Similarities Between Gilgamesh And Noah - 818 Words

Why are the ancient texts so similar to each other? It appears as if each text corresponds to the Bible. There is the Enuma Elish compared to the creation story, the Laws of Hammurapi compared to the last four books of the Pentateuch, and the Confusion of Tongues compared to the Tower of Babel. However, I will focus on the Epic of Gilgamesh, comparing and contrasting it to the Biblical narrative of Noah. While both the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Biblical narrative of Noah explore a global flood, there are key differences in their use of gods and the specific details of the flood. Gilgamesh and the Biblical narrative of Noah seem to parallel each other. First, both have a significant protagonist, Utnapishtim and Noah. Both of them built a†¦show more content†¦Furthermore, how long the storm lasted is different as well. In Gilgamesh, the storm subsided on the seventh day , while Noah’s storm lasted for forty days and forty nights. Another dissimilarity includes the types of birds used to find dry land. Utnapishtim uses a dove, swallow, and a raven to find dry land , whereas Noah used a raven and two doves. Also, the reaction of one god to the flood is a key difference. When the god Enlil saw the boat, he was angry. He said, â€Å"no man was to survive the destruction!† This is a dramatic contrast to the attitude and motives of God who told Noah to build the ark to save himself. Enlil, at the end of the narrative, says, â€Å"Utnapishtim and his wife shall be like unto us gods.† Nowhere in the Bible does it mention that any person is like a god because there is only one true God. Noah is included in the hall of faith in Hebrews 11, but never referred to as like a god. Finally, the endings of these two narratives are entirely different. However, the story of Noah ends with him getting drunk and blessing and cursing his sons. The story of Gilgamesh ends with Utnapishtim moving far away to the rivers. The Epic of Gilgamesh and the Bibl ical narrative about Noah are completely different despite telling the story of a global flood. A key theme in the Epic of Gilgamesh is the role of gods, as several gods are mentioned by name with a significant part to play in the story. For Christians, this is a major red flag whoShow MoreRelatedGilgamesh Flood Comparison Essay823 Words   |  4 PagesFlood Stories Both the story of â€Å"Noah and the Flood† in the book of Genesis in The Hebrew Bible and the flood story in The Epic of Gilgamesh detail a grand flood in which a man saved life from extinction by building an ark, earning fame and immortality in some form. The theme of completing this grand task for a moral purpose holds true to both stories, but the depiction and actions of the divine and mortal characters in the stories contain different similarities and differences. The theme of virtueRead MoreUtnapishtim In The Epic Of Gilgamesh And Noah In The Bible799 Words   |  4 Pagesstory†. 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They were written many years ago, bothRead More Comparing and Contrasting Epic of Gilgamesh and the Bibles Noahs Ark642 Words   |  3 PagesComparing and Contrasting Epic of Gilgamesh and Noahs Ark Many cultures have stories of a great flood, and probably the best known story is of Noahs 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