Gilgamesh and Genesis
RELATIONSHIPS: Portrayal of God or Gods in Gilgamesh and Genesis Man has always worshiped something. ... Gilgamesh is based on a polytheistic style of worship whereas the Judeo-Christian belief in Genesis is based on a monotheistic style of worship. There are many similarities between the two documents, Gilgamesh and Genesis, but what is really important is the relationship that God or the gods establish with man. ... The Hebrew creation begins in Genesis. ... In Genesis, Adam had authority over and named the animals, so we would assume he moved among the animals with ease. In Gilgamesh, Enkidu ran with the animals. ... The God of Genesis created Adam and Eve and placed them in the Garden of Eden. ... The gods of Gilgamesh had little to do with Enkidu; he gained his knowledge of life or lost his innocence by being seduced by a harlot. ... In Genesis the serpent is considered one of the beasts, but his intelligence is closer to man’s than any other. ... In Gilgamesh, the serpent appears after Gilgamesh has found the flower of immortality. ... In Gilgamesh one never hears of the serpent again: he eats the flower and gains immortality, where were the gods when this happened. In Genesis although the serpent is the reason man is thrown out of Paradise, the serpent is also thrown out and God places a curse on him. ... The story of the flood is recorded in both Gilgamesh and Genesis. ... In Genesis the reason God destroyed man was because of man’s wickedness that made God sorry he had made man. In Gilgamesh man was destroyed because humans were noisy and the gods could not sleep.