Gilgamesh vs. Noah's Ark
Epic of Gilgamesh vs. Noah’s Ark
The Epic of Gilgamesh: The Flood and Genesis 6:9, Noah’s Ark, are two well-known flood stories. Both stories are very similar to each other, but with important differences. There is a controversy between the two stories, that it is the same story but told differently. Some similarities between the two are that they both include a boat, a righteous hero and passengers. The differences are the cause of the flood, the duration and the means of announcement.
The obvious similarity is that both of the characters were warned to build a boat to escape a flood. Secondly, families of both Noah and Utnapishtim were saved along with the sampling of animals they were instructed to gather. Third, both floods are believed to have occurred on or in the Mesopotamian plain. Then, during the flood, both men sent out a dove and a raven to determine the conditions of the flood. At the end, both boats came to rest on a mountain. Lastly, at the end both men sacrificed an offering.
All though the similarities, there are many differences that set the stories apart. The foremost difference is the duration of the flood. In the Epic of Gilgamesh the flood lasted only 6 days and 7 nights, while Noah’s Flood lasted 40 days. Next, the cause of the Gilgamesh flood was because of man’s wickedness therefore, in Noah’s Ark it was because of man’s sins. Thirdly, Noah received his instructions directly from Yahweh and Utnapishtim received them indirectly during a dream. Another difference is that in the Bible, some of the water emerged from beneath the oceans rather than heavy rain like Noah’s Ark.
The controversy of the two famous world floods, remain the same and there are many opinions. People believe that either Genesis was copied from an earlier Babylonian story or the Gilgamesh was copied from earlier Hebrew story in Genesis. Another option is that both were copied from a common source that influenced them both. The originalities of both stories are
The Epic of Gilgamesh: The Flood and Genesis 6:9, Noah’s Ark, are two well-known flood stories. Both stories are very similar to each other, but with important differences. There is a controversy between the two stories, that it is the same story but told differently. Some similarities between the two are that they both include a boat, a righteous hero and passengers. The differences are the cause of the flood, the duration and the means of announcement.
The obvious similarity is that both of the characters were warned to build a boat to escape a flood. Secondly, families of both Noah and Utnapishtim were saved along with the sampling of animals they were instructed to gather. Third, both floods are believed to have occurred on or in the Mesopotamian plain. Then, during the flood, both men sent out a dove and a raven to determine the conditions of the flood. At the end, both boats came to rest on a mountain. Lastly, at the end both men sacrificed an offering.
All though the similarities, there are many differences that set the stories apart. The foremost difference is the duration of the flood. In the Epic of Gilgamesh the flood lasted only 6 days and 7 nights, while Noah’s Flood lasted 40 days. Next, the cause of the Gilgamesh flood was because of man’s wickedness therefore, in Noah’s Ark it was because of man’s sins. Thirdly, Noah received his instructions directly from Yahweh and Utnapishtim received them indirectly during a dream. Another difference is that in the Bible, some of the water emerged from beneath the oceans rather than heavy rain like Noah’s Ark.
The controversy of the two famous world floods, remain the same and there are many opinions. People believe that either Genesis was copied from an earlier Babylonian story or the Gilgamesh was copied from earlier Hebrew story in Genesis. Another option is that both were copied from a common source that influenced them both. The originalities of both stories are