Comparing The Epic Of Gilgamesh And The Book Of Job

The Epic of Gilgamesh: story of the flood is a story telling of the time when the Sumerian gods flood the Earth hoping to get rid of the annoying humans. Throughout the story, Utnapishtim would be the preserver of life; by building a ship that would carry two of every animal. In Genesis 6-9, the Hebrew God chose to cleanse humanity by flooding the Earth, and in this story Noah would be instructed by the Lord to build an ark and put two of every animal with this ark. These stories of the flood have many differences, one major difference being that The Epic of Gilgamesh is a fictional story of Sumerian gods, while Genesis is a religious book with in the Bible. Although there are many differences between Genesis’ and Gilgamesh’s story of the flood, there are significantly more similarities linking the two stories.

Throughout the Genesis Flood, Atrahasis Flood and the Epic of Gilgamesh flood, there are many different ways to interpret the different views of The Flood. These different narratives in these stories have their own explanation on how this myth took place and the different beliefs that occurred during this flood. The way you portray each narrative is based on what exactly your beliefs are.

Classical literature is filled with stories of capricious deities playing with human lives as if they were only toys. The Greek tradition of tragedy is based upon celebrating this very aspect of the nature of the pantheon of Greek gods. Sophocles finds a perfect example of this celebration of fate, in the tragedy Oedipus the King. Conversely, the Story of Job uses the dramatic tension of a "wager" between God and Satan on the sincerity of Job's devotion to God. Where Oedipus' life, regardless of personal choice, is bound up by fated situations and their fated outcomes, Job's story is one of choice in the midst of supernaturally imposed difficulties. While both strive to teach resignation to the will of God, they each espouse quite

“Does Job revere God for nothing?” - In verse 11 Satan tells God if you take away his possessions; Job will “he will surely curse you to your face.” This scenario is played a second time in; but is more forthcoming Job 2:2. And the LORD said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the LORD, “From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it.” 3. Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason. - God will now give Satan permission to try to destroy Job’s love for Him. Job 2:7. So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. - Satan has assaulted Job, he will now influence Jobs wife and the his friends to turn on Job; 2:9. His wife said to him, “Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and

In his quest for immortality to change his unavoidable destiny, Gilgamesh tried to secure a way to preserve his life in order to avoid suffering because his belief was flawed, while Job secured his life in his belief. He was not afraid of death or of his God, neither did he wish to become one, he just wanted his suffering to be ended by the one whom he believed brought it upon him in the first place. Gilgamesh, on the other hand, sought his own ways to end his suffering and to avoid future sorrow that comes with being human, even though he knew that there was a higher plan that ruled that everlasting life was not his destiny. In contrast, Job was not aware that there was a higher plan that endorsed his agony or the reasons for it. All he had was his faith and integrity, which he held on to despite the undeserved affliction he received through the very hands of the one he expected to redeem him, to later discover that he would. Gilgamesh, in his restless heart, hoped the redemption for his self-inflicted suffering would come from his personal sacrifices, only to find out that it could not.

Many cultures have stories of a great flood, and probably the best known story is of Noah's Ark. The next most notable is the Sumerian story of Ut-Napishtim found in the Epic of Gilgamesh. In the ancient Babylonian depiction of the flood story, the god Enlil creates a flood to destroy a noisy mankind that is disturbing his sleep. Gilgamesh is told by another god, Ea, to build an ark (Monack 1). The Epic of Gilgamesh has broadly the same structure and plot as Noah's Ark, suggesting the possibility that the Biblical account has drawn influence from the archaeologically older Sumerian depiction. University professor Alexander Heidel concludes that these accounts are undeniably

The Epic of Gilgamesh is a Mesopotamian myth and the oldest known narrative there is, originally created on clay tablets written in cuneiform. The story focuses on two individuals. Gilgamesh, who is the tyrannical ruler of the kingdom of Uruk. Then his counterweight, Enkidu who resides in the forest and was raised by animals. It may seem that neither would have much in common, considering one is royalty and one is a wild man. However, these two characters balance each other despite their differences, which results in a beautiful friendship, but both will lose as well as gain in the end.

The theme of the Book of Job is the perseverance of the human spirit. Job loses everything but he does not lose his faith in God. “Job refuses to curse God” (Book). Job has not done anything to deserve this, but it is a test from God and Satan to see if Job is actually as

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.

(1) The black demon saw a beautiful woman and out of all the nobel women. He picked the one that was about the be married. He kidnapped her on her wedding night. It shows that the black demon does things impulsively. He does not care of the consequences. It shows that since he is a demon. He does not fear the consequences of men. When he saw her he could not longer live without her. When he kidnap her. He locked her in box showing that he does not trust the women he kidnap with other men. It also means he wants to keep her pure. She was kidnap on her wedding night so she did not have sex yet so the demon believed she was pure. The untainted virgin that has not been violated by men was his and his only. When he traveled he took her out of the box and wanted to sleep beside her. It shows when he his comfortable. He would sleep better beside her. The women was the demon's most prized possession. It is like comparing the women to a boy's secret toy. When a boy is around someone he would hide his secret toy from everyone. When the boy is alone he would take it and worship it. This meaning is similar to Metamorphoses when Apollo wanted Daphne. Even though she refused him. He impulsively try to rape her. She was turned into a tree, but he still tried to rape the tree. Another text with the similar meaning is in the Epic of Gilgamesh. Any women Gilgamesh desired he would take married or not. Since he was part god and king. He did not care of consequence like the demon.

It is said that life is 10% what you make it and 90% how you take it. It is not the circumstances of life that determine a person's character. Rather, it is the way a character responds to those circumstances that provides a display of who he is. "From the Epic of Gilgamesh", as translated by N.K. Sandars, and "Noah and the Flood" from the Book of Genesis, both Gilgamesh and Noah face similar circumstances, but don’t always respond to them the same way.

Human problems does not change throughout history but instead get told in different forms. The Epic of Gilgamesh and the Book of Job are a quest for immortality and deal with the realization that death is final and will come for everyone. The Epic of Gilgamesh and the Book of Job have a similar main theme of immortality and context, but the Book of Job has a more optimistic and friendly world view.

Philosophically written by an anonymous author Job is a reflective book in the Bible, focusing on common setbacks for Christian viewpoints. The author of Job may be acknowledged through reading. The author specifically addresses individuals with intimate faith in Yahweh (God). The author was also a well-traveled individual who could captivate on an abundance of knowledge and experience. He knew the constellations (Job 9:9; 38:31 ESV), could discuss meteorology (Job 38:22-38 ESV) or even describe a sophisticated mining operation (Job 28:1-11 ESV). His effort of showcasing Job, is simply about God and man; it was inscribed to individuals who battle with the righteousness of a sovereign God in a world bursting with misery.