Comparing The Epic Of Gilphash And The Epic Of Gilgamesh

In The Epic of Gilgamesh and the novel Genesis, we are shown gods and the biblical God who both enforce their ideas of justice against those they deem wicked. This is depicted multiple times in both pieces of literature, the most notable being the floods unleashed by God in Genesis and the gods in The Epic of Gilgamesh. The punishments inflicted on humankind are similar because the deities in both texts share their own concept of justice, fueled by human emotion. Throughout both stories these omnipresent beings deal with humans in a somewhat callous way, sometimes showing compassion but mainly displaying their powers to punish humans. When the gods in The Epic of Gilgamesh felt that a single man, Gilgamesh, was becoming too powerful they†¦show more content†¦A God that thinks and acts like a mortal is an implausible concept to a believer of the Abrahamic religions, because those traits either lower God’s stature or raise humans closer to God. But it’s depicted multiple times starting with the punishments inflicted upon Adam and Eve. In the beginning of Genesis and The Epic of Gilgamesh readers are shown that although these beings are omnificent they are mentally interchangeable with the mortals they rule over. Thus rationalizing their vindictive use of power, as an emotional response brought on by feelings associated with humans. The gods of Gilgamesh view humans as beneath them, however their apathy doesn’t exempt them from the careless way in which they treat mortals. Especially when their punishments are brought on by emotions that should be considered unbefitting of a god. For example Ishtar taking the bull of heaven and killing hundreds of people because she was angered and embarrassed by Gilgamesh’s rejection. This decision by Ishtar to set the bull of heaven loose is an act completely void of reasoning, a purely emotional response that leads to the death of hundreds of humans. â€Å"she went up to heaven in a furious rage†¦ ‘O father, again and again does Gilgamesh scorn me, telling a tale of the foulest slander†(Gilgamesh, 50). This tantrum highlights the impulsive nature of these gods as