Table of Contents
Introduction
Mesopotamia plays a critical role in the bible. This is because it is in this place where most of stories which relate to the bible are mostly found. It is also noted that Christianity as a religion has its roots in the Mesopotamia region. This is because the accounts of old testament can be traced to Mesopotamia region. This paper takes a critical analysis of the ark of Noah and the Epic of Gilgamesh in relation to the accounts of the flood. The paper examines the similarities and difference of the two stories. In addition, the paper looks into the importance of Mesopotamia to Christianity.
The Epic of Gilgamesh is an inspiring, insightful and interesting story which not only appeal to Christians but also to non-Christians (Rehwinkel, 1951). The Epic of Gilgamesh flood story gives a detail of a global flood with important similarities to the Flood of Noah's day. Some parts of of the Epic comprise of polytheistic myths which are connected to the pagans of early days. The Epic of Gilgamesh was found on twelve large tablets and it dates back to 650 B.C
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The Story
The Epic of Gilgamesh was written in the form of a poem. The main person in this story is called Gilgamesh, who could have been an historical figure. The list of kings of Sumerian depicts Gilgamesh to have reigned for 126 years in the dynasty of Uruk. The story begins an introduction of the character traits of the he hero Gilgamesh. He was described as one who had in-depth knowledge and a wealth of wisdom. Gilgamesh preserved detailed information about his activities in a stone tablet. For instance he built the city walls of Uruk as well as the temple for Eanna. It is also noted that he was an authoritative leader, however, which made his people to plead to gods to destroy him through strife. After the fight, on the nemesis, Enkidu and Gilgamesh became good friends. In this regard, they wanted to gain fame by indulging on many risky adventures in which Enkidu was finally killed. Gilgamesh then found out that there is the reality of death. He therefore went out to find the essence of immortality since he now fears death. It is on this mission that he met Utnapishtim, the person who is equivalent to the Biblical Noah. In a nutshell, Utnapishtim had secured himself from death after building a ship to cater to the flood that wiped out mankind. He assembled all of his family and all species of animals to aboard the ship. Utnapishtim later freed the birds as attest to finding land, and his ship landed safely on a mountain after the great flood (Sanders, 1964). The Epic story ends with an episode of Enkidu's tour to the underworld. It is noted that however, there are several similarities between the Even though many similarities exist between the Epic of Gilgamesh and Ark of Noah, there are still some serious differences.
Similarities of Genesis account of Floods and Gilgamesh
The table below shows a comparison of the main aspects of the two the two stories of the flood as detailed in the Book of Genesis and in the Epic of Gilgamesh.
| A COMPARISON OF THE GENESIS AND GILGAMESH FLOOD ACCOUNTS | ||
| GENESIS | GILGAMESH | |
| Extent and nature of the flood | The universe | The universe |
| Cause of the flood | Wickedness of men | Sins of men |
| The people whom the flood was intended to | To all mankind | One city and later to all mankind |
| Sender of the flood | God who is Yahweh | A group of gods |
| Name of a historical hero involved | Noah | Utnapishtim |
| Hero's character traits | Wise and righteous man | Wise and righteous man |
| The means through which information about the flood was announced | It came directly from Yahweh | It came in a dream |
| Ordered to build the boat? | Yes | Yes |
| Did the heroes complain? | Yes they complained | Yes, they complained |
| Height of the boat | Three stories | Six stories |
| Compartments inside? | Several compartments | Several compartments |
| Doors on the boat | One door | One door |
| Windows | There was at least one window | There was at least one window |
| Outside coating | Pitch | Pitch |
| The shape of the boat built | Rectangular | Square |
| Human passengers carried | Family members only | Family and few other members of the society |
| Other passengers aboard | All species of animals | All species of animals |
| Means of flood | Ground water and heavy rain | Heavy rain |
| Duration of the flood | Long and covered 40 days and 40 nights | It was short and covered 6 days and six nights |
| Test carried to find land | Freeing of birds | Freeing of birds |
| The kind of birds released | A raven & three doves | Dove, swallows, ravens |
| Ark landing point | At the mountain which is Mount Ararat | At the mountain which is Mount Nisir |
| Was there sacrifice carried out after the flood? | Yes, it was done by Noah | Yes,it was done Utnapishtim |
| Blessings after flood? | Yes, there are blessings after floods | Yes, blessings after floods |
From the above table, several similarities stand out and are inspiring, while some of them are general. The call for Utnapishtim to build the ship is remarkably similar to the call of Noah to build the ark although the communication delivery was quite different : Ooh son of Shuruppak, son of Ubar-Tutu, build a ship, leave earthly wealth, search for life; leave earthly possessions and save man’s lives. Collect seeds of all kinds into the ship which you have built and let its sides are accurately measured (Ancient texts 2012). The root cause of the flood of the The Epic of Gilgamesh as a judgment on the human being’s sins is equally striking and inspiring. In the eleventh tablet of The Epic of Gilgamesh it is written that, set upon the sinners their sins and also set upon the transgressor their transgressions (Keller, 1956). A critical study of the similarities to Genesis 6-9. It is prudent to note that just like others the information portrayed in the stories is a demonstration of non-coincidental aspect of these similarities. However, the meanings of the names of Noah and Utnapishtim, are not similar in any way. The name Noah has a meaning of rests, while Utnapishtim has a meaning of the finder of lives. The two heroes were not perfect, but both were seen as righteous and comparatively sinless as compared others in the society by then. Utnapishtim took the responsibility of directing the ship together with other craftsmen. It also illustrated that he accommodated many people not just his family members.
Significance of Mesopotamia
It is quite interesting and biblically inspiring that the two stories on flood trace their landing point in the Middle East Mesopotamia region. Mount Ararat where Noah landed and and mount Nisir where Utnapishtim landed are approximately 300 miles apart, but they all fall under the Mesopotamia region. This element underscores the significance of the Mesopotamia region to the Bible and Christianity.
Some of the Difference of the Two Stories
God’s promise to Noah
There is a difference in how the two heroes were blessed. According to the Genesis 6: 9, King James version stipulate that Noah was rewarded by making his descendants to multiply and fill the earth. After the floods, each hero received a blessing from God (Keller, 1956). Utnapishtim was given eternal life while Noah was granted the opportunity to reproduce and fill the universe and and above all have dominion over the plants and animals. The Genesis explanation of the flood was kept untainted for many centuries by the power of God until it was written by Moses. However, the Epic of Gilgamesh story of the flood was preserved and embellished by individuals who were not followers of God. The Book of Genesis is seen widely as an historical piece of work, even by several liberal scholars, while the Epic of Gilgamesh is seen as a mythological work based on man’s imagination (O'Brien, 1986). To the people and Christians who trust in the inspiration and infallibility of the Bible, it is not a surprise that God can preserve the actual accounts of the Flood in the culture and traditions of his people.
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Conclusions
Looking from the perspective of the early days of the comparative lessons of these two flood stories, it has been widely agreed that there is a similarity between the two stories. The prevalent nature of flood stories throughout the whole human race is an outstanding evidence for the reality of a great flood from the historical perspective. The dating evidence of the one of the oldest pieces of the Epic Gilgamesh story originally showed that it was much older than the dating of the Genesis. However, there is a probability that the Biblical account of the events was preserved through oral tradition, or in a written outline which was handed to Noah. In addition, the accounts were later handed to Moses. This kind of transfer of information makes the biblical account of the ark of Noah to be much older than the Epic Gilgamesh.