Published by The Epic of Gilgamesh is widely accepted to be one of the earliest written stories on earth. It is impossible to exact the date, but its believed to have been written late in the third millennium b.c. Which places it approximately 1500 years before the Homeric epics (The Iliad, and The Odyssey). Even with the ability to approximate when the first written copy came to be, it is completely impossible to say how long it was passed orally. Gilgamesh was originally written in cuneiform and the work to translate it did not start until the 1870’s.
In The Epic of Gilgamesh, the main character, Gilgamesh, loses his best friend Enkidu, after fighting and killing Humbaba, and the bull of “heaven” (the epic was written in the time of polytheistic religions, thus a completely different belief of heaven). In the grieving for Enkidu, Gilgamesh goes in search to find the source of imortality for his friend, to bring him back to life. He ends up near the sea of death, where Utnapishtim resides.
Utnapishtim once lived in Shurapak, the oldest city in Mesopotamia. He was approched by Ea, one of the gods, who told him that the gods wished to destroy, and were to send a flood. Ea was concerned by this, and came to Utnapishtim, and told him to build a ship, and to gather the seed of all creatures. The rain came, and with it the flood, but Utnapishtim and his wife, rode out the flood on the ship.
So I ponder, and ask you to ponder as well, if The Epic of Gilgamesh was written well before biblical times what is the outcome? It is known that the story was somewhat common knowledge in biblical times, and the story could easily have been transformed. I am not here to judge the Bible, I am simply wondering what effect other texts had on the teachings of Christianity. I know some christians take the word of the bible as fact, and I appologize to those if I have offended you, but there are still those christians who take the teachings of the bible as just that, teachings.
So I ask, how does this effect the story from the bible, being taken from a polytheistic teaching and made into a monotheistic teaching? And how many other stories have been taken and transformed?
I would much appreciate your comments and ponderings in the comments section, and i would also like to launch myself into a series on biblical ponderings, and changes. Let me know what you think about a continuing series of articles on similar subjects.
There are many global flood stories throughout the world, this makes sense since the flood was after all a GLOBAL catastrophe. I believe the Bible is the preserved and True record of the flood while in other records things have gotten garbled due to the fact that most of the world eventually began following multiple gods after the tower of Babel while the Jews continued to worship the One True God.
Questioning things is healthy, I can assure you the Jewish record of the flood would have remained intact (just as records of their genealogies are preserved even today) The Bible did not borrow from pagan sources,in fact God explicitly forbid His people from inquiring about pagan gods or traditions, anyway hope that was educational and Helpful
Dear JJ, you assume that similarities within the stories come from “borrowing” but have you ever considered that as different as the stories are,that their similarities can be accounted for due to the fact that they are all derived, not from borrowing, but from the same historical event?
As a P.S. I agree with DF by the way
It has been said that Eizekel copied the Flood Story out of the Epic of Gilgamesh and included it in the Bible during the time that he and his people were exiled from Israel
Dear Jay, there are many anti-Christian people in the world today that will say anthing, or come up with all sorts of theories and try their hardest to destroy people’s faith and undermine the Bible. Jesus warned us, He said “take Heed that no man decieve you” we were warned that in the Latter times (which are our times) that Godhaters and scoffers would come. We would do good to remember Jesus’ warning. God’s Word is Truth
Dear Jonathan.
I am not an Anti Christian or a God hater. Who are you to judge people.
Jay Gee, I did not say YOU YOURSELF were anti-Christian, or a Godhater, I just said there are many that have gone out into the world and that they have misled many people, I do not want to see you misled by man’s speculation or assumption, I came to give you a warning because the Word of God tells us if someone errs from the truth we are to give them correction, that’s all
Dear Jonathan.
Self Righteousness is the scourge of the World
Jay, Jonathan was not being self righteous….he explained to you that he was only trying to give you correction because often times before, anti-Christian
people have led many into confusion and he does not want you led into the same traps that have misled many before you.
Take care
Dear Jonathan & Robert
Trying to give people correction
Is not your right.
You two take extra care.
Do not assume of people needs.
Look after your own needs first.
And politely,
Very politely,
Give it a rest.
Be Good Very good
& have decent lives.
People did not have enough contact with one another in those times and the writers of most of the stories were not scholars who would have had access to other literature from other cultures if they were even aware of its existence. I see it as oral tradition passed on by survivors and like the “telephone” game the details change from one telling to another.