The Epic of Gilgamesh

FaithT · Jul 27, 2021

I was reading Answers in Genesis and they were writing about the Epic of Gilgamesh and how it compares to Genesis. I did some research to see which came first and am getting conflicting information. Which came first? And if it was Gilgamesh, how do we know Genesis wasn’t copied or at least inspired by Gilgamesh?

DragonFox91 · Jul 27, 2021

I'd guess skeptics believe the Epic of Gilgamesh came first, but just b/c Genesis came 'second' doesn't mean it was inspired by it. They could have been inspired by the same event (a global flood)

FaithT · Jul 27, 2021

DragonFox91 said:
I'd guess skeptics believe the Epic of Gilgamesh came first, but just b/c Genesis came 'second' doesn't mean it was inspired by it. They could have been inspired by the same event (a global flood)

But wasn’t the EOG written long before the Flood occurred?

Silverback · Jul 27, 2021

Hope1960 said:
I was reading Answers in Genesis and they were writing about the Epic of Gilgamesh and how it compares to Genesis. I did some research to see which came first and am getting conflicting information. Which came first? And if it was Gilgamesh, how do we know Genesis wasn’t copied or at least inspired by Gilgamesh?

Gilgamesh does tell of a flood, and I believe it predated Genesis.

How do you know? Simple...by faith, the Bible was inspired by God, he promised that his word would endure forever.

Not to believe in the biblical account in favor of Gilgamesh would simply mean that God deceived humanity.

tampasteve · Jul 27, 2021

They could both certainly be about the same event, and perhaps the written EOG predates the Genesis account, but that does not mean that the EOG account is accurate necessarily. Being written before also does not mean the EOG is any more reliable than the Genesis account, simply that it was written down earlier than the oral telling that became Genesis. It is not as if Genesis was written first account by the people in it, it was written down much later.

Bible Highlighter · Jul 27, 2021

Hope1960 said:
I was reading Answers in Genesis and they were writing about the Epic of Gilgamesh and how it compares to Genesis. I did some research to see which came first and am getting conflicting information. Which came first? And if it was Gilgamesh, how do we know Genesis wasn’t copied or at least inspired by Gilgamesh?

There is a difference between fairytales and the truth. You either believe the Bible (God's Holy Word), or the epic of Gilgamesh (fairy tales). You cannot believe both. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). In other words, if anything conflicts with the Bible, toss it out. Don't even give it the time of day. It's junk food, and not the bread of the Word.

Eftsoon · Jul 27, 2021

It isn't chronology that determines which text is truth. Both texts are an exploration of themes of origins, generation and the development of humanity. The Genesis text is true because it culminates in the direct revelation of God to humanity (Christ). The Genesis creation story is the most generative of the two.

The opening of the gospel of John reveals this quite plainly. The Genesis account transcends a mere retelling of events. It is revealing the true structure of reality.

trophy33 · Jul 27, 2021

Hope1960 said:
I was reading Answers in Genesis and they were writing about the Epic of Gilgamesh and how it compares to Genesis. I did some research to see which came first and am getting conflicting information. Which came first? And if it was Gilgamesh, how do we know Genesis wasn’t copied or at least inspired by Gilgamesh?

Why should not Genesis be inspired by other sources?

FaithT · Jul 27, 2021

myst33 said:
Why should not Genesis be inspired by other sources?

Because truth isn’t inspired by other sources,

FaithT · Jul 27, 2021

tampasteve said:
They could both certainly be about the same event, and perhaps the written EOG predates the Genesis account, but that does not mean that the EOG account is accurate necessarily. Being written before also does not mean the EOG is any more reliable than the Genesis account, simply that it was written down earlier than the oral telling that became Genesis. It is not as if Genesis was written first account by the people in it, it was written down much later.

But didn’t the Flood happen much later than when the EOG was written?

trophy33 · Jul 27, 2021

Hope1960 said:
Because truth isn’t inspired by other sources,

Actually, the opposite is true. Truth is almost always built upon sources.

FaithT · Jul 27, 2021

myst33 said:
Actually, the opposite is true. Truth is almost always built upon sources.

How?

FaithT · Jul 27, 2021

tampasteve said:
They could both certainly be about the same event, and perhaps the written EOG predates the Genesis account, but that does not mean that the EOG account is accurate necessarily. Being written before also does not mean the EOG is any more reliable than the Genesis account, simply that it was written down earlier than the oral telling that became Genesis. It is not as if Genesis was written first account by the people in it, it was written down much later.

Congrats on being an Outstanding Staff Member!

tampasteve · Jul 27, 2021

Hope1960 said:
But didn’t the Flood happen much later than when the EOG was written?

I guess that would depend on how one perceives and interprets the amount of time between Genesis events to have taken place. I don't subscribe to the 6K year old Earth, nor do I believe the events in Genesis to necessarily be written to be able to calculate the age of the Earth, nor do I believe the Bible is intended to be a manual of natural history or science. The books were just not written for that purpose.

It's the story of the redemption of mankind and of Jesus, of prophesy and the epic story of the Jewish people; some things are just not in the Bible and should not be attempted to be divined out of the Bible.

Congrats on being an Outstanding Staff Member!

Thank you

FaithT · Jul 27, 2021

tampasteve said:
I guess that would depend on how one perceives and interprets the amount of time between Genesis events to have taken place. I don't subscribe to the 6K year old Earth, nor do I believe the events in Genesis to necessarily be written to be able to calculate the age of the Earth, nor do I believe the Bible is intended to be a manual of natural history or science. The books were just not written for that purpose.

It's the story of the redemption of mankind and of Jesus, of prophesy and the epic story of the Jewish people; some things are just not in the Bible and should not be attempted to be divined out of the Bible.

Thank you

I’m on the fence about the 6000 year old earth, but like I’ve said before, my pastor is fine with that.

FaithT · Jul 27, 2021

DragonFox91 said:
I'd guess skeptics believe the Epic of Gilgamesh came first, but just b/c Genesis came 'second' doesn't mean it was inspired by it. They could have been inspired by the same event (a global flood)

Ok, but for the people who believe in a 6000 year old earth, if the Flood came much later how could it inspire EOG?

FaithT · Jul 27, 2021

Eftsoon said:
It isn't chronology that determines which text is truth. Both texts are an exploration of themes of origins, generation and the development of humanity. The Genesis text is true because it culminates in the direct revelation of God to humanity (Christ). The Genesis creation story is the most generative of the two.

The opening of the gospel of John reveals this quite plainly. The Genesis account transcends a mere retelling of events. It is revealing the true structure of reality.

How could the writer of EOG have known details about the flood if the flood happened many years later?

DragonFox91 · Jul 27, 2021

It didnt

FaithT · Jul 27, 2021

DragonFox91 said:
It didnt

Then how did EOG get such details correct?

Eftsoon · Jul 27, 2021

Hope1960 said:
How could the writer of EOG have known details about the flood if the flood happened many years later?

I'm not sure I understand this question rightly. We don't have any data about a flood as far as I know. There was clearly a cataclysmic event, but it's shrouded by time.

At any rate, don't think of the epic of Gilgamesh as a single book written in a rival tradition. It's an assemblage of wisdom drawn from a variety of sources, and reimagined in mythical form. It's an imaginative flight where Genesis is revelatory.

The Epic of Gilgamesh

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