The Modification Of The Deluge

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The tale of Gilgamesh and Noah and the ark in Genesis are similar. When reading these two stories, questions arise such as, was Noah and the ark a modification of the Deluge in Gilgamesh? What evidence supports the possibility of Noah and the ark being a modified version of The Epic of Gilgamesh? The Epic of Gilgamesh and Noah and the ark present the same ideas but include a different cast of characters and describe different events. This paper will examine the direct relationships in events, Gods, and characters in Gilgamesh and Noah and the ark. The Epic of Gilgamesh is an epic poem that is the earliest work of literary fiction, written in Mesopotamia around 2,000 B.C. The epic poem was found on twelve incomplete clay tablets that came from the ancient cities of Mesopotamia, the Levant and Anatolia (xv). In the poem the great gods sent down a great flood that is known as the Deluge for seven days because mankind was being too noisy and the gods could not sleep. The man that the god Ea chose to save in The Epic of Gilgamesh was known as Uta-napishti. Uta-napishti was warned by the god Ea of the other gods’ decision to send down the Deluge. The god Ea said to Uta-napishti, “O man of Shuruppak, son of Ubar-Tutu, demolish the house, and build a boat! Abandon wealth, and seek survival! Spurn property, save life! Take on board the boat all living things’ seed!” (Gilgamesh 89) Uta-napishti then responds, “I obey, O master, what thus you told me. I understood, and I shall do it, but how do I answer my city? The crowd and the elders?” (Gilgamesh 89) In the Epic of Gilgamesh, no direct statements explain why Ea chose Uta-napishti and his family to be saved from the deluge. However, the Old Testament God chose Noah for a specific reason. The flood of Genesis occurs in the Torah/Bible which consists of sixty six books that are separated into two sections
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