Comparing Gilgamesh And The Old Testament

A mortal, “two-thirds a god, one-third a man,” and his companion fight adversaries that threaten the power the men possess in Gilgamesh (Ferry 4). A man leads a race from oppression given power through God in Exodus. All three men hold power, which others in their time do not hold; however, they face obstacles that threaten their power. Gilgamesh and Moses conquer their challenges and achieve victory enriched with power; while, the men face the foes in their path with determination and discover the level of power between mortals and immortals

However, despite the minor differences there are many similarities between the two stories. Indeed the similarities have led some to speculate that these ancient flood stories were

The Epic of Gilgamesh, the oldest written epic in history, documented in 2700 BC, in cuneiform, on clay tablets, found in the library of Nineveh, describes the king of the city-state Uruk’s love of his friend Enkidu and his quest for immortality. The Book of Exodus, written in 1400 BC describes God’s call of Moses, a Hebrew raised in Ramses II’s court in Egypt, to the Promise Land in Canaan. Gilgamesh and Moses function as heroes in these two ancient literary works. Gilgamesh and Moses exhibit similarities yet also exhibit differences. In particular the two men are alike in that they both embody their cultures; however their personalities and their journeys differ.

The floods in Genesis and The Epic of Gilgamesh are in no doubt different but in so many ways similar. The two men are given a task to save humankind from a flood and succeed and are rewarded. The major basic events that take place in the stories a similar however the smaller details of them and how they are carried you are different. They two also tells us a lot about the relationship between humans to Divinity.

Gilgamesh, a Sumerian/Babylonian poetic work, contains close parallels with significant events in the Old Testament. Both Gilgamesh and the Old Testament are classified as myths, traditional stories involving supernatural being or events, typically concerning the early history. Although both were written years apart and share some similarities, there are also major differences between the two works.

The Hebrew Flood story of Noah and his obligation to preserve man kind after God had punished all living creatures for their inequities parallels The Epic of Gilgamesh in several ways. Even though these two compilations are passed on orally at different times in history the similarities and differences invoke deliberation when these stories are compared. Numerous underlining themes are illustrated throughout each story. Humans are guilty of transgressions and must be punished, God or Gods send a flood as punishment to destroy this evil race, a person is selected by the gods to build a craft that will withstand the flood and allow this person to create a new race. An

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.

Gilgamesh: A New English Version, translated by Stephen Mitchell, and The Book of Job translated by Raymond P. Scheindlin, are both ancient texts that argue that the world is not just in a variety of ways. In Gilgamesh, the part-human, part-divine tyrannical ruler of Uruk, Gilgamesh, is sent an equal by the gods in the hopes of changing him and therefore rescuing the people of Uruk from his brutal ways. This equal, Enkidu, and Gilgamesh go on to offend the gods in a multitude of ways, leading to the death of Enkidu and finally, the return of Gilgamesh to Uruk to continue his ruthless regime over the people. The Book of Job is the story of Job, a faithful servant of Yahweh (or God) who is the picture of morality. When Yahweh makes a passing bet with the Accuser that results in Job having everything dear to him, including his health, torn away, Job and his friends debate the duties and nature of Yahweh. Gilgamesh and The Book of Job are in agreement that the world is not just, but whereas Gilgamesh shows that the innocent are killed and that the guilty are rewarded rather than punished, The Book of Job argues that the morally upright suffer and that Yahweh did not create the world to be fair, and so it is not.

While Genesis in the bible and The Epic of Gilgamesh have striking similarities in the sense of creation and the great flood, the interactions between the divine beings and humans differ greatly. One matter that impacts the entire relationship between gods and humans in both accounts is that the gods in the epic are not almighty beings like God in Genesis since they cannot control each other’s domain. Because of this, they must travel from place to place and work with other gods to carry out a certain task. The gods in The Epic of Gilgamesh act very much like humans and interfere more with their daily lives. In contrast, the all-powerful god in Genesis seems distant and far from having human-like characteristics and does not need to interact with other gods. At the same time, both stories display the reverence and fear humans have for the supreme beings because of their authoritative qualities.

In the Epic of Gilgamesh, the stories reminded me of the Holy Bible because many of their stories are similar. For instance, in the Holy Bible, it starts off with “In the beginning...Now, the serpent was more cunning...You shall not eat of every tree of the garden”. Which meant that there was a snake and it had tempted Eve into consuming a plant of the tree which God had specified that they should not eat to where they get banned out of the garden. As to in the Epic, it says “A snake smelled the fragrance...While going back it sloughed off its casing.”. Where the snake had stolen the plant of eternal life from Gilgamesh and consumed it. So, the comparison in between the two stories is the snake was the culprit of good will and luxury.

The ability to understand hard reading texts for future life necessities and in reality, having better grades. I believe in today’s digital age reading complex texts can help with getting and maintaining a job, even though reading Gilgamesh and reading a job application may not connect well with each other. Reading strategies are used in both contexts in order to understand what we are learning and trying to take away. In addition, the stories as 9th and 10th grader are very interesting stories/ allegory that engages the reader to read more. Understanding the reading texts can improve grades much more than reading a summary off of sparknotes, I personally reread the book I am doing my project on. Such as The Lord of The Flies, where understanding

In both books, there are Gods who possess almighty powers on earth. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Enlil, the god of the winds, calls for a flood to end all of mankind because man was too noisy. Similarly, in the Book of Genesis, God calls for a great flood to destroy all mankind because they were sinning. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Ea, the god of wisdom tells Utnapishtim in a dream to tear his house down and build a boat. On the other hand

Chain Reaction Before Kings ruled supreme, the people looked to the gods for guidance and instruction, and then centuries later ,when the kings took over, the traditional values of a higher deity remained. This thought is clear in pre-historic texts Gilgamesh, Exodus, and The Odyssey. Whether they be myths or legends, each story reflects the belief that there is a need for a higher power, or rules that they follow.  Authority, rules, and gods are necessary because they create a chain reaction of order to choice, and finally to purpose.  

The tales of Gilgamesh and Noah are as memorable as they are incredible. They materialize the beliefs of two cultures telling very similar yet very different stories. Gilgamesh, a mighty warrior overwhelmed by grief of his passed friend, went an an epic adventure to find the secret of eternal life. Noah, a morally right and genuine man saved the future of the entire human race and every animal through great endurance and faith. The personality traits, reasons for journeys, and stories of origin of each myth have a plentiful amount of both commonalities and diversities.

supposed to have decided to destroy the earth by water. In the Biblical book of