by
Damien F. Mackey
“There are still other
parallels between the Bible and the Gilgamesh epic: "YaHVeH"
has a somewhat similar
sound to "Huwawa." Gilgamesh did just as the "sons of god"
in Genesis 6 did. The "sons
of god" forcibly took men's wives. The Epic says
that is precisely what
Gilgamesh did. The Bible calls Nimrod a tyrant, and Gilgamesh
was a tyrant. There was a
Flood in the Bible, there is a flood in the Epic”.
Dr. David Livingston
Ancient pagan literature is, as we have found, replete with allusions
– {tales, poetry, wisdom, philosophy, law, epic, etc.} - to the Hebrew
scriptures. Most notably, to Genesis (Creation, Flood); Nimrod; Moses; Samson; David
and Solomon; Ahab and Jezebel; Job-Tobias; Judith. For instance, see my
article:
Hebrew Law absorbed by Mesopotamians,
Greeks
Or, again:
On and on it goes. There is also a “Babylonian Job” as we shall read
below in 4.
Gilgamesh apparently was a real historical king: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilgamesh
“He probably ruled sometime between 2800 and 2500 BC
and was posthumously deified”.
But the famous Epic of Gilgamesh is something of a potpourri of episodes, certain of them traceable to the
Bible.
For example:
- The Flood
“The Epic of Gilgamesh has been of interest to
Christians ever since its discovery in the mid-nineteenth century in the ruins
of the great library at Nineveh, with its account of a universal flood with
significant parallels to the Flood of Noah's day.1, 2 The rest of
the Epic, which dates back to possibly third millennium B.C., contains little
of value for Christians, since it concerns typical polytheistic myths
associated with the pagan peoples of the time. However, some Christians have
studied the ideas of creation and the afterlife presented in the Epic. Even
secular scholars have recognized the parallels between the Babylonian,
Phoenician, and Hebrew accounts, although not all are willing to label the
connections as anything more than shared mythology.3”
- Nimrod
No need to presume, Dr. D. Livingston straight out believes that:
Gilgamesh is Nimrod
Model of ancient ziggurat.
|
Now
it was Nimrod who excited them to such an affront and contempt of God. He was
the grandson of Ham, the son of Noah -- a bold man, and of great strength of
hand. He persuaded them not to ascribe it to God, as if it were through his
means they were happy, but to believe that it was their own courage which
procured that happiness. He also gradually changed the government into tyranny
-- seeing no other way of turning men from the fear of God, but to bring them
into a constant dependence upon his own power. He also said he would be
revenged on God, if he should have a mind to drown the world again; for that he
would build a tower too high for the waters to be able to reach! and that he
would avenge himself on God for destroying their forefathers (Ant. 1:
iv: 2)
What Josephus says here is precisely
what is found in the Gilgamesh epics. Gilgamesh set up tyranny, he opposed YHVH
and did his utmost to get people to forsake Him.
Two of the premiere commentators on the
Bible in Hebrew has this to say about Genesis 10:9,
Nimrod
was mighty in hunting, and that in opposition to YHVH; not "before
YHVH" in the sense of according to the will and purpose of YHVH, still
less, . . . in a simply superlative sense . . . The name itself,
"Nimrod" from marad, "we will revolt," points to
some violent resistance to God . . . Nimrod as a mighty hunter founded a
powerful kingdom; and the founding of this kingdom is shown by the verb with vav
consecutive, to have been the consequence or result of his strength in hunting,
so that hunting was intimately connected with the establishing of the kingdom.
Hence, if the expression "a mighty hunter" relates primarily to
hunting in the literal sense, we must add to the literal meaning the figurative
signification of a "hunter of men" (a trapper of men by stratagem and
force); Nimrod the hunter became a tyrant, a powerful hunter of men
(Keil and Delitzsch 1975: 165).
"in
the face of YHVH can only mean "in defiance of YHVH," as Josephus and
the Targums understand it (op. cit.: 166).
And
the proverb must have arisen when other daring and rebellious men followed in
Nimrod's footsteps and must have originated with those who saw in such conduct
an act of rebellion against the God of salvation, in other words, with the
possessors of the divine promise of grace (loc. cit.).
Often attributed to Nimrod, the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9) was not a Jack and the Beanstalk type of construction, where people were trying to build a structure to get into heaven. Instead, it is best understood as an ancient ziggurat (Assyrian "mountaintop"), as the one pictured here from ancient Ur of the Chaldees, Abraham's hometown (Genesis 11:31). A ziggurat was a man-made structure with a temple at its top, built to worship the host of heaven. |
After the Flood there was, at some
point, a breakaway from YHVH. Only eight people descended from the Ark. Those
people worshipped YHVH. But at some point an influential person became opposed
to YHVH and gathered others to his side. I suggest that Nimrod is the one who
did it. Cain had done similarly before the Flood, founding a new city and
religious system.
Our English translation of the Hebrew of
Genesis 10:8-10 is weak. The author of this passage of Scripture will not call
Gilgamesh by his name and honor him, but is going to call him by a derisive
name, what he really is -- a rebel. Therefore we should translate Genesis
10:8-10 to read,
Cush
begat Nimrod; he began to be a tyrant in the earth. He was a tyrannical hunter
in opposition to the Lord. Thus it is said, "Nimrod the tyrannical
opponent of YHVH."
Likewise, Gilgamesh was a man who took
control by his own strength. In Genesis 10 Nimrod is presented as a type of
him. Nimrod's descendants were the ones who began building the tower in Babel
where the tongues were changed. Gilgamesh is a type of early city founders.
(Page numbers below are from Heidel 1963)
He
is a "shepherd" .................. page 18
From Uruk ............................. page 17 (Kramer 1959: 31 calls Uruk, Erech.)
A giant ................................... page 17 (11 cubits)
Builds cities ............................ page 17
Vile man "takes women" ......... page 18
Mighty hunter ......................... page 18
From Uruk ............................. page 17 (Kramer 1959: 31 calls Uruk, Erech.)
A giant ................................... page 17 (11 cubits)
Builds cities ............................ page 17
Vile man "takes women" ......... page 18
Mighty hunter ......................... page 18
Gilgamesh Confronts YHVH!
The name of YHVH rarely appears in
extra-Biblical literature in the Ancient Near East. Therefore we would not
expect to find it in the Gilgamesh epic. But why should the God of the Jews
rarely be mentioned? The Hebrew Bible is replete with the names of other gods.
On the other hand, the nations surely
knew of Him even though they had no respect for Him. If so, how might His Name
appear in their literature, if at all?
The name of YHVH, in a culture which is
in rebellion against His rule, would most likely be in a derisive form, not in
its true form. Likewise, the writers of Scripture would deride the rebels.
Putting the Bible and the Gilgamesh Epic Together
The Gilgamesh Epic describes the first
"God is Dead" movement. In the Epic, the hero is a vile, filthy,
perverted person, yet he is presented as the greatest, strongest, hero that
ever lived. (Heidel 1963: 18). So that the one who sent the Flood will not trouble
them anymore, Gilgamesh sets out to kill the perpetrator. He takes with him a
friend who is a monstrous half-man, half-animal -- Enkidu. Together they go on
a long journey to the Cedar Mountain to find and destroy the monster who sent
the Flood. Gilgamesh finds him and finally succeeds in cutting off the head of
the creature whose name is "Huwawa" ("Humbaba" in the
Assyrian version; see Heidel 1963: 34ff).
Is there a connection with the Gilgamesh
epic and Genesis 10? Note what Gilgamesh says to Enkidu, the half-man,
half-beast, who accompanied him on his journey, found in Tablet 111, lines 147
- 150.
"If
I fall," Gilgamesh says, "I will establish a name for myself.
'Gilgamesh is fallen,' they will say, 'in combat with terrible Huwawa.'"
But the next five lines are missing from
all tablets found so far! Can we speculate on what they say? Let's try . . . We
suggest that those five lines include,
"But
if I win,.. they will say, Gilgamesh, the mighty vanquisher of Huwawa!"
Why do we say that? Because Genesis 10:9
gives us the portion missing from the Gilgamesh tablets. Those lines include...
"it is said, Nimrod (or Gilgamesh) the mighty vanquisher of YHVH."
This has to be what is missing from all the clay tablets of the Gilgamesh
story. The Gilgamesh Epic calls him Huwawa; the Bible calls Him YHVH.
Heidel, speaking of the incident as it
is found on Tablet V says,
All
we can conclude from them (the lost lines) is that Gilgarnesh and Enkidu cut
off the head of Humbaba (or Huwawa) and that the expedition had a successful
issue (ending) (1963: 47).
The missing lines from the Epic are
right there in the Bible!
Because of the parallels between
Gilgamesh and Nimrod, many scholars agree that Gilgamesh is Nimrod. Continuing
with Gilgamesh's fable, he did win, he did vanquish Huwawa and took his head.
Therefore he could come back to Uruk and other cities and tell the people
"not to worry about YHVH anymore, he is dead. I killed him over in the
Lebanon mountains. So just live however you like, I will be your king and take
care of you."
There are still other parallels between
the Bible and the Gilgamesh epic: "YaHVeH" has a somewhat similar
sound to "Huwawa." Gilgamesh did just as the "sons of god"
in Genesis 6 did. The "sons
of god" forcibly took men's wives. The Epic says that is
precisely what Gilgamesh did. The Bible calls Nimrod a tyrant, and Gilgamesh
was a tyrant. There was a Flood in the Bible, there is a flood in the Epic.
Cush is mentioned in the Bible, Kish in the Epic. Erech is mentioned in
Scripture, Uruk was Gilgamesh's city. Gilgamesh made a trip to see the survivor
of the Flood. This was more likely Ham than Noah, since "Nimrod" was
Ham's grandson! Historically, Gilgamesh was of the first dynasty of Uruk. As
Jacobsen points out (1939: 157), kings before Gilgamesh may be fictional, but
not likely.
The fact that the Gilgamesh Epic also
contains the Deluge story would indicate a close link with events immediately
following the Flood. S.N. Kramer says,
A
few years ago one would have strongly doubted his (historical) existence . . .
we now have the certitude that the time of Gilgamesh corresponds to the
earliest period of Mesopotamian history. (Kramer 1959: 117)
Originally established by Nimrod (Genesis 10:11), and today known as Nimrud, Calah became an important city in Iraq. This is an artist's reconstruction of the interior of Tiglath-pileser III's palace (late seventh century BC). |
What a contrast Psalm 2 is compared with
the Gilgamesh Epic!
Why do the
nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take
their stand and the rulers gather together against the LORD and against his
Anointed One. "Let us break their chains," they say, "and throw
off their fetters." The One enthroned in heaven laughs, the Lord scoffs at
them. Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath,
saying, "I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill." I will
proclaim the decree of the LORD: He said to me, "you are my Son, today I
have become your Father, Ask of me, and I will make the nations your
inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. You will rule them with an
iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces like pottery." Therefore, you
kings, be wise; he warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear
and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed
in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take
refuge in him. (Psalm 2) ….
- Ecclesiastes
Did Ecclesiastes Copy Gilgamesh?
No, I would have it the other way around, that the pagan epic was (once
again) borrowing from the Bible, this time, from King Solomon - a fortiori since I have argued in my
article:
Davidic Influence on King Hammurabi
for Solomonic influence, notably Qoheleth
(“Ecclesiastes”) upon another Mesopotamian king, Hammurabi.
Karel
van der Toorn wrotes:
“Nearly a century ago, the German
scholar Hubert Grimme NOTICED some startling similarities between the biblical
Book of Ecclesiastes and the Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh. This was indeed
strange. Ecclesiastes, most scholars agree, dates to the second half of the
third century B.C.E. and was written by a sophisticated Jerusalemite
intellectual. On its face the book is a rather remarkable collection of
Israelite Wisdom literature—aphoristic, skeptical, even hedonistic.1 The Gilgamesh epic, on the other
hand, is a long Mesopotamian narrative masterpiece, fragments of which have
survived in a Sumerian version from as early as the beginning of the second
millennium B.C.E., as well as in later Akkadian and Babylonian editions and
even Hittite and Hurrian versions. Any similarities between Ecclesiastes and
the Gilgamesh epic would be surprising”.
Not “surprising” at all, though, in my context.
- Book of Daniel
Paul Ferguson, for instance, has noted a Gilgamesh parallel in:
NEBUCHADNEZZAR,
GILGAMESH,
AND THE
"BABYLONIAN JOB"
The Biblical description of Nebuchadnezzar's madness
is not unique in ancient Near Eastern literature. The portrayal of the king's
humiliation closely parallels the Mesopotamian picture of the primordial man,
Enkidu, found in the Gilgamesh epic. His whole body is covered with hair like a
woman. His locks sprout like grain. He knows nothing about people or land. He
eats grass with the gazelles, and with the game he drinks at the water hole. He
ranges at large over the open country. When he becomes civilized in seven days
he loses his kinship with the animals, and they run from him.32 One might say
he loses the heart of an animal and receives a human heart (cf. Dan 4:16).
