Flood in Gilgamesh and Genesis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Flood in Gilgamesh and Genesis - Essay Example Discussed in Tablet XI, the character of Utnapishtim maintains proximity with the respectful spiritual Biblical personality Noah, story of whom has been elaborated in details in different parts of the Old and New Testaments including Book of Genesis chapter 6 to 8. The similarities and dissimilarities between both these texts are analyzed in the following paragraphs: Genesis portrays the flood hero or Noah as a holy and spiritual personality (and prophet too), who obeyed all the commands of God in their true spirit and led a pious and sacred life. Contrary to the overwhelming majority of his nation, Noah always avoided practicing evil and turned down the filthy enticements made by the same satanic forces, which had paved the way towards the fall of Adam and Eve from heavens. Since the large majority of the people had got indulged into malpractices and wickedness of various types, Lord God the Creator, according to the Bible, had turned out to be fed up with the misdeeds of the childr en of Adam and Eve. Consequently, He had decided to send heavy rains from the sky causing a catastrophic flood, which would drown the entire humanity besides Noah, his family, and companions. Thus, God sent a command to Noah decreeing order of constructing a huge ark, where his family, companions and one pair each of every living creature could be ridden in the ark in order to preserve the generation of the creatures by protecting them from the ruthless waves of the flood. The ark would carry several apartments and portions, which will receive daylight and air for their survival. Hence, Noah’s flood, according to Genesis, was the outcome of the wrath of Almighty Lord because of the misdeeds and transgressions and sins and offenses committed by humans on the face of the earth; which destroyed the entire human generation consisted of violators, sinners, and mischievous individuals. The rain continued for forty days and nights, which destroyed every human being, animal, beast an d reptile existing on the earth, and even the high mountains were drowned deep in the water. Hence, the signs of life perished away in the heavy rain, and the earth was deprived of any kind of vegetation and greenery even. At last, the rain stopped, and the ark stayed at its destination after five months. However, it took five more months in the drying of the water. Noah relieved raven with the hope of the signs of life on earth, but it returned in a hopeless manner. Then Noah sent the dove, but it also returned in despair; however, its second return was hopeful as it had an olive branch in its beak, and on its third relieve, it did not return to Noah. Noah was ordered to step down the ark by the Lord, and he did the same along with his family. He built an altar and offered sacrifice to his Lord, and paid his humble gratitude for His favors and bounties upon him and his family. The epic of Gilgamesh shares many similarities with Noah’s tale, where flood took place in the same river Euphrates according to both the texts on which the ark or boat was to whirl. In addition, as the protagonist of Genesis, the flood hero of Gilgamesh was also instructed by the deity for building the ark.