Quote:
|
Tell me this - which was copied from which?
|
Noah was copied from Giglgamesh. In addition to the fact that the writings themselves are more consistant (and that the story of Gilgamesh is more consistant with Babylonian mythology than Noah with prophetic Judaism, there's the matter of local.
Around 5500BCE, with rising sea levels in the Med, the Bosphorous portal flooded and the indegenious people fled. One of those groups fled into what became Babylon. The story they tell (particualrly the dating by line of kings) and the fact that they are decended from the Black Sea groups (there's a sudden change in styles in the area after the flood) strongly indicates that the story of the flood of Gilgamesh is the fictionalization of the flooding of the Black Sea.
The Babylonians, and the the Persians, conqured the Isrealits (likely descendants of the Hittites). When they did, the Isrealites began to incorporate Babylonian and then Persian beliefs into their own (it's no coincidence that Shatan (he who opposes) shows up in Hebrew writings after the arrivial of the dualistic Zoroastrians, and takes the form of the snake, the symbol of Babylon)
Quote:
|
How about we now study the Gilgamesh account of the flood as well - perhaps we should interpret the biblical account according to that? Maybe we should interpret kinds by that too.
|
According to the story, the Gods became jealous of men, and upset with their ways. They tried plagues and fire and all sorts of stuff but mankind was resistant. So the Gods decided to flood the world. One of the gods, who liked man, decided to save mankind; so she taught Gilgamesh how to build an ark and protect his family. He took animals with him, particualarly sacrifical animals (Gods like sacrifices) and the Gods flooded the world. Only then the Gods missed the sacrifices and man. The Goddess said that she could restore man but only if the gods promised to never again try to wipe all the men out. They agreed and the flood eneded. Gilgamesh sacrificed animals to the Gods who were again happy, and the goddess took off her jeweled necklace and threw it in the air (the first rainbow) as a sign, when it rains or floods, that the Gods remember their promise not to killl everyone.
Quote:
|
The thing you have to do is find out which came first - whether they did indeed have access or whether it was 2 separate accounts. I'm not about to get into a debate off topic about history. Save to say that if you are going to try and interpret the Biblical definition of kinds, it helps to try and understand it within the context of the Bible. So the Bible according to the chronologies would make the earth out to be ~7000yrs old. This is what the people reading the chronologies would have been lead to believe - therefore either way, we understand kind within this context.
|
Unless it's a metaphore... or just wrong.
03-02-2006, 10:39 AM
