Gilgamesh vs. Genesis In our society, which is overwhelmingly Judeo-Christian, students often find it difficult to compare Bible stories with tales from other cultures, because our own belief system is wrapped up in the prior, and it is hard for many of us to go against our traditional faith to evaluate them objectively. But in a comparison of the Biblical book of Genesis with the ancient Sumerian text, Epic of Gilgamesh, many parallels suggest that the same type of spiritual searching inspired the composition of both works. It would seem that both cultures shared a concern for the nature of human life, and how its shortness affects the way life should be lived. However, the conclusions each culture derived from their observations are very different, and this led them to develop very different philosophies of life. Gilgamesh is an interesting story because it contains several episodes in common with the Judeo-Christian Bible. For example, John Noss notes that "The original flood story was Sumerian and came out of grim experiences of the overflowing of the two rivers [the Tigris and the Euphrates]. Several of the later versions of the tale, mostly fragmentary, have come down to us. The finest of these forms part of the Gilgamesh epic, into which it was inserted as an interesting interpolation. According to this narrative, the gods decided in anger to punish man's sins by a flood. Their secret decision was revealed to one man. The good god Ea felt kindly toward Utnapishtim [Gilgamesh's ancestor] and told him about it. The man proceeded immediately to build an ark" (Noss 38). Marietta Moskin agrees that many of the earliest Hebrew stories ... ... middle of paper ... ...on of faith despite the deaths of individual member and this still remains true today. In this way the Jewish faith is able to truly bridge life and death in a way that the Sumerians could not. Bibliography: Works Cited Asimov, Isaac. Asimov's Guide to the Bible. New York: Avenel, 1981. Becker, Ernest. The Denial of Death. New York: The Free Press, 1973. Gardner, John and John Maier. Gilgamesh. New York: Knopf, 1984. (substitute for journal) Genesis. The Holy Bible. Nashville: Nelson, 1975. McInnis, Doug. "And The Waters Prevailed". Earth. August, 1998: 46(9). (periodical) Moskin, Marietta D. In Search of God. New York: Atheneum, 1979. Near East. Exploring Ancient World Cultures. 4 March 1999. Http://eawc.evansville.edu/nepage.htm (internet) Noss, John B. Man's Religions. New York: Macmillan, 1965.
Today’s culture focuses on such small factors of life and people do not focus on larger,
Females in both texts, Gilgamesh and Genesis/Exodus, are not talked about very much at all and I think that in its self says a lot. When women are brought up they are either being used or doing something great. Even though they are only talked about a few times, when they actually are talked about it makes an impact on the story. Women are put into this story to make a difference to one of the other characters in the story.
I would describe the Mesopotamians ideal of kingship as courageous and a shepherd of the people. The basis of the monarch’s legacy is his arrogance, courage, beauty, and god like self.
Gilgamesh and Odysseus are two heroes from two different time periods that were both in search of the meaning of life. The epics that the two characters are featured in Gilgamesh, was developed from early Mesopotamia and the Odyssey in early Greece. Gilgamesh was a very popular and it was very valuable to the historian of Mesopotamian culture because it reveals much about the religious world, such as their attitudes toward the gods, how a hero was defined and regarded, views about death and friendship.
The Epic of Gilgamesh has many similarities to The Legend of King Arthur. Although Gilgamesh and King Arthur have comparison they also have differences. The main difference is that one is an Epic and the other is a Legend. To compare and contrast The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Legend of King Arthor, one must first know what the words, "Epic" and "Legend" mean. Primarily, "epic" is a long narrative poem about the deeds of a semi-god, also known as a superhuman hero who's actions are depended on as the fate of a nation, tribe or a human race. This usually consists of an adventure filled plot and is concerned with timeless human problems such as honour, jealousy, war and hatred. These contain gods and goddesses and the setting is fixed in a far distant place at a time long past. Epics are based on legends and myths.
on the brevity of life. In other words, carefully chosen objects were tied to powerful symbolic
... time thinking about OUR wants and how long the wait is but spend the time being happy with what we have because others may not have the same pleasures. Wallace’s idea of not getting caught up in our default setting is true. We shouldn’t make things about ourselves but make everything about what we can do for others.
Human beings’ belief systems don’t always work according to evidence. Belief is made up of
...frailty of people and the ease in which they could die prematurely, people were truly fascinated by the concept of longevity. They observed the pine trees in awe, because the trees existed for so long, and the people wondered what it might be like to be like a pine tree and not have to worry about grievous farewells. This fascination goes hand in hand with their reflection on the brevity of life.
In conclusion, humankind is blessed with life as God created it. One must reflect on their actions throughout life because one will be judged by God in the next life, one must see the importance of gasping liberation, and one must have a loving and open heart when helping the poor. Life should be lived to its fullest because once time is lost, it cannot be regained; life needs to be appreciated.
...cause it is believed that majority of the people in society will conduct theirself based on what they believe and not just based on what is objectively true (Anderson, Taylor, 2009).
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.
...or having rebirth in nature. Meaning, people are still scared to ask the question, what is next after death?
Gilgamesh was two thirds of a god who possessed beauty, a gorgeous body, and great amounts of courage and strength that surpassed all other humans. His greatness was established through the wonderful walls he built around Uruk, a rampart, and a temple for Anu and Ishtar (Gilgamesh & Sandars, 61). Enkidu on the other hand was initially an uncivilized man created by the goddess of creation, Aruru. His appearance was strictly barbaric with his long hair and hairy body, whose innocent mind knew nothing of a civilized human culture (Gilgamesh et al., 62). He ate grass and lived among the other animals in the woods until a trapper spotted him while trying to catch his game and noted to his father that he “was the strongest man in the world [and] is like an immortal from heaven” (Gilgamesh et al., 62). The trapper indicated his feeling of inferiority to Enkidu in the woods as he says he is afraid of him. One could say that Enkidu rules the woods of the uncivilized just as Gilgamesh rules over the city of Uruk; over the civilized. Both men are characterized as powerful, strong men in their domain yet Gilgamesh is in fact stronger and more powerful than his brother, Enkidu whom he calls his servant, fore he is the king of Uruk and is two thirds god. Enkidu also dies halfway through the adventure the two have while Gilgamesh, who is afraid of death, goes on to find a way to live immortally. Though inferior to his king brother, Enkidu completes the other half of Gilgamesh: while Gilgamesh knows the ins and outs of the city he rules, he is not familiar with the woods or nature in the ways that Enkidu is. Though they are different from each other, they both hold parallels with one another by bringing out the best in each other, thus reasonabl...
for it shows that even in death, new life will grow out of the "grave." The