Is one of the most well-known stories from the Bible not actually from the Bible, but instead based on something else? The story of Noah’s Ark, a Biblical account of a flood, is not quite its own, in fact, it is similar to many others. One story in particular, the Epic of Gilgamesh, also features a flood come to wipe out mankind and an ark to keep it alive, and the similarities do not stop there. “No parallels between the biblical and extra-canonical accounts are more remarkable and impressive than those between Utanapishtim's story and that of Genesis” (Young). The Biblical account of the flood was greatly influenced by the account in the Epic of Gilgamesh, because of the sheer number of nearly identical plot themes and details. Both stories have a similar cause and preparation of the flood. The God, or gods, are not pleased with the humans, and decide to cause a flood. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, the gods, specifically the chief god Enlil, are tired of the noise that the humans are making and wants to wipe out the …show more content…
That being said, many of the differences had a reason to be different and should be expected even though the Bible was influenced by the Epic of Gilgamesh. The Bible, a more serious book, wouldn’t contain as many strange or extreme fictions such as Enlil’s reasoning to eliminate the humans, as the Bible aims to make logical sense. The Bible also focuses on a theological reasoning behind things, such as the dove returning with an olive branch, a sign of peace. “The Book of Genesis is viewed for the most part as an historical work, even by many liberal scholars, while the Epic of Gilgamesh is viewed as mythological”(Lorey). Other minor differences are to be expected, due to being written in different times and cultures. “The numerous differences between the two versions may be due either to Israelite reworking of earlier sources or to an intermediary recension”