughout the story.
The Epic of Gilgamesh and Genesis have many similarities, or parallels, that connect the two great works. It is amazing how two stories were written at completely different times, yet have so many things in common. Drawing parallels can even help you understand the stories more. So, what do Gilgamesh and Genesis have in common? Using a bird to see if the flood is gone, making a sacrifice to God/ the gods, and the serpent in each story causes the main characters not to have immortality are only a few examples of connecting the stories together.
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.
“And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy the earth. Make yourself an ark…” (Genesis 6:13-14, English Standard Version) “For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life under heaven. Everything that is on the earth shall die.” (Genesis 6:17, ESV) “And of every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female.” (Genesis 6:19, ESV) “Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.” (Genesis 6:22, ESV) “In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the second month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened. And rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights.” (Genesis 7:11-12, ESV) Everyone has heard the story of Noah’s ark and the great Flood. But is that all it is? Just a story? If a catastrophe of this scale really happened, it would have left plenty of evidence behind. And it did. The fossil record shows evidence of a small period of time in which all the major groups of life (phyla) appear without ancestors. (Wieland, n.d.) This alleged explosion of evolution is called the Cambrian explosion. However, Christians believe the Cambrian explosion is actually the Flood, in which all life on earth is rapidly buried by sediments picked up from the flood waters. Another piece of evidence for the Flood is the perfectly preserved mammoths. The mammoths show signs of being instantly buried and frozen, many while standing up. (Brown, 1995-2013) Evidence for this is fou...
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.
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).
Noah was dirt biking down the road. It was his favourite hobby. He was going around a corner and lost his balance and fell. He was a really clumsy person. Then when he looked to his right he saw a girl jogging, as she jogged past him she helped him up and asked if he was ok. He said ‘I'm ok, thanks though.’ Then she said i’ll maybe see you around and handed him her number and jogged off at a faster pace. He got up and saw that his bike was broken so he walked it back to his truck and loaded it onto the trailer that was hitched to the back of the truck. He drove back to his Mechanic shop and unloaded his bike and started to work on it. He had been a mechanic for almost 6 years now. He was 27 years old. After he fixed his bike. He went home that
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.
A good number of people know the famous story of the Genesis flood, but do they know how it resembles to the Gilgamesh flood story? It is mind bending how the main stories are so alike. The main theme is the biggest similarity between the two. They also differ greatly in the smaller details in the events that take place. In both stories the number of days for events are different, but the same basic event takes place. Along with many other similarities and differences. The stories are very much the same, but when comparing the details within they are very different.
Some of the simpler similarities are that the extent of the flood reaches every part of the earth, the flood is intended to destroy mankind, aside from the heros and their families, Utnapishtim and Noah are found righteous by their God or gods, and they build an ark to certain qualifications. An example of a less obvious similarity is the location of where the arks first touche land. In the general sense, they both landed on a mountain: Noah’s “ ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventh day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat” (Genesis 75) and Utnapishtim's “boat stuck fast beside Mt. Nimush” (Gilgamesh 57). Taking this information a Step deeper reveals that Mt. Ararat and Mt. Nimush are about 300 miles apart. Both boats land in a relatively close proximity. Further proving the idea that the Sumerians and Hebrews experience the same event. Utnapishtim’s and Noah’s lives are dramatically changed by the flood. They sacrifice all that is familiar to them in order to receive the blessings of God or the gods. The heroes are both examples of a term I will call the archetypal path of blessing. Utnapishtim and Noah are both comfortable with what they have before the flood, but as Christopher Columbus States “One can never cross the ocean until one has the courage to leave the shore.” Utnapishtim and Noah give up what is ordinary to receive what is great. The blessings of both characters exceed
Stories, especially old stories, have been retold an uncountable amount of times. Throughout all these tellings of a tale once true can become distorted; parts are left out, added, exaggerated, skewed, and misinterpreted. The authenticity of the story lays on the shoulders of the story tellers so you would hope that they would all be unbiased, truthful, careful, and responsible with the words that come out of their mouth, but that would be unusually uncommon. I believe it is important that in this story the narrator is not of the human species, or is even a vertebrate for that matter. The humble woodworm guides us through his first hand experience on Noah's Ark which he insists is the real one. The realistic elements and thoughtfulness of the story probably make it the most believable version of Noah's crusade, even if it's a worm that's asking for your trust. I think Barnes chose a woodworm as
What leads to lack of knowledge is the question one should probably ask in this situation; and with that question, another prophet comes to mind. A minor prophet who had a similar dilemma as America has today which many believe to have been the cause of this lack of knowledge spoken about; his name is Jonah. Yes, everyone should be able to recall to mind the story of the prophet Jonah being caught in the belly of a great fish. Conversely, even though America appears at the moment to be in a “whale” of a situation, the parallel between the prophet and the fish isn’t what America should be liken to regarding lack of knowledge. The question one should ask themselves is, why was Jonah in the fish in the first place? Once you answer that question, you will also find the reasoning for this country’s lack….it’s rebellion.
Willie Van Sant Mrs. Hunter Bible 9-1 29 September 2015 Noah Noah was a God-fearing, obedient Character from the Old Testament whose life can still teach us today. His father, Lamech, named him Noah, meaning “rest or comfort” (“Noah”) and said “Out of the ground that the LORD has cursed, this one shall bring us relief from our work and from the painful toil of our hands.” (Genesis 5:29 ESV) Noah lived in a world full of corruption and was the only person in his generation that followed God.
Creation can be defined as bringing something into existence. God used a flood to take wicked men out of existence, thus uncreating the majority of mankind. However by sparing Noah and establishing a new covenant with him God recreated a new world. A world less perfect than that in the story of Adam and Eve but also a world better than the one that was ruled by violence and wickedness. The flood narrative is a story about the uncreation of a wicked world and the recreation of a better one.