The Flood of Noah and the Flood of Gilgamesh
BY FRANK LOREY, M.A. |
SATURDAY, MARCH 01, 1997
Background
The Epic of Gilgamesh has been of interest to Christians ever since its discovery in the mid-nineteenth century in the ruins of the great library at Nineveh, with its account of a universal flood with significant parallels to the Flood of Noah's day.1, 2 The rest of the Epic, which dates back to possibly third millennium B.C., contains little of value for Christians, since it concerns typical polytheistic myths associated with the pagan peoples of the time. However, some Christians have studied the ideas of creation and the afterlife presented in the Epic. Even secular scholars have recognized the parallels between the Babylonian, Phoenician, and Hebrew accounts, although not all are willing to label the connections as anything more than shared mythology.3
There have been numerous flood stories identified from ancient sources scattered around the world.4 The stories that were discovered on cuneiform tablets, which comprise some of the earliest surviving writing, have obvious similarities. Cuneiform writing was invented by the Sumerians and carried on by the Akkadians. Babylonian and Assyrian are two dialects of the Akkadian, and both contain a flood account. While there are differences between the original Sumerian and later Babylonian and Assyrian flood accounts, many of the similarities are strikingly close to the Genesis flood account.5 The Babylonian account is the most intact, with only seven of 205 lines missing.6 It was also the first discovered, making it the most studied of the early flood accounts.
The Epic of Gilgamesh is contained on twelve large tablets, and since the original discovery, it has been found on others, as well as having been translated into other early languages.7 The actual tablets date back to around 650 B.C. and are obviously not originals since fragments of the flood story have been found on tablets dated around 2,000 B.C.8 Linguistic experts believe that the story was composed well before 2,000 B.C. compiled from material that was much older than that date.9 The Sumerian cuneiform writing has been estimated to go as far back as 3,300 B.C.10
The Story
The Epic was composed in the form of a poem. The main figure is Gilgamesh, who actually may have been an historical person. The Sumerian King List shows Gilgamesh in the first dynasty of Uruk reigning for 126 years.11 This length of time is not a problem when compared with the age of the pre-flood patriarchs of the Bible. Indeed, after Gilgamesh, the kings lived a normal life span as compared with today.12 The King List is also of interest as it mentions the flood specifically—"the deluge overthrew the land."13
The story starts by introducing the deeds of the hero Gilgamesh. He was one who had great knowledge and wisdom, and preserved information of the days before the flood. Gilgamesh wrote on tablets of stone all that he had done, including building the city walls of Uruk and its temple for Eanna. He was an oppressive ruler, however, which caused his subjects to cry out to the "gods" to create a nemesis to cause Gilgamesh strife.14
After one fight, this nemesis—Enkidu—became best friends with Gilgamesh. The two set off to win fame by going on many dangerous adventures in which Enkidu is eventually killed. Gilgamesh then determines to find immortality since he now fears death. It is upon this search that he meets Utnapishtim, the character most like the Biblical Noah.15
In brief, Utnapishtim had become immortal after building a ship to weather the Great Deluge that destroyed mankind. He brought all of his relatives and all species of creatures aboard the vessel. Utnapishtim released birds to find land, and the ship landed upon a mountain after the flood. The story then ends with tales of Enkidu's visit to the underworld.16 Even though many similarities exist between the two accounts, there still are serious differences.
The table below presents a comparison of the main aspects of the two accounts of the flood as presented in the Book of Genesis and in the Epic of Gilgamesh.
COMPARISON OF GENESIS AND GILGAMESH (Video) David Montgomery | Noah’s Flood and the Development of Geology || Radcliffe Institute | ||
GENESIS | GILGAMESH | |
| Extent of flood | Global | Global |
| Cause | Man's wickedness | Man's sins |
| Intended for whom? | All mankind | One city & all mankind |
| Sender | Yahweh | Assembly of "gods" |
| Name of hero | Noah | Utnapishtim |
| Hero's character | Righteous | Righteous |
| Means of announcement | Direct from God | In a dream |
| Ordered to build boat? | Yes | Yes |
| Did hero complain? | Yes | Yes |
| Height of boat | Several stories (3) | Several stories (6) |
| Compartments inside? | Many | Many |
| Doors | One | One |
| Windows | At least one | At least one |
| Outside coating | Pitch | Pitch |
| Shape of boat | Rectangular | Square |
| Human passengers | Family members only | Family & few others |
| Other passengers | All species of animals | All species of animals |
| Means of flood | Ground water & heavy rain | Heavy rain |
| Duration of flood | Long (40 days & nights plus) | Short (6 days & nights) |
| Test to find land | Release of birds | Release of birds |
| Types of birds | Raven & three doves | Dove, swallow, raven |
| Ark landing spot | Mountain -- Mt. Ararat | Mountain -- Mt. Nisir |
| Sacrificed after flood? | Yes, by Noah | Yes, by Utnapishtim |
| Blessed after flood? | Yes | Yes |
Some comments need to be made about the comparisons in the table. Some of the similarities are very striking, while others are very general. The command for Utnapishtim to build the boat is remarkable: "O man of Shuruppak, son of Ubar-Tutu, tear down thy house, build a ship; abandon wealth, seek after life; scorn possessions, save thy life. Bring up the seed of all kinds of living things into the ship which thou shalt build. Let its dimensions be well measured."17 The cause of the flood as sent in judgment on man's sins is striking also. The eleventh tablet, line 180 reads, "Lay upon the sinner his sin; lay upon the transgressor his transgression."18 A study of these parallels to Genesis 6-9, as well as the many others, demonstrate the non-coincidental nature of these similarities.
The meanings of the names of the heroes, however, have absolutely no common root or connection. Noah means "rest," while Utnapishtim means "finder of life."19 Neither was perfect, but both were considered righteous and relatively faultless compared to those around them.
Utnapishtim also took a pilot for the boat, and some craftsmen, not just his family in the ark. It is also interesting that both accounts trace the landing spot to the same general region of the Middle East; however, Mt. Ararat and Mt. Nisir are about 300 miles apart. The blessing that each hero received after the flood was also quite different. Utnapishtim was granted eternal life while Noah was to multiply and fill the earth and have dominion over the animals.
Conclusions
From the early days of the comparative study of these two flood accounts, it has been generally agreed that there is an obvious relationship. The widespread nature of flood traditions throughout the entire human race is excellent evidence for the existence of a great flood from a legal/historical point of view.20 Dating of the oldest fragments of the Gilgamesh account originally indicated that it was older than the assumed dating of Genesis.21 However, the probability exists that the Biblical account had been preserved either as an oral tradition, or in written form handed down from Noah, through the patriarchs and eventually to Moses, thereby making it actually older than the Sumerian accounts which were restatements (with alterations) to the original.
A popular theory, proposed by liberal "scholars," said that the Hebrews "borrowed" from the Babylonians, but no conclusive proof has ever been offered.22 The differences, including religious, ethical, and sheer quantity of details, make it unlikely that the Biblical account was dependent on any extant source from the Sumerian traditions. This still does not stop these liberal and secular scholars from advocating such a theory. The most accepted theory among evangelicals is that both have one common source, predating all the Sumerian forms.23 The divine inspiration of the Bible would demand that the Genesis account is the correct version. Indeed the Hebrews were known for handing down their records and tradition.24 The Book of Genesis is viewed for the most part as an historical work, even by many liberal scholars, while the Epic of Gilgamesh is viewed as mythological. The One-source Theory must, therefore, lead back to the historical event of the Flood and Noah's Ark.25 To those who believe in the inspiration and infallibility of the Bible, it should not be a surprise that God would preserve the true account of the Flood in the traditions of His people. The Genesis account was kept pure and accurate throughout the centuries by the providence of God until it was finally compiled, edited, and written down by Moses.26 The Epic of Gilgamesh, then, contains the corrupted account as preserved and embellished by peoples who did not follow the God of the Hebrews.
REFERENCES
- Keller, Werner, The Bible as History, (New York: William Morrow and Company, 1956), p. 32.
- Sanders, N.K., The Epic of Gilgamesh ,(an English translation with introduction) (London: Penguin Books, 1964), p. 9.
- Graves, Robert, The Creek Myths, Volume 1,(London: Penguin Books, 1960), pp. 138-143.
- Rehwinkel, Alfred M., The Flood in the Light of the Bible, Geology, and Archaeology, (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing, 1951), p. 129.
- O'Brien, J. Randall, "Flood Stories of the Ancient Near East", Biblical Illustrator, (Fall 1986, volume 13, number 1), p. 61.
- Barton, George A., Archaeology and the Bible, (Philadelphia: American Sunday School Union, 1916), pp. 273-277
- Keller, The Bible as History, p. 33.
- Whitcomb, John C. and Morris, Henry M., The Genesis Flood, (Phillipsburg: Presbyterian and Reformed, 1961), p. 38.
- Heidel, Alexander, The Gilgamesh Epic and Old Testament Parallels, (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1949), p. 13.
- O'Brien, "Flood Stories of the Ancient Near East", p. 61.
- Heidel, The Gilgamesh Epic and Old Testament Parallel, p. 13.
- Sanders, The Epic of Gilgamesh, p. 21.
- Vos, Howard F., Genesis and Archaeology, (Chicago: Moody Press, 1963), p. 35.
- Sanders, The Epic of Gilgamesh, pp. 20-23.
- Ibid., pp. 30 39.
- Ibid., pp. 39-42.
- The Bible as History, p. 33.
- Sanders, The Epic of Gilgamesh, p. 109.
- O'Brien, "Flood Stories of the Ancient Near East", pp. 62, 63.
- Morris, Henry M., Science and the Bible, (Chicago: Moody Press, 1986), p. 85.
- O'Brien, "Flood Stories of the Ancient Near East", p. 64.
- Ibid.
- Ibid.
- Morris, Science and the Bible, p. 92.
- Ibid., p. 85.
- Whitcomb, John C., The Early Earth (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1986), p. 134; Whitcomb and Morris, The Genesis Flood, p. 488.
* Mr. Lorey is a Registered Historical Archaeologist.
Cite this article: Lorey, F. 1997. The Flood of Noah and the Flood of Gilgamesh. Acts & Facts. 26 (3).
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FAQs
What is the purpose of the Flood in Gilgamesh? ›
The flood story was included because in it, the flood hero Utnapishtim is granted immortality by the gods and that fits the immortality theme of the epic. The main point seems to be that Utnapishtim was granted eternal life in unique, never-to-be-repeated circumstances.
What is the message of the story of Noah and the flood? ›), he doesn't think of the flood but the covenant God made with Noah afterward. In that covenant, God promises that nothing like this will ever happen again. This points to the key meaning of the story: the flood is about God's mercy and commitment to the goodness of what he has made.
What does the flood symbolize in the Epic of Gilgamesh? ›The floods in The Epic of Gilgamesh and Genesis 6-9 are very similar. In both the flood were sent to wipe out all humankind. Both floods however could be seen as symbols as a rebirth or a new beginning to what was see by God and the gods as a crumbling world.
Who told Gilgamesh the story of the flood? ›And can Gilgamesh ever hope to do the same? Utnapishtim, the survivor of the flood that almost wiped out humankind, tells his story. Once upon a time, he says, he was king of Shuruppak, a beautiful, prosperous city on the banks of the Euphrates.
Where is Gilgamesh found in the Bible? ›Genesis 1–11 and the Epic of Gilgamesh (Old Testament in Cultural Context)
What happens after the flood in Gilgamesh? ›After the flood, the gods had granted Utnapishtim eternal life, and Gilgamesh hopes that Utnapishtim can tell him how he might avoid death too.
What is the point of the story of Noah? ›The narrative discusses the evil of mankind that moved God to destroy the world by way of the flood, the preparation of the ark for certain animals, Noah, and his family, and God's guarantee (the Noahic Covenant) for the continued existence of life under the promise that he would never send another flood.
Who is narrating the story in the story of the flood? ›Utnapishtim narrates the flood story in Tablet XI.
Who is narrating the story of the flood? ›Angela Bassett is set to narrate “The Flood,” the upcoming National Geographic documentary special about animals living in the heart of Africa's Okavango Delta.
What is the theme of the story the flood? ›The central theme of Joy Harjo's “The Flood” is that the power of imagination and the importance of the Native American oral tradition are essential to the survival of the Native Indian culture. The storyteller is responsible for the transmission of myths that shape Native American identity.
What is the difference between Gilgamesh and Genesis? ›
The difference is that in the Epic of Gilgamesh there are multiple Gods being described, showing polytheism. In Genesis there is just one single God, the Lord, which resembles monotheism.
Why did the gods want to destroy mankind in Gilgamesh? ›When Gilgamesh reached the distant home of Utnapishtim the Faraway, he demanded to know how this one man gained everlasting life. Utnapishtim replied that in ancient times, the gods resolved to destroy mankind by a huge flood because humans made too much noise and the gods were very irritated by the uproar of men.
Who survives the flood in Gilgamesh? ›Utnapishtim, in the Babylonian Gilgamesh epic, survivor of a mythological flood whom Gilgamesh consults about the secret of immortality. Utnapishtim was the only man to escape death, since, having preserved human and animal life in the great boat he built, he and his wife were deified by the god Enlil.
What is the oldest flood story? ›Perhaps the oldest flood story is one of the earliest stories known to man, The Epic of Gilgamesh. Recorded on 12 stone tablets this is among the first pieces of literature in history. According to the poem, Gilgamesh was a Sumerian king who reigned for 126 years.
How long did the flood last in Gilgamesh? ›All the gods sat trembling, and wept. The Flood lasts for seven days and seven nights, and finally light returns to the earth. Utnapishtim opens a window and the entire earth has been turned into a flat ocean; all humans have been turned to stone. Utnapishtim then falls to his knees and weeps.
Is the story of Gilgamesh older than the Bible? ›The story of Noah may be part of the Abrahamic canon, but the legend of the Great Flood almost certainly has prebiblical origins, rooted in the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia. The Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh dates back nearly 5,000 years and is thought to be perhaps the oldest written tale on the planet.
Is the story of Gilgamesh true? ›Most historians generally agree that Gilgamesh was a historical king of the Sumerian city-state of Uruk, who probably ruled sometime during the early part of the Early Dynastic Period ( c. 2900 – 2350 BC).
What is similar about the Hebrew Bible and the Epic of Gilgamesh? ›The Epic of Gilgamesh and the Bible share a similar event, the flood, and a similar character, the serpent. Though there are still several distinctions between the two stories. The Bible and the Epic of Gilgamesh both contain a serpent as one of the less significant characters.
How did the gods react to the flood in Gilgamesh? ›The Sumerian hero Gilgamesh traveled the world in search of a way to cheat death. On one of his journeys, he came across an old man, Utnapishtim, who told Gilgamesh a story from centuries past. The gods brought a flood that swallowed the earth. The gods were angry at mankind so they sent a flood to destroy him.
What does the Gilgamesh Tablet say? ›Baked clay tablet inscribed with the Babylonian account of the Flood. It is the 11th Tablet of the Epic of Gilgamesh and tells how the gods determined to send a… flood to destroy the earth, but one of them, Ea, revealed the plan to Utu-napishtim whom he instructed to make a boat in which to save himself and his family.
How did Gilgamesh abuse his power? ›
Throughout Gilgamesh's interactions with Enkidu, Enkidu changes Gilgamesh to become a better person and to be a better king. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh abuses his power by raping brides after their marriage.
Who is the oldest person in the Bible and how old? ›He had the longest lifespan of all those given in the Bible, dying at the age of 969. According to the Book of Genesis, Methuselah was the son of Enoch, the father of Lamech, and the grandfather of Noah.
What does the ark symbolize? ›Through the process of “lifting up,” they bore the chosen, the believing, out of and over waters signifying death, to a land covenanted to the faithful by God, a land symbolizing eternal life. In doing so, the arks fulfilled God's covenant.
What are the 3 things in the ark of the covenant and what do they represent? ›New Testament
The contents of the ark are seen by theologians such as the Church Fathers and Thomas Aquinas as personified by Jesus Christ: the manna as the Holy Eucharist; Aaron's rod as Jesus' eternal priestly authority; and the tablets of the Law, as the Lawgiver himself.
The Gilgamesh Epic opens with a short introduction (or prologue) in first-person point of view that attests to the great deeds of Gilgamesh. The main story is in omniscient third-person point of view. The narrator remains impartial during the main story, although he praises Gilgamesh in the introduction.
Why is The Epic of Gilgamesh important? ›Through his struggle to find meaning in life, Gilgamesh defied death and, in doing so, becomes the first epic hero in world literature. The grief of Gilgamesh, and the questions his friend's death evoke, resonate with every human being who has wrestled with the meaning of life in the face of death.
What is the setting of The Epic of Gilgamesh? ›The Epic of Gilgamesh is set in Ancient Mesopotamia, which is between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in what is known today as Iraq.
When was the story of Noah and the flood written? ›A complete text of Utnapishtim's story is a clay tablet dating from the seventh century BCE, but fragments of the story have been found from as far back as the 19th-century BCE. The last known version of the Mesopotamian flood story was written in Greek in the third century BCE by a Babylonian priest named Berossus.
Why did God build Noah's ark? ›The Lord commanded Noah to build an ark in which his family and “every living thing of all flesh” (Genesis 6:19) were saved from the Flood. Floodwater destroyed the wicked and all creatures that lived on the land except those in the ark. When the floodwater receded, Noah and his family exited the ark.
In which book of the Bible is the story of Noah? ›Noah, also spelled Noe, the hero of the biblical Flood story in the Old Testament book of Genesis, the originator of vineyard cultivation, and, as the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the representative head of a Semitic genealogical line.
Why is the flood Tablet important? ›
The Flood Tablet in particular is significant in world history in that it tells nearly the exact same story as the Flood and Noah in the Bible. To some historians, the multiple accounts of this world event proved it's existance; to others, it simply meant that one culture 'borrowed' the story from another.
Why did Enlil flood the earth? ›In the later Akkadian version of the flood story, recorded in the Epic of Gilgamesh, Enlil actually causes the flood, seeking to annihilate every living thing on earth because the humans, who are vastly overpopulated, make too much noise and prevent him from sleeping.
How long did the flood last in Gilgamesh? ›All the gods sat trembling, and wept. The Flood lasts for seven days and seven nights, and finally light returns to the earth. Utnapishtim opens a window and the entire earth has been turned into a flat ocean; all humans have been turned to stone. Utnapishtim then falls to his knees and weeps.
Who is narrating the story in the story of the flood? ›Utnapishtim narrates the flood story in Tablet XI.
What does the Gilgamesh Tablet say? ›Baked clay tablet inscribed with the Babylonian account of the Flood. It is the 11th Tablet of the Epic of Gilgamesh and tells how the gods determined to send a… flood to destroy the earth, but one of them, Ea, revealed the plan to Utu-napishtim whom he instructed to make a boat in which to save himself and his family.
Where are the Gilgamesh tablets now? ›The tablet was looted from an Iraqi museum during the 1991 Gulf War. Officials believe it was illegally imported into the United States in 2003, then sold to Hobby Lobby and eventually put on display in its Museum of the Bible in Washington.
How many Gilgamesh tablets are there? ›The fullest extant text of the Gilgamesh epic is on 12 incomplete Akkadian-language tablets found in the mid-19th century by the Turkish Assyriologist Hormuzd Rassam at Nineveh in the library of the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal (reigned 668–627 bce).
Who was Enlil in the Bible? ›Enlil, Mesopotamian god of the atmosphere and a member of the triad of gods completed by Anu (Sumerian: An) and Ea (Enki). Enlil meant Lord Wind: both the hurricane and the gentle winds of spring were thought of as the breath issuing from his mouth and eventually as his word or command.
Is Zeus a Enlil? ›Enlil is Zeus's Babylonian counterpart as punitive storm god. Poseidon (Neptune), lord of the sea, wields the trident. When angered he can cause earthquakes and turbulent waters; and when propitiated properly he can prevent or calm the same. He is associated with horses and bulls.
Why did the gods want to destroy mankind in Gilgamesh? ›When Gilgamesh reached the distant home of Utnapishtim the Faraway, he demanded to know how this one man gained everlasting life. Utnapishtim replied that in ancient times, the gods resolved to destroy mankind by a huge flood because humans made too much noise and the gods were very irritated by the uproar of men.
What happens to Gilgamesh at the end of the story? ›
In the end, he returns home to Uruk, but all that is left for him is to admire the magnificent walls he has built, walls that will nonetheless someday turn to dust. The story of Gilgamesh is based on a historical king of that name who lived in the Sumerian city of Uruk in present-day southern Iraq around 2700 BCE.
Who survives the flood in Gilgamesh? ›Utnapishtim, in the Babylonian Gilgamesh epic, survivor of a mythological flood whom Gilgamesh consults about the secret of immortality. Utnapishtim was the only man to escape death, since, having preserved human and animal life in the great boat he built, he and his wife were deified by the god Enlil.
What is the oldest flood story? ›Perhaps the oldest flood story is one of the earliest stories known to man, The Epic of Gilgamesh. Recorded on 12 stone tablets this is among the first pieces of literature in history. According to the poem, Gilgamesh was a Sumerian king who reigned for 126 years.
What is the theme of the story the flood? ›The central theme of Joy Harjo's “The Flood” is that the power of imagination and the importance of the Native American oral tradition are essential to the survival of the Native Indian culture. The storyteller is responsible for the transmission of myths that shape Native American identity.
What does the story of Noah teach us? ›God rewarded him for his righteousness and obedience, saving both him and his family from destruction. The story of the Flood also demonstrates both the gravity of God's justice and the promise of His salvation. Every sin we commit grieves God, and His justice demands judgement for that sin.
What point of view is Gilgamesh in? ›The Gilgamesh Epic opens with a short introduction (or prologue) in first-person point of view that attests to the great deeds of Gilgamesh. The main story is in omniscient third-person point of view. The narrator remains impartial during the main story, although he praises Gilgamesh in the introduction.