Gilgamesh

Since I have so often heard about the Genesis accounts of creation and the flood just being re-tellings of the Babylonian creation myth and the epic of Gilgamesh, I thought I should try to read them. Admitted, I did not take the time to study in detail, but read them both quickly. The creation story apparently has been found in fragments as early as the 18th C BC, but the translation I read was from the earliest (mostly) intact version of it dating from the 13th C. By traditional dating, Moses compiled/edited his account in the 15th C BC. The Babylonian version (to my understanding) bears no more resemblance to the Genesis account beyond there being gods and a creation. It mostly focuses on the intrigues and conflicts between the gods, but the more recent version at least tries to tie it together to show how Marduk the patron god of Babylon was appointed to that role through it all.

The Gilgamesh epic poem is mostly more about intrigues and conflicts between the gods, Gilgamesh himself being demi-god, going on adventures with another demi-god wildman, and incurring the anger of one of the gods by killing the ruler of Lebanon and stealing his cedar to build a raft and float down a river. One of the gods kills Gilgamesh’s wildman friend, causing Gilgamesh to go into mourning and trying to make sense of it all. This leads him to another voyage to find another demi-god, Utanapishtim, to explain how he became like the gods. This led to an explanation of how the gods were in conflict, one wanting to wipe out the mortals, and the other letting Utanapishtim in on the plot so that he could turn his house into a boat and save his family, lifestock, and treasures. When the god sending the flood found out about it, he got mad but couldn’t do anything about it. Utanapishtim then told Gilgamesh about a plant he could find that would make him young again, and the story ends.

Assuming the flood of Noah to be an historical event, one would expect it to be widely reflected in historical lore. But the flavour and intent of the two accounts in comparison here are so different, that I cannot imagine one being copied or inspired by the other. The nature of God and the character of Noah as presented in Genesis couldn’t be more different than the characters presented in the Babylonian account.  While the Babylonian accounts are worth reading just because they are talked about, they are certainly no threat to continuing to regard Genesis as unique and inspired.