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What Are The Similarities Between Gilgamesh And The Bible

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Gilgamesh and the Bible There are many similarities between the Epic of Gilgamesh and the events that occurred in the Old Testament book of Genesis. The most well-known of these events is the floods of Noah and Utnapishtim. This paper will look at the similarities and differences between The Epic of Gilgamesh and the books of Genesis. Some scholars believe that the Babylonian flood that occurs in the Epic of Gilgamesh predates the flood of Genesis by a number of years. However, a number of Christian scholars believe that the flood of Genesis was passed down through oral tradition prior to the creation of the Babylonian flood myth. They believe that all of the flood myths that came from the Middle East were derived from the Genesis flood. The Epic of Gilgamesh was first discovered in the ruins of the great library located in Nineveh. The Epic dates back to around the third millennium BC. (Vos pg. 34) The Epic of Gilgamesh was written on twelve tablets as well as rewritten on a number of others. The story which was written in poetic form was translated into a number …show more content…

Enkidu spirit becomes trapped there but Shamash and Ea help his spirit to escape. When he returns Gilgamesh questions him about his experience in the underworld The Similarities and Differences between the two flood stories The Biblical account of the flood in Genesis 6-9 tells of god telling Noah a righteous man to build a boat and to gather up his family along with two of every species of animal. God sends a flood that lasts for forty days and nights. Afterwards the ship lands on a mountain top. Approximately a year goes by and Noah sends out a raven and three doves to see if there is any dry land. The last dove comes back with an olive branch. There is then a rainbow in the sky that acts as a covenant from god that he will never flood the Earth again. Noah then makes a sacrifice and is blessed by god.

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Between “The Babylonian Creation Epic” and “Theogony” there are many similarities and differences that can be found. One similarity between these two is the idea of two beings, Tiamat and Apsu (fresh and salt water) and Gaia and Ouranos (earth and sky) who couple together and give birth to the first gods. In Gaia and Ouranos’s case, these ‘gods’ are called Titans. In the Babylonian story Marduk, a son of the gods, kills Tiamat and creates humankind from the blood of one of the gods who stood on her side. Whereas in “Theogony” Ouranos is hated by all of his children and ends up castrated by his son Kronos.

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Man and God's Relationship The Epic of Gilgamesh and In the Beginning have many similarities. Both incorporate the Hero’s Journey and three archetypes: character, situational, and symbolic. Both are about man's relationship with God(s), including man’s struggle with temptation, and the serpent as a symbol.

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When reading The Epic of Gilgamesh we can find different examples of the six criteria for evaluating works of art. Therefore we are able to hone in on a few that really prevail throughout the story that persuades the reader to think critically about what exactly the author wants the reader to understand. Three main themes of the Christian critical tradition in The Epic of Gilgamesh are truth, righteousness, and beauty. When looking at the epic of Gilgamesh and accessing the literature for truth we see that an ultimate truth is death.

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Flood Essay Introduction Killing an estimated 1,833 people, Hurricane Katrina was one of the deadliest hurricanes to ever hit the United States. The flooding alone caused massive devastation and destruction. Millions of people lost their homes and all their possessions. This flood was horrific, but imagine a flood so great that it destroyed all of humanity. This great flood occurs in the stories of Noah, Utnapishtim, and Deucalion.

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The story consist of a powerful leader known as Gilgamesh who has built a great city. As he insults the gods, it resulted in his friend; Enkidu being killed. So he went on a quest to search for Utnapishtim looking for answers to immortality. That is where Utnapishtim tells Gilgamesh about his story concerning the flood. Utnapishtim talks about how we was warned about a flood by Ea; god of wisdom.

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The Rise and Fall of Hubris In essence, many of Mesopotamia’s tales focus on Gilgamesh’s epic. The Epic of Gilgamesh is a poem that portrays Gilgamesh’s journey, and ultimate aspiration for immortality despite the inevitability of death. The poem reveals his quest for a purpose and identity, which in turn can be perceived from many different aspects, ultimately molding his character in the epic. He perceives himself as two-thirds divine and one third man at the start of the tale, and progressively gains wisdom on his quest to conquer his aspirations of immortality, until he comes face to face with reality. His state of mind at the beginning of the epic, along with how it changes and matures, reveals the true heroes and villains of the story.

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In comparison, it’s always observed on how different scholars find the similarity of especially marital settings, characters, and as well as the wanderings of the mythological world. Different events within the life of these characters cover broadly a huge range of epic encounters that are heroic. The character, emotional and psychological development of Gilgamesh can be borrowed especially from the ancient heroic perspectives of mortality and death while comparing with Achilles. Mesopotamian civilization has had several phases in which hero Gilgamesh has been in existence, however having similar attributes. One of the earliest stories of Gilgamesh is developed from Sumerian texts, one of the most influential and well-known poems (Michelakis & Pantelis 2007).

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Throughout history epic tales have been told about heroes attempting to explain various occurrences such as the ones in the Gilgamesh and Beowulf. Gilgamesh and Beowulf compare and contrast in beliefs, their leadership styles, and the journeys they go on. Although both Beowulf and Gilgamesh can be compared to each other, because of their opposing locations and personalities, they are contrasting to each other. Beowulf and Gilgamesh leaderships styles, although very different, do have some similarities. Both Beowulf and Gilgamesh possess great physical strength, and courageousness as leaders of their respective cultures.

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Silvy Elsa Mathew Hum 120 3/1/18 Paper 1 - The Epic of Gilgamesh and Homer’s Iliad The two main oldest epic tales in the world, ‘Epic of the Gilgamesh’ and Homer’s ‘Iliad’ deals with many significant issues that pose a meaning in the life of an individual and communities. The Epic of Gilgamesh was written 1500 years before Homer wrote the Iliad.

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The flood story is based on the geologic ages identified through scientific understanding of the changing physical features of the earth (Origin myths: The Flood, 37). The period is between about 12,000 and 7000 BCE which was a period of worldwide warming (Origin myths, 37). Changing environmental conditions was common throughout the world. The rainfall and ocean levels rose some 300 feet (Origin myths 37). Some people began to believe their creator was punishing humans who were displeasing, so the Great Flood become part of the origin myth.

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“Extinction is the rule. Survival is the exception (Carl Sargon)”. According to The Epic of Gilgamesh and Genesis, unprecedented floods occurred in both stories. The exception fell on the kind men, Utnapishtim and Noah: they survived the powerful event of destruction. However, in the same theme of the stories, there are sources of similarity and differences.

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The Epic of Gilgamesh is the oldest story known to mankind, being written on Sumerian clay almost five thousand years ago (Garone). Since the story was originally known orally, the culture and themes from The Epic of Gilgamesh must have existed long before it was finally inscribed (Mark 4). Having known this, the cultures and themes can be compared to today’s society, discovering about how they have shifted and evolved, and also observe how they are similar. The ancient days of Gilgamesh has brought culture that has greatly influenced today’s society. Because Gilgamesh was set around the time of late Babylonian or early Sumerian society, the Babylonian and Sumerian cultures also play a role in shaping the world into what is is today (Mark).

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The Epic of Gilgamesh and the Bible have a few similar events and historians think that they may refer to the same event. The Epic of Gilgamesh and the Bible share a similar event, the flood, and a similar character, the serpent. Though there are still several distinctions between the two stories. The Bible and the Epic of Gilgamesh both contain a serpent as one of the less significant characters.

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