Wisdom in Gilgamesh and Genesis

Many common themes are found in the comparison of the book of Genesis and the story of Gilgamesh. Upon studying the works, the relationship between deity and humans remains a theme which begs further contemplation. In both the book of Genesis and the story of Gilgamesh, the reader is confronted with larger relationships than human interaction. Genesis and Gilgamesh contain relationships which examine the bonds between man and a higher power.

One of the fundamental links in the relationships between deity and mankind is the issue of knowledge, which aids in control. Deity- God or the gods- must maintain the prevalent position of control, or the inherent power struggle threatens the hierarchy of the relationship. Repeated examples in both texts show deities punishing humans for gaining knowledge while blessing humans for showing complete faith and acceptance. For this reason, it is logical to conclude that deities prefer to maintain control of man by encouraging mankind to remain innocent rather than gain knowledge.

Genesis begins with the creation of the earth as well as the birth of Adam and Eve. In the book of Genesis, God offers Adam and Eve the paradise of Eden. Within this paradise, God places a condition. God issues a command to not eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge. As the serpent tricks Eve into indulging in the forbidden fruit, God's command is ignored. After Adam indulges in the fruit from the tree of knowledge, God confronts Adam. Upon admission of eating the forbidden fruit, God punishes Adam and Eve by casting them out of the Garden of Eden to survive the wilderness of earth covered in "thorns also and thistles" (Genesis 4, 59). God punishes Adam and Eve. The pair suffers losing the paradise, the Garden of Eden, because of the knowledge which the forbidden fruit gives them.

In similar fashion, the goddess of creation, Aruru created Enkidu to be Gilgamesh's equal. Much like Adam and Eve, Enkidu suffers as wisdom is thrust upon his life in a deceptive manner. Enkidu suffers the consequences of knowledge as he comes to know a harlot. The woman's love causes Enkidu to find "his body . . . bound as though with a cord, his knees gave way when he started to run, his swiftness was gone" (Gilgamesh, 14). Enkidu gains experience with a woman, which causes him to grow "weak, for wisdom was with him, and the thoughts of a man were in his heart" (Gilgamesh, 15). Nonetheless, Enkidu suffers the loss of his former abilities. Enkidu does not seek sexual relations to gain wisdom. Instead, wisdom is the damning, unexpected result of the relationship with his harlot.

Genesis provides another example of God's desire to prevent knowledge among man in book 11. After the flood, mankind intends to build a city and a tower to "make us a name"(Genesis, 63). God's reaction to this collective effort causes discord and confusion among mankind. Producing havoc, God "confound(s) their language, that they may not understand one another's speech" and scatters man across the earth (Genesis, 63). God's deliberate scrambling of man's communication is a clear indication of His desire to keep man ignorant.

The story of Gilgamesh includes an attempt to destroy the earth similar to the familiar story of Noah in Genesis. The father of the gods, Enlil sends floods to destroy the earth and all its inhabitants. His plan is foiled by Ea, who warned Utnapishtim in his dreams. When man's survival is discovered, Enlil and Ea argue. During the disagreement, Ea admits Enlil is the "wisest of gods" (Gilgamesh, 37). Ea also claims, "It was not I that revealed the secret of the gods: the wise man learned it in a dream" (Gilgamesh, 38). Enlil is displeased with Utnapishtim's knowledge of the god's secret. Bestowing a blessing on Utnapishtim and his wife, the father of the gods declares, "In times past Utnapishtim was a mortal man; henceforth he and his wife shall live in the distance at the mouth of the river" (Gilgamesh, 38). The blessing shows the gods belief that wisdom belongs to the gods rather than man. Utnapishtim's everlasting life is the result of a mortal man sharing in the god's wisdom.

Supporting the contention of a deity preferring man's ignorance can be found in various religious segments. For example, the Jewish religion's Hokmah Literature shows that "Israel's God was believed to be the God of the universe; wisdom was regarded as the cosmic power, God's master workman (Prov. viii. 30), the first of His works (ib. viii. 22), and His designer (ib. iii. 19; Ps. civ. 24), while at the same time wisdom became the law of life and the divine guide and ruler of man. Virtue, or the fear of God which is the avoidance of evil, was developed into the dominant teaching of the Proverbs and Job"(Jewish). Regarding wisdom as the "cosmic power," God supplements man's wisdom with the additional virtue taught in later books in the Bible as a means of maintaining control over man. The wisdom with conditions is reminiscent of God's decision to ban Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden as well as Enlil's decision to grant Utnapishtim the god's everlasting life.

In the complicated relations of humanity and deity, the hierarchy must be maintained in order to continue the ideas of worship, sacrifice and honor. Wisdom is the key which keeps the hierarchy off balance, favoring God or the gods over mankind. Clearly, in the realm of religious text, deities prefer to control mankind's wisdom to maintain the higher status within the relationship.

Works Cited

"Genesis." The Norton Anthology of World Literature. 2^nd ed. Lawall, Sarah. New York: WW Norton & Company, 2002. 56-63.

"Gilgamesh." The Norton Anthology of World Literature. 2^nd ed. Lawall, Sarah. New York: WW Norton & Company, 2002. 10-41.

Kohler, Kaufmann. "The Hokman Literature." JewishEncyclopedia. 2002. May 13, 2007.