Accuracy in Epic of Gilgamesh and The Hebrew Bible Essay

There is much debate over the historical accuracy of the Hebrew Bible and The Epic of Gilgamesh. Some claim that to understand a work of literature requires extensive knowledge of the background of this work. The contrary position is that a work of literature can be interpreted solely on it’s content. The meaning of the term classical literature is that it can be applied during any period of time, it is eternal. Yet the conditions surrounding the author might still be of interest to the reader, and of importance to the work. As with many cases, the truth is somewhere in between the two extremes. Both sides have valid arguments about the importance of historicity. To say that historicity is of the utmost importance may seem extreme.†¦show more content†¦As a real person, the fact that He lived and dies for their sins takes on a great significance. Many devote their lives to serving others the way Jesus did in the New Testament. In this case, it is easy to see how it would be greatly important that Jesus be an accurate historical figure. As a fictional character, His life and death have meaning within the story, but would not be likely to inspire the great actions that people take trying to follow His example. This is only one extreme instance in which the historical accuracy of a work would have great importance. The stories of many human beings, including those in Gilgamesh and The Bible may inspire people to have similar courage. Even if these characters are mortal human beings, that human beings could act out of such courage and love may give readers faith that they too may be able to be as courageous. Depending on the reader, the historical accuracy may seem of no importance at all. If a work of literature is good enough, one gets quite involved in the story line, and the characters become real. Regardless of the time or place, ones involvement in the work may supersede all history surrounding it. The question of the importance of historicity aside, there can be little harm done in pondering the accuracy of a work. The Hebrew Bible and the Epic of Gilgamesh have come under close scrutinyShow MoreRelatedSimilarities Between Gilgamesh And Noah818 Words   |  4 Pagesancient texts so similar to each other? It appears as if each text corresponds to the Bible. There is the Enuma Elish compared to the creation story, the Laws of Hammurapi compared to the last four books of the Pentateuch, and the Confusion of Tongues compared to the Tower of Babel. However, I will focus on the Epic of Gilgamesh, comparing and contrasting it to the Biblical narrative of Noah. While both the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Biblical narrative of Noah explore a global flood, there are key differencesRead MoreAp World History Midterm Review2054 Words   |  9 Pagessuccesses lent material weight to the idea that Homers Iliad and Virgils Aeneid reflect actual historical events. Gilgamesh the fourth king of Uruk (Early Dynastic II, first dynasty of Uruk), ruling 126 years, according to the Sumerian king list. He was said to be contemporary with some of the earliest archaeologically-known figures, placing his reign ca. 2500 BC. Iliad an epic poem in dactylic hexameters, traditionally attributed to Homer. Set in the Trojan War, the ten-year siege of Ilium by