The Gilgamesh Epic in Genesis 1-11: Peering into the Deep

191 Pages·2023·6.324 MB·English

by  Adam E. Miglio

THE GILGAMESH EPIC IN
GENESIS 1–11
This book provides a substantive, reliable, and accessible comparison of the Gil-
gamesh Epic and Genesis 1–11, investigating their presentation of humanistic
themes such as wisdom, power, and the ‘good life.’
While the Gilgamesh Epic and Genesis 1–11 are characterized by historical and
cultural features that may seem unusual or challenging to modern readers, such as
the intervention of gods and goddesses and talking animals, these ancient literary
masterpieces are nonetheless familiar and relatable stories through their humanistic
composition. This volume explores the presentation of humanistic themes and
motifs throughout both stories. Signifcant passages and narratives, such as stories
from the Garden of Eden and the Flood, are translated into English and accompa-
nied by comprehensive discussions that compare and contrast shared ideas in both
compositions. Written in a lucid and concise fashion, this book ofers new insights
into the Gilgamesh Epic and Genesis 1–11 in an accessible way.
The Gilgamesh Epic in Genesis 1–11: Peering into the Deep is suitable for students
and scholars of ancient Near Eastern literature, with broad appeal across religious
studies, ancient history, and world literature.
Adam E. Miglio (PhD University of Chicago) is Associate Professor of Archaeol-
ogy at Wheaton College. His research and writing focus on the languages, history,
and literatures of ancient Mesopotamia and Israel.
Studies in the History of the Ancient Near East
Series editor: Greg Fisher, University of California Santa Barbara, USA
Advisory Board of Associate Editors
Ra’anan Boustan, University of California, Los Angeles, USA; Zeba Crook,
Carleton University, Canada; Elizabeth DePalma Digeser, University of California
at Santa Barbara, USA; Matthew Gibbs, University of Winnipeg, Canada; John
Lee, University of California at Santa Barbara, USA; Harry Munt, University
of York, UK; Richard Payne, Oriental Institute, University of Chicago, USA;
Lucy Wadeson, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium; Philip Wood, Aga Khan
University, London, UK; Alan Lenzi, University of the Pacifc, USA.
Studies in the History of the Ancient Near East provides a global forum for works
addressing the history and culture of the Ancient Near East, spanning a broad period
from the foundation of civilisation in the region until the end of the Abbasid period.
The series includes research monographs, edited works, collections developed from
conferences and workshops, and volumes suitable for the university classroom.
A Story of YHWH
Cultural Translation and Subversive Reception in Israelite History
Shawn W. Flynn
Migration and Colonialism in Late Second Millennium BCE Levant
and its Environs
The Making of a New World
Pekka Pitkänen
Geography, Religion, and Sainthood in the Eastern Mediterranean
Erica Ferg
Settlement and Urbanization in Early Islamic Palestine
(7th-11th Centuries)
Texts and Archaeology Contrasted
Hagit Nol
The Gilgamesh Epic in Genesis 1–11
Peering into the Deep
Adam E. Miglio
www.routledge.com/classicalstudies/series/HISTANE
THE GILGAMESH EPIC IN
GENESIS 1–11
Peering into the Deep
Adam E. Miglio
Cover image: The hero overpowering a lion (identifed with Gilgamesh).
Palace of Sargon II. Assyrians. Throne room. Assyrians. 721–705 BC.
Khorsabad Palace. Louvre. Lanmas/Alamy Stock Photo.
First published 2023
by Routledge
4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2023 Adam E. Miglio
The right of Adam E. Miglio to be identifed as author of this work has
been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in
any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or
registered trademarks, and are used only for identifcation and explanation
without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Miglio, Adam, 1977- author.
Title: The Gilgamesh epic in Genesis 1-11 : peering into the deep /
Adam E. Miglio.
Description: Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Routledge, 2023. | Series:
Studies in the history of the ancient Near East | Includes bibliographical
references and index.
Identifers: LCCN 2022041084 (print) | LCCN 2022041085 (ebook) |
ISBN 9781032020136 (hardback) | ISBN 9781032020129 (paperback) |
ISBN 9781003181460 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Gilgamesh. | Bible. Genesis, I-XI—Criticism,
interpretation, etc. | Comparative literature—Themes, motives. |
Human beings in literature. | Humanism in literature. | LCGFT:
Literary criticism.
Classifcation: LCC PJ3771.G6 M54 2023 (print) | LCC PJ3771.G6 (ebook) |
DDC 892/.1—dc23/eng/20221004
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022041084
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022041085
ISBN: 978-1-032-02013-6 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-032-02012-9 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-18146-0 (ebk)
DOI: 10.4324/9781003181460
Typeset in Bembo
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
CONTENTS
List of Maps, Tables, and Figures viii
Preface ix
1 The Art of Comparison 1
World Literature 2
Reading Literature Comparatively 3
Textuality 4
Intertextuality 8
The Sources 12
The Gilgamesh Epic 13
Genesis 1–11 15
Organization and Themes of the Book 17
2 Wisdom was Woven Together at the Beginning 24
Introducing and Reintroducing Gilgamesh’s Epic Journey 25
The Journey Follows a Path to Wisdom 28
The Journey’s Surprising, Tiring, and Restful Itinerary 29
The Journey Involves Companions 31
At the Beginning of Beginnings 32
A Discrete Introduction 33
Introducing Israel’s God 34
Framing the Primeval History 39
Conclusion 40
3 “O Brave New World!” 46
A Divine Model for the Human Experience 47
vi Contents
Enkidu’s Sense of Understanding 48
Gilgamesh’s Naïveté About the Human Experience 51
The Human Experience Awakened 55
The First Man’s and Woman’s Sense of Understanding 56
Immaturity and the Confrontation
of Newfound Knowledge 59
Conclusion 63
4 Sound(Scapes) and Fury 69
Gilgamesh’s Potential: “Perfect in His Appearance” 70
Soundscapes and Portentous Calls in the Cedar Forest 73
The Punishment Fits the Crime 77
Humanity’s Potential: “Let Us Make Humanity in Our
Image” 79
An Indistinct “Sound” in the Garden and the Fitting
Punishments 80
Sounds of Guilt, Bloodshed, and Hubris 84
Conclusion 87
5 (Re)Interpreting the Divine in the Deluge 94
The Flood and the Need for Established Divine-Human
Relations in Atra-ḫasīs 96
Reinterpreting the Flood in the Gilgamesh Epic 99
Uta-napishti’s Testimony About Divine Culpability
and Regret 100
Uta-Napishti, Divine Councils, and the Absurdity of
Human Mortality 105
Reinterpreting the Flood in the Primeval History 108
(Re)Introducing the Flood 108
YHWH’s Conficted Response to Human Evil 110
Conclusion 114
6 Rereading and Refecting on (Im)Permanence
and Enduring Renown 119
“I will Establish Lasting Renown!” 120
The Impermanence of Life and the Consolation
of Wisdom 120
“Return in Peace to Uruk’s Haven” 123
The Impermanence of Human Undertakings and Divine
Consolation 129
“If YHWH Does Not Construct the House” 129
“I Will Establish Your Renown” 132
Conclusion 137
Contents vii
7 Perennial Inquiry in Lieu of a Conclusion 142
Mortality and Meaning in the “Dialog of Pessimism” 142
Impermanence and Meaning in Ecclesiastes 146
Works Cited 153
Index 170
MAPS, TABLES, AND FIGURES
Map
1.1 Distribution of the Gilgamesh Epic 14
Tables
2.1 Tōwledōwt Structure of the Book of Genesis 33
3.1 The Creation and Awakening of Enkidu, the Man, and Woman 62
4.1 Patterned Soundscape in Genesis 2:4b–4:26 87
5.1 Synopsis of Flood Accounts 107
Figures
6.1 Uruk in the Two-Act Structure of the Gilgamesh Epic 126
6.2 Abraham and the Tōwledōwt Structure of Genesis 134
PREFACE
Let anyone who over three thousand years
Has not come to terms with himself,
Let him remain clueless in darkness
Let him survive from day to day.
—Johann Wolfgang von Goethe,
West-Eastern: Divan, “The Book of the Singer,”
no. 80 (translated by Eric Ormsby)
This book is the result of teaching an undergraduate seminar entitled “Power,
Tragedy and the Good Life.” The seminar focuses on the Gilgamesh Epic and Gen-
esis 1–11 (i.e., the Primeval History) and supplements these ancient compositions
with several other readings with similar literary features or thematic resemblances
(several of the supplemental sources from the seminar appear in this book’s epi-
graphs). The seminar is a part of a liberal arts curriculum that has the goal of liber-
ating learning. In theory, such an education aspires to free students from parochial,
unwarranted, or misplaced confdences. It equips them to more critically fashion
commitments for self-refective, meaningful, and vital engagements in life. Thus,
the seminar emphasizes the process of learning, especially asking questions for which
an answer is not presumed or, at least, asking questions with an openness to change
one’s mind. I highlight the genesis of this book in my seminar—while hoping
that my book will beneft those beyond it—because it has signifcantly shaped my
project in terms of its content and imagined audience. Fundamentally, this book is
a product of a thought experiment conducted in classrooms with college students.
It has been my experience in the classroom that the Gilgamesh Epic and the
Primeval History are well suited to the aims of liberal education. As Goethe puts
it, they remind readers across “three thousand years” that some questions confront
every generation of humans. In this way, they are “deviously useless” texts, at least