The Atra-Hasis Epic<\/b><\/p>\n
The Bible is not the only ancient record of Creation and the Flood. Well-known in antiquity is the Atra-Hasis Epic. Atra-Hasis, meaning \u201cexceeding wise,\u201d is the name of the story\u2019s principal character. Dating from the 17th century BC, fragmentary copies of the Epic have been excavated from numerous Mesopotamian sites. Originally about 1,245 cuneiform lines on three clay tablets, we have only pieces today. The Epic offers many details similar to the Bible\u2019s Creation and Flood accounts. It speaks of the gods ruling the heavens and earth, making man from the clay (mixed with blood) to tend the land, and men multiplying on the earth. When they became too noisy, a flood was sent to destroy mankind. Atra-Hasis, given advanced warning, built a boat and loaded it with food, animals and birds. They were saved while the rest of the world perished.<\/p>\n
Similarities with the Biblical account of Creation and the Flood are oblivious. The Bible and the Atra-Hasis Epic are recorded from different cultures of the same even. But the Biblical account is not just the Hebrews\u2019 account of events\u2014it is also God\u2019s! (For additional information on the Atra-Hasis Epic, see The Atrahasis Epic, the Genesis Flood and Capital Punishment, Bible and Spade<\/i> 8 [old series, 1979]: 17-28; Genesis and Ancient Near Eastern Stories of Creation and Flood: An Introduction, Parts 3 and 4, Bible and Spade<\/i> 9 [1996]: 68-76, 103\u201310.) GAB<\/p>\n
The Gilgamesh Epic<\/b><\/p>\n
The Gilgamesh Epic is a 4,000-year-old Babylonian tale of the hero Gilgamesh. Today we have many copies in different language from Mesopotamia. It was written on 12 tablets, the longest of which, tablet 11, has over 300 lines. Our best copy was found in the library of the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal (668\u2013627 BC) at Nineveh, Henry Layard excavated 11 of the tablets in 1850. But the most important tablet was missing\u2014number 11, containing the story of a great Flood. George Smith, an Assyriologist at the British Museum, was the first to translate Layard\u2019s Gilgamesh tablets. In 1872 he announced at a meeting of the Society of Biblical Archeology in London that the missing tablet contained a Flood account. The London Daily Telegraph<\/i> funded an expedition for Smith to go to Nineveh to search for tablet 11. Incredibly, in only five days, his workmen found the missing tablet, now on display in the British Museum.<\/p>\n
The Epic describes a wise man, warrior and great builder\u2014Gilgamesh king of Uruk\u2014who was also part-god and part-man. He visited the Babylonian Noah, Utnapishtim, who told him about the great Flood, the ark he had constructed and the people he had saved. He also told of animals taken on the ark, landing on a mountain, sending out birds and offering sacrifices afterward. Similarities with the Biblical account clearly suggest they are describing the same event.<\/p>\n
Ancient and modern Flood stories, worldwide, point to a common event early in human history\u2014and the most straightforward account we have comes from the Bible. Facts relating to geology, biology, hydrology and physics in the Biblical account also suggest it must be taken seriously.<\/p>\n
Numerous copies of the Gilgamesh Epic from all over Mesopotamia indicate its importance to the Babylonians. It recorded a real event in antiquity\u2014the Biblical Flood of Noah. GAB<\/p>\n
BSpade<\/i> 17:1 (Winter 2004) p. 33<\/p>\n
Contributing Authors<\/b><\/p>\n
Charles F. Aling, Ph.D., is currently the Chair of the History Department at Northwestern College, St. Paul MN. Dr. Aling is also the president of the Institute for Biblical Archaeology and is the author of Egypt and Bible History<\/i>.<\/b><\/p>\n
Rodger Dalman holds a Th.D. degree in Old Testament from Concordia Seminary. He currently teaches for Trinity College and Seminary of Newburgh IN and for Northwestern College in St. Paul MN.<\/b><\/p>\n
Bryant G. Wood is a director of the Associates for Biblical Research and director of ABR\u2019s excavation at Khirbet el-Maqatir<\/b><\/p>\n
Gary A. Byers is a staff member of the Associates for Biblical Research and administrative director of ABR\u2019s excavation at Khirbet el-Maqatir.<\/b><\/p>\n
Brad Sparks is a science writer-journalist and technical analyst working in the computer industry. He is a member of the American Research Center in Egypt, American School of Oriental Research, and has had training in astrophysics, radar engineering, and radiation biology.<\/b><\/p>\n
Bible And Spade 17:2 (Spring 2004)<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Atra-Hasis Epic The Bible is not the only ancient record of Creation and the Flood. Well-known in antiquity is the Atra-Hasis Epic. Atra-Hasis, meaning \u201cexceeding wise,\u201d is the name of the story\u2019s principal character. Dating from the 17th century BC, fragmentary copies of the Epic have been excavated from numerous Mesopotamian sites. Originally about … Continue reading “GREAT
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