Flood Myth of the Holy Bible and the Epic of Gilgamesh...

The Biblical Flood and The Epic of Gilgamesh Flood In Genesis of the Old Testament the account of the Flood approximates the account recorded on Tablet 11of the Sumero-Babylonian version of the epic of Gilgamesh, discovered in the 1800’s by British archaeologists in Assyria. N.K. Sandars in the Introduction to his book, The Epic of Gilgamesh, sums up the involvement by the pagan gods in the Sumero-Babylonian Flood narrative: In the Gilgamesh flood Ishtar and Enlil are as usual the advocates of destruction. Ishtar speaks, perhaps in her capacity as goddess of war, but Enlil prevails with his weapon of the storm. Only Ea, in superior wisdom, either was not present, or being present was silent, and with his†¦show more content†¦In Column 2 of Tablet 11 the Sumero-Babylonian Flood narrative continues with the measurements and construction of the ark: One acre was its whole floorspace; ten dozen cubits the height of each wall; ten dozen cubits its deck, square on each side. I [Utnapishtim] laid out the contours, drew it all. I gave it six decks and divided it, thus, into seven parts. Its innards I divided into nine parts. I struck water-plugs into it. I checked the poles and laid in all that was necessary. I poured 24,000 gallons of bitumen into the kiln; the same amount I laid on the inside. The basket-bearers brought on three shars of oil in addition to the shar of oil consumed in the seed-meal and the two shars of oil stowed away by the boatman.(Gardner 231) On the seventh day the ark was completed. It was launched, and then loaded with â€Å"all my kin and family† and with â€Å"the animals of the fields.† This ark has twice the number of floors as Noah’s ark. After the Jewish Old Testament establishes reasons for the Flood, then it proceeds with specific building instructions to Noah in Genesis 6:14:Show MoreRelated Flood Myth of Epic of Gilgamesh and Book of Genesis of the Holy Bible816 Words   |  4 PagesComparison of the Flood of Gilgamesh and the Bible People grow up listening to the story of Noah and the flood. They remember the length of the flood, the dove, and the rainbow very vividly. However, most people do not realize that the story is told throughout many different cultures and with accounts older than Genesis ¹s version in the Bible. Although each of the accounts tells of the flood, there are many variations to the story. One such story can be found in the Epic of Gilgamesh. Although theRead MoreGilgamesh VS â€Å"Genesis†: Noah and the Flood1121 Words   |  5 Pagesthe power of institutions and the passage of time- Richard Dawkins†. We all know the breath taking story of the Genesis flood, but have we ever noticed how similar it is to the Epic of Gilgamesh. Genesis is the story of how one God created mankind, along with everything else on Earth, and what punishments he put upon them when they acted wrong .Genesis is a chapter in the Holy Bible, which was written in the 18th century B.C. by Moses. Genesis is a Hebrew story about the creation of life and how GodRead More The Biblical Flood of Genesis Based Upon the Flood of the Epic of Gilgamesh1650 Words   |  7 PagesBiblical  Flood Based Upon the Flood of Gilgamesh      Ã‚  Ã‚   In the middle of the nineteenth century, archaeologists unearthed twelve clay tablets. Around the turn of the twentieth century, archaeologists finally managed to decipher the tablets written in Akkadian, the language of ancient royalty and diplomacy. The tablets tell of the story of Gilgamesh. (1) The eleventh tablet tells that Gilgamesh, in his quest for immortality set out on a long journey to look for his ancestor, UtnapishtimRead MoreBiblical Vs. Classical Phenomenon2078 Words   |  9 Pageshumankind. These myths and legends are known as the oldest in centuries and possibly the first sight of written text that humans have encountered. Dating back to the times of traditional oral-based stories, texts such as The Epic of Gilgamesh have given humankind a sense of emergence in the old times of script and literature. The Epic of Gilgamesh was one of the many classical publications that were printed, including the epistles of the Old Testament and Gospels of the New Testament in the Bible. Both setsRead MoreEssay on Gilgamesh vs. Genesis1436 Words   |  6 PagesGilgamesh vs. Genesis In our society, which is overwhelmingly Judeo-Christian, students often find it difficult to compare Bible stories with tales from other cultures, because our own belief system is wrapped up in the prior, and it is hard for many of us to go against our traditional faith to evaluate them objectively. But in a comparison of the Biblical book of Genesis with the ancient Sumerian text, Epic of Gilgamesh, many parallels suggest that the same type of spiritualRead MoreBiblical Flood Story Vs. Gilgamesh Flood1981 Words   |  8 PagesBiblical Flood Story versus Gilgamesh Flood Story The Biblical Flood story and the Gilgamesh Flood story include similarities and differences. There are two versions we know of the flood story in Babylonian literature, and both have different hero’s in each, although the cause of each flood is different. I will prove that I understand the task at hand by reading both of the stories, and taking it apart piece by piece to understand it in a whole. By doing this, I am able to know what I am readingRead MoreThe Purpose of the Biblical Flood narrative1977 Words   |  8 Pagesand early Judaism† (Coogen 2008) that contains many forms of writings and stories which address not only myth, main historical events and laws, but also those that follow the Israelites unique relationship with God. The first book of the Old Testament is known as Genesis, which is highly concerned with the world’s creation and its initial stages. It is also the origin of the biblical Flood Narrative concerning Noah and the Ark. The story is characterised by a man that is instructed to build anRead MoreEssay on Flood Legends From Around the World1695 Words   |  7 Pages There are flood stories from many cultures. The flood stories usually consist of a higher power that floods a civilization due to some act that has made the higher power angry. The stories talk about one specific family and how the flood consumes the entire globe. So many cultures have a story about a great flood that have many similar details that it is hard to not believe that it is not true, but whether the story of a great flood is true or not, it is up to the individual to decideRead MoreModern Influences Of The Epic Of Gilgamesh2276 Words   |  10 PagesThe Modern influences of The Epic of Gilgamesh â€Å"Who says Gilgamesh ever died?† (Ziolkowski 57). The Epic of Gilgamesh has remained a widely read story throughout the years. The Epic of Gilgamesh is a story of an imperfect hero on a journey for everlasting life. It features Gilgamesh, the king of Uruk, and Enkidu, a wild beast man, on a journey of heroic quests and misadventures. This story has inspired many new literary and visual works in many languages; it has also inspired modern archeologistsRead MoreDoes Science Explain All?1599 Words   |  7 PagesEarth. These similarities occur in civilizations not only far from each other but also in cultures separated by seemingly impossible to traverse oceans of water. Many of these similarities occur in the cosmological or creation myths of the various religions. In the Bible and other in other comparable ancient literatures, creation is a theme expressed in parables or stories to account for the world. In almost every ancient culture the universe was thought of as darkness, nothing and chaos until