“The Great Flood” According to the Torah, the Quran, and the Epic of Gilgamesh
Genesis, the first of the five books of the Torah (a component of the Old Testament), are regarded as having been written by Moses in the 15th century B.C., an important Jewish prophet to his people. The book is an account of the origin and creation of the world, as well as a personal account of the Jewish lineage traced from Adam and Eve. It is considered to be one the more misunderstood books of the Bible for its use of often mystical imagery in the telling of the Earth’s earliest days, beginning with the division of light and darkness, through the lives of Adam and Eve, and ending with the account of Noah and his family during a worldwide flooding of the entire Earth. In the following paragraphs, these literary features will be discussed in detail for the purposes of their clarification. Additionally, excerpts from the Quran and the Epic of Gilgamesh will be used for contrast in the case of Noah and the Great Flood.
Genesis begins with two creation narratives (1–2:3 and 2:4–3:24). The first is written in the form of a historical account, while the second is written like a work of fictional story-telling. Criticism of the two accounts suggests that they are contradictory of each other. For instance, in the first account, the order of creation begins with the separation of light from darkness on a “formless and empty” Earth, where “darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters”. That sentence alone appears to be self-contradictory, for how could there be water if the Earth is supposed to be formless and empty? In actuality, the supposed incongruence of this verse is two-fold: it’s both a matter of translation from Hebrew to English (where words often have multiple meanings depending upon the context of how their used), as well as an attempt by Moses (or the unknown authors of this account that was later collected by Moses) to explain astronomical phenomena that had yet to have been identified nor have words to describe it, should it be true. Regardless of Moses’ description of the Earth’s formation as being visions of divine bestowment or not, it is one without the tools needed for understanding the processes of how it could.
This is exactly the case for the second account of creation, and it is for this reason that Genesis 1:1–4 may serve as an example. In the second account, vegetation seems to exist before rain and human beings exist before animals. Upon initial impression, this would conflict with the first account where the opposite is true. However, a simple change in the translation of “earth” to “land” in Genesis 2: 4,6 now suggests that this phenomena occurs in an arid climate (supported by the verse that describes Eden as a garden “in the East” in Genesis 2:8), and the inclusion of such information is for the purposes of removing the inference that the creation of man was a consequence of nature and not an intentional act of divine intervention.
The lives of Adam and Eve, as depicted in the second account of creation, requires special consideration for their circumstances to understand. How can they tell right from wrong if they are not allowed to make the distinction between good and bad? How do Adam and Eve know it is bad to defy Yahweh (the Judeo-Christian god) if they cannot eat from the tree of knowledge? These are very valid questions to consider, however they are ones from an outside-perspective, looking in. Understanding the answer to the former question negates the second. Arguably, the moral dilemma of right and wrong suggests a model to be measured by. That model may differ according to the individual that exists in a world of subjectivity [i.e. there is neither definitive, scientific proof or disproof in the existence of a higher power, or a “law-giver” (see Evolution v. Creationism ≠ Science v. Religion)]. If that model is a higher power, or in this case, Yahweh, the definition of “right” and “wrong” is defined by what produces life and what produces death. Because Yahweh is the creator of the universe, he is the very definition of life itself. Therefore, it may be reasoned that what is of him produces life, and what is not produces death. Additionally, at this time in Adam and Eve’s world, “they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden,” (Genesis 3:8, NRSV). Yahweh wasn’t an invisible feature; he was an active, physical one. This framework then leaves little room for doubt that by disobeying Yahweh, Adam and Eve would be choosing death.
According to Genesis, the narrative of Noah and the Great Flood is the result of Adam and Eve’s choice to separate themselves from God. It is unclear how much time has elapsed since their days on Earth after being banished from Eden, but it may be reasoned that it was enough time for the Earth to populate prior to its flooding. According to Genesis, “when people began to multiply on the face of the ground… The Lord saw that the wickedness of humankind was great in the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that he had made humankind on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart,” (Genesis 6:1,5–6 NRSV). If the narrative holds that the Earth’s flooding was an intentional act of Yahweh, then the Earth must have been populated to warrant a portion, or the entirety of it, to be flooded. At face value, this act portrays Yahweh, at best, as ignorant. Despite the text expressing his grief over having to commit such a deed (implying that it wasn’t one done out of hate), why would he create the Earth knowing that this would happen? Why would he even create Adam and Eve if he knew that they would turn from him? These are questions that cannot be answered in the book of Genesis alone, save why the Bible is the collection of many. For Christians, these answers are presented in the New Testament with the arrival of Jesus. Additionally, the practice of the slaughtering of animals as a sacrifice, a practice first recorded with Cain and Abel (i.e. why Noah would do such a thing following the Flood) may be answered there, too (see The Political Climate of Jesus’ Time).
In other texts, both the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Quran offer additional insights to the story of Noah and the Great Flood. Due to the story’s presence in outside literature, it suggests that it was one passed down from generation to generation cross-culturally within the Mediterranean and Middle East.
In the Epic of Gilgamesh, dated approximately 6 centuries earlier than Genesis, it appears that the act of the Earth’s flooding is one of wrath, unlike the Genesis account. Additionally, the polytheistic approach divides the Judeo-Christian god into two different gods that were active in this narrative. Enlil is characterized as Yahweh’s wrath, for he is responsible for the flooding of the world due to humanity’s wickedness; Ea is characterized as Yahweh’s mercy, for he is responsible for saving Uta-napishti (Noah) and his family by warning him of Enlil’s plan. Apart from this and the postdiluvian gift of immortality that Uta-napishti receives, there is little that differs between the two accounts of the Great Flood.
In the Quran, dated in the 6th century AD, Muhammad the Prophet focuses upon the interpersonal dialog between Noah and those he tried to warn about the coming flood. This version of Noah’s narrative expands more upon this interaction where Genesis does not, however, nothing else of his account or the Great Flood is mentioned further. The Prophet uses the story to serve as an example for his own role in telling his audience to repent of their ways and turn to Allah (Hud 11:36–48).
In conclusion, Genesis is one of the more unique books of the Torah, as well as the Old Testament overall, for its subject matter and its approach in illustrating it. While it is a difficult book to understand on its own, further analysis of accompanying books, as well as outside literature for additional context, illuminates “the story within the story”.
The New Oxford Annotated Bible: New Revised Standard Version, Genesis 1–22. Oxford University Press, https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+1&version=NRSV
The Qur’an, Hud 11:36–48. Translated by Abdullah Yusuf Ali. Tahrike Tarsile Qur’an, Inc., pp. 136–139.
The Epic of Gilgamesh, Tablet 11:1–206. Translated by Andrew George. Penguin Books, pp. 88–95.