Two Great Floods - The Bible and Epic of Gilgamesh Essay

Two Great Floods In both the Bible and the Epic of Gilgamesh the God or Gods create a flood to destroy mankind. In Gilgamesh,the Gods decide something needs to be done because the humans are being loud and disturbing the Gods. In the Bibles version of the flood story, God regrets creating mankind because the humans have become evil God chooses Noah and his family to start a new beginning. In the Bible God becomes regretful of creating mankind because he sees that they are wicked and they only have evil thoughts. The Lord decides, he will destroy human beings I made on earth. And I will destroy every animal and everything that crawls on the earth. I will also destroy the birds of the air. (Genesis 6:7) After God makes his†¦show more content†¦The God Ea reveals the Gods plan to Unapishtim in a dream so he can build a boat in order to save himself, his family, every animal and humans with every skill. There are many similarities in the flood stories of the Bible and of Gilgamesh. In both stories one man is instructed to build a vessel to save themselves and the animals. The men were given specific instructions on how to build the ark. They were given dimensions of the boat in cubits. The boat was to be sealed with pitch, and have internal compartments. Once the ark was completed the main character of the story boarded the boat with his family and the animals. Once safe inside the boat the God (or Gods) brought upon them a fierce storm which flooded the entire planet. Once the rain had ended, the boat landed on a mountain. Each man sent out three birds to see if there was dry land. The first two birds came back and the third apparently found land because it did not. Upon leaving the boat the men both made a sacrifice to the God(s). Both were also blessed by the God(s). In each story the God or Gods seem to be sorry that they have brought down the flood on mankind. Even with all the similarities of the two stories there were also many differences. In Noahs flood story the Lord wants to destroy humans because they are evil. The Gods of Utnapishms story want toShow MoreRelatedGilgamesh 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 Creation, Flood and the Hero in Epic of Gilgamesh and Book of Genesis of the Christian Bible1020 Words   |  5 PagesCreation, Flood and the Hero in Gilgamesh and the Bible    The Epic of Gilgamesh compares to the Bible in many different ways. The epic has a different perspective than the Bible does. This paper is a contrast and comparison between the two books. The three main points of this paper will be the Creation, Flood and the Hero.    The way these two books start out is creation. This is the first similarity that we can state. God created man out of the earth, â€Å"In the beginning God createdRead MoreEssay about Comparison of Flood Stories596 Words   |  3 PagesComparison of Flood Stories There have been numerous flood stories identified from ancient sources throughout the world. The Bible and the Koran both have flood stories that are similar but also share differences. The Epic of Gilgamesh also has a flood myth that is contrary to other flood accounts. Even though these stories are all dissimilar they all start because of the faults of man. The notion of the flood comes from a varied source in each story. In the Koran it was Noah who askedRead More A Comparison of the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Hebrew Scriptures1302 Words   |  6 Pages A Comparison of the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Hebrew Scriptures 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 areRead More Flood in Epic of Gilgamish and Book of Genesis of the Holy Bible873 Words   |  4 PagesThe Flood in The Epic of Gilgamish and The Bible The story of the great flood is probably the most popular story that has survived for thousands of years and is still being retold today.   It is most commonly related within the context of Judeo-Christian tradition.   In the Holy Bible, the book of Genesis uses the flood as a symbol of Gods wrath as well as His hope that the human race can maintain peace and achieve everlasting salvation.   The tale of Noahs Ark begins with Gods expressionRead MoreComparing the Epic of Gilgamesh and Genesis1005 Words   |  5 Pages 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 â€Å"g†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢! 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 p eople of the stories. Within these similarities there areRead 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 MoreThe Universal Truths on the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Hebrew Bible596 Words   |  3 PagesGilchrist Professor Ms. Alyse W. Jones World Literature I - English 2111 October 7, 2012 The Universal Truths on ‘The Epic of Gilgamesh amp; The Hebrew Bible’ The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Hebrew Bible are considered by their audiences’ as two of the greatest literary works of ancient literature. The universal truths on The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Hebrew Bible, are most fundamental when viewed from both the contemporary and traditional audiences. Fundamentally, both audiences developRead MoreAnalyzing the Epic of Gilgamesh by F. Lorey through a Creationists Viewpoint818 Words   |  4 PagesEpic of Gilgamesh Annotated Bibliography Lorey, F. 1997. The Flood of Noah and the Flood of Gilgamesh. Acts Facts. 26 (3) Web. 4 Feb. 2014. When reading the story, someone can take many different viewpoints. In the article above, the author is analyzing the Epic of Gilgamesh through a creationists view point. It contains useful comparisons and historical data to help support his analysis. The author considers the story to hold very value for Christians. It concerns the typical myths that wereRead MoreThe Myth Of The Epic Of Gilgamesh1412 Words   |  6 PagesThe Epic of Gilgamesh has been important to Christians since the time of its revelation in the mid-nineteenth century in the remains of the considerable library at Nineveh, with its record of an all inclusive surge with critical parallels to the Flood of Noah s day. Whatever remains of the Epic, which goes back to conceivably third thousand years B.C., contains little of worth for Christians, since it concerns run of the mill polytheistic myths connected with the ag nostic people groups of the time