Day Six - Genesis

The Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the earliest known pieces of literature. The story recounts the life of a man named Gilgamesh who is quite nearly god-like. This Sumerian poem is much, much older than any currently practiced religion today. Having developed in the Fertile Crescent where flooding was unpredictable and frequent, the following makes complete sense. Interesting parallels can be drawn between parts of the bible and the ancient story of Gilgamesh. I will be returning to the passages in previous posts because they also have much in common with this ancient poem.

Gen 3:1 NOW the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

• In the Epic of Gilgamesh a snake steals a magical plant and hides it. This plant can give eternal life to Gilgamesh, and he pursues it. Similarly, the snake and the plant are symbols that are used in both stories and in both stories the result is the same, the participants lose their immortality.

Gen 2:25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

• In the early parts of the Epic of Gilgamesh, Enkidu is a part of nature, wild, innocent, and free. His innocence is lost when he has sex with Shamhat. Shamhat states after they have copulated that he has become "wise" and "like a god". Interestingly, Genesis presents this as a negative transition while the original story of Enkidu illustrated advancement and positive growth.

Turning to our current chapter

Gen 6:7 So the LORD said, I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the ground, man and beast and creeping things and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.

• The story of Noah and the Flood is even more relevant to the Epic of Gilgamesh in that it shares so many common threads and events as to suggest it is a literal copy of the same story being re-written for a new god.

Gen 6:5 The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

• In both stories, the divine is angry with people.

Gen 6:13 And God said to Noah, I have determined to make an end of all flesh; for the earth is filled with violence through them; behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

• In both stories, the main characters are warned of an impending flood.

Gen 6:14 Make yourself an ark of gopher wood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch.

• In both stories, the main character is told exactly how to build a boat to save the creatures.

Gen 6:18 But I will establish my covenant with you; and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you.

• In both stories the main character brings his family and couples of animals onto the boat before the flood.

Gen 8:7 and sent forth a raven; and it went to and fro until the waters were dried up from the earth.
Gen8:8 Then he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground;
Gen 8:9 but the dove found no place to set her foot, and she returned to him to the ark, for the waters were still on the face of the whole earth. So he put forth his hand and took her and brought her into the ark with him.
Gen 8:10 He waited another seven days, and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark;
Gen 8:11 and the dove came back to him in the evening, and lo, in her mouth a freshly plucked olive leaf; so Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth.
Gen 8:12 Then he waited another seven days, and sent forth the dove; and she did not return to him anymore.

• In both stories the main character releases three birds to find out if the flood is over.

I find it fascinating that so many people watch the first Matrix movie and assume it is a story about Jesus and Christianity. The story of Gilgamesh could just as easily been the source for inspiration for the script. The writers even go so far as to use the name of Gilgamesh's boat, the "Nebuchadnezzar" as the name of the ship that Neo ends up on. To more clearly illustrate the striking similarities I will include a passage from the Epic of Gilgamesh where Gilgamesh is using the birds to determine if the flood is over. Compare this to the previous bible passages from Genesis 8:7 to 8:12.

When a seventh day arrived
I sent forth a dove and released it.
The dove went off, but came back to me;
no perch was visible so it circled back to me.
I sent forth a swallow and released it.
The swallow went off, but came back to me;
no perch was visible so it circled back to me.
I sent forth a raven and released it.
The raven went off, and saw the waters slither back.
It eats, it scratches, it bobs, but does not circle back to me.

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Summary
Reading the previous passage from the Epic of Gilgamesh it is easy to see that the poem is the basis for the story of Noah and the ark. Knowing this, would you truly believe the story of Noah to be a truthful representation of history? Even if you could say that since it was repeated, that this must be corroborating evidence. You must remember that the story that is recounted by the poem is clearly a fantasy tale and shares more in common with the beliefs of ancient Sumerian gods and their champions than any real historical events.


Note: I would like, if anyone should find any inconsistencies in my facts, to be notified of any issues that may arise. I do not wish to be viewed as having an unchangeable position. On the contrary, I would welcome new information that could possibly alter my view of the world. My only requirement for this information is that it fall into the definition of the word "fact." If it is not backed up by even one piece of solid evidence, then your information becomes hearsay and cannot be trusted as accurate and valuable data. Kinda like the bible.