Epigraph
“Fairy tales are more than true; not because they tell us that dragons exist: but they tell us that dragons can be beaten” - By Neil Gaiman
Introduction
Gilgamesh is the king in ancient Sumer in Uruk. He is said to be the strongest man in town that ever lived in the city. The fact that he knows that he is the most powerful man than the others and he is the king, he abuses power. The people of Uruk keep complaining that he abuses power and he is not leading them well. The people complain to their gods about the abuse of power by Gilgamesh. The gods hear the complaints of the people and the gods create another strong man just like Gilgamesh by the name Enkidu. Enkidu was able to be a match to Gilgamesh and was able to watch and correct the ill doings of Gilgamesh. Job, on the other hand, is a wealthy man who lives in the land of Uz with his vast and extended family. Job is a faithful man who always was able to avoid mistakes that could make him sin. He was staying peacefully on his land with his flocks when one day he was tested with the devil. It was at this time when tragedy fell into place. 1 The main differences are categorized according to the way they appeared, and the effects brought about by the experiences.
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Difference between Gilgamesh and the book of Job
One of the main differences that have been portrayed in the book of Job and the Epic of Gilgamesh is based on how they view death.
Death
Taking the cause of Job, he does not fear death at any point, and he is also readily seen to accept he will have to die when Gog says that it is time for him to die. He does not see this as a punishment from God even though God accepted that he gets to suffer at one point. He states that, “Naked I come from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there: the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; bless be the name of the Lord.” 2 The statement explains that Job was not afraid of dying and also he was ready to die as that would be the will of God. He is also said to not be in the position to curse God as he was sincere and ready to accept that it was his time to die.
Gilgamesh on the other hand is seen to be one fierce man who only feared the wrath of death. Despite the fact that he was taken to be immortal, he always was seen to be afraid of death. “The old Babylonian text bears witness to a wholesale revision of Gilgamesh material to form a story comprised around the principle theme of kingship, fame and the fear of death”. 3 The statement puts us in a position that makes us believe that Gilgamesh was afraid of death despite the fact that he was also seen to be in the race for other activities in his lifetime.
Praying
Praying and worshiping their gods was done in two different ways in the book of Job and the Epic of Gilgamesh. Job prayed and praised his God not because he had no other option or he did not have a way to evade him, but he prayed and worshiped his God because he wanted to pray and also he was trustworthy to him. 4 He was not pushed by any other force into praying. It is also seen that he suffered and faced pain, but he did not despise his God. Instead, he becomes more prayerful than before. “The questions of divine justice that torture Jobs mind is not satisfactorily met by the arguments of the friends. Job himself seeks to imagine a way to which he might go to trial with God for vindication of his righteousness instead he decides to be trustworthy and wait for the final verdict…” 5 Job prayed and believed that his God would deliver him from his bondage despite the fact that he was suffering and being advised by his friends on doing the otherwise.
Similarities
It has been seen that some similarities are portrayed in the book of Job and the epic of Gilgamesh. The similarities are in the position to reflect activities and events that are said to be in a way similar.
Knowledge and wisdom
Knowledge and wisdom were believed that it came from their gods. The two believe that knowledge and wisdom was a gift that was presented to the gods and at times passed on to the people via the people who were chosen by their gods. In the book of Job, it is seen that he always referred and practiced the knowledge that was readily available in the Bible. He used most of the books like Proverbs or Hymn as this books were full of wisdom. Gilgamesh on the other hand, his understanding came his god Nabu, “scribe of the entire universe bestowed on me as a gift of knowledge and wisdom.” 6 He believed that his God blessed him with the gift of knowledge that he may be able to lead his people.
Believing that wisdom is a gift that has to be used well and at the same time given to us by the gods makes us be in the position to realize that we have to adequately use the gift in helping the others in the right way. The similarity has a relevance to lives in a manner that it will have to ensure that most of the people will have to be able to deal with all the activities that they partake without any difficulty and in the best way possible.
Bibliography
GERTOUX, GERARD. BOOK OF JOB : chronological, historical and archaeological evidence . S.l: LULU COM, 2015.
Heidel, Alexander. The Gilgamesh epic and Old Testament parallels . Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1963.
