Flood Stories
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There are few myths that are as prevalent in all societies and religions as the myth of a great flood that washes clean the earth and cleanses it of evil and sin. As Frank Lorey (p. 1) explains, ôThere have been numerous flood stories identified from ancient sources scattered around the world. The stories that were discovered on cuneiform tablets, which comprise some of the earliest surviving writing, have obvious similarities.ö Two of the oldest and most identical accounts of flood mythology in the Ancient Near East come from the Hebrew version provided in the Book of Genesis in The Old Testament and the collection of Sumerian poems about a hero-king known as Gilgamesh. In Hebrews 11:7, we are provided a view of Noah as reverent toward God and the heir of all that is righteous, ôBy faith Noah, / Being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear / prepared an ark to the saving of his house: / by the which he condemned the world, / and became heir of the righteousness / which is by faith.ö We are told this before we are provided with an account of the flood that will be provided in the Book of Genesis. Likewise, we are provided with the knowledge very early on in Gilgamesh that we are going to be hearing the tale of a heroic individual. He has wit and intelligence, saw secret things and obtained knowledge of hidden things, survived a long and tiring journey, and participated in great deeds that only a superhuman might achieve.
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rs rain down upon the earth for a much longer period of time than the six days and six nights we are told the waters last in the Epic of Gilgamesh. In Genesis 7:12 we are told, ôAnd the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.ö
There is a similarity in that the location of the boatsÆ landings in each story is in a similar location in the Middle East, although the actual location of each boatÆs landing is approximately 200-300 miles apart. NoahÆs ark lands on Mt. Ararat, while the ark of Utnapishtim lands on Mt. Nisir. The number of similarities shared by the two stories of the flood in Genesis and the Epic of Gilgamesh is no doubt related to the fact that both are accounts of the same worldwide flood that is estimated to have occurred around 5,000 B.C. Nevertheless, many Jews continue to believe that the account of the flood in Genesis is one that was written down by Moses and handed down to the Hebrew people uncorrupted. The Pagan elements that are encompassed in the story of the flood in the Epic of Gilgamesh remain evidence to devout believers that the story in Genesis was corrupted at a later date by the Babylonians who did not believe in the Hebrew God. Still, many historians believe that the Babylonian ac
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Approximate Word count = 4217
Approximate Pages = 17 (250 words per page)
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