Luis Conde English 2332 H Padilla The Rebellious Gilgamesh Although there are some similarities between the

Epic of Gilgamesh and the Old T estament, both are very different. The Pentateuch and the book of Job were writ ten by the patriarch Moses. Before him, Jews were nothing more than an ethnic g roup. Later, they developed a sense of brotherhood with the making of the Ten Co mmandments and the Arc of the covenant, the most important symbol of Judaism. A ccording to the Bible, all languages descend from the Mesopotamian lands, includ ing Hebrew. In fact, all Moses does, is retell what his culture remembers. After all, history belongs to all of humanity, not only to one group. It is well known that Jews loved to keep records of everything; therefore Moses includes the names of the three sons of Noah. Their seed branches across the co ntinent, all united by one same language. This written account confesses that M esopotamia is in fact, the cradle of all civilization. Thus, it is logical to t hink that a civilization such a Mesopotamia would have had a written account of the flood, most likely in the epic of Gilgamesh, and that Jews probably knew abo ut it too. There is a problem with Canaanite/Sumerian writings, and that is that they are n ever complete. There is an impressive pantheon of gods whose names are not very well known. There is a very peculiar character in the Bible, whose name is Nim rod. I had known about him for a long time now, thinking that perhaps he embodi ed the commonly known Babylonian god of Marduk. To this god, many victories wer e attributed, and he was believed to have been the first king of the Sumerians. After reading Gilgamesh, I finally settled my own mind, and realized this Gilga mesh could very likely be Nimrod. According to the book of Genesis, after the fl ood, Cam, son of Noah, fathered Cus; Cus, fathered Nimrod, the most famous king of Erech. Sound a bell? Gilgamesh became the most famous king of Uruk. Genesi s specifically says that Nimrod was a man of great fame, and that he was the mos t powerful hunter. Not of animals, but of men. There is something of particula r interest in both texts. In the Epic, Gilgamesh seeks eternal life, but is una ble to; the most important thing he learns at the end, is that he will become im mortal only though his name and his fame. If men remembered his name, and the h eroic deeds he had accomplished, that would be equal to immortality. In the Bible, Nimrod seeks eternal fame, and despises YHWH, the sometimes absent god. To him, YHWH is dead, and he wishes to raise himself above Gods own name. He begins the construction of a great Ziggurat tower. Why then does the Bible c all him Nimrod, and not Gilgamesh? There is a very good reason. We all know th e story of Satan. He was a god-like angel who fell out of Gods grace. He had a name, one that the Bible does not reveal. Satan literally means in opposition to , meaning that he is the antagonist to gods will. Satan therefore becomes a title , a mere nickname. The writer Moses chooses not to name Gilgamesh, instead, he nicknames him Nimrod which means Rebel. Thus, by obscuring his name, Moses accomp lishes what Gilgamesh fears the most, and that is anonymity. At the end, we see that Gilgamesh fails to achieve fame, for his Epic was lost for many millennia with the fall of the Babylonian empire. The Pentateuch in turn and the name of YHWH have reamined fresh even to this day. In the Epic, Gilgamesh seeks out a survivor of the flood. In Genesis, Cam, Nimr ods great grandfather remains alive and a contemporary character through Nimrods l ife, so it is a plausible detail that must not be discarded. Another character that is very peculiar in Gilgamesh is Humbaba (originally Huwawa), a fearsome cr eature of Nature. Gilgamesh kills this Huwawa, and brings forth even greater fam e. Note how the name Huwawa resonates with Nimrods greatest enemy YHWH ( iah . vah ). Nimrod, the Rebel One, builds the Ziggurat, this action alone implies that he ha s obliterated God form mens memory. So, it is plausible to think men believed tha t he had actually killed YHWH. It is so exciting to compare the great similariti es. During the construction of the Ziggurat, YHWH creates and confuses human lan

guages only to spite Gilgameshs pride. The place is called Babel meaning confusio n. Only in this passage of time do the two accounts come to cross one another. And it is marvelous.