FLOODS (Lecture 14)

Near Eastern Flood Narrative Degraded state of world •Reason for Flood Divine decision to destroy world •Selection of individual human being •Instructions on boat and stowing of animals •Drowning of all life on earth •Attempts to determine when waters subside •Individual disembarks •Sacrifice •Flood condemned •Reform •Deity promises not to send Flood again •Covenant •Blessing of human being

SUMERIAN ATRAHASIS BABYLONIAN GILGAMESH XI HEBREW GENESIS Enlil displeased by noise and overpopulation Yahweh displeased by moral corruption Enlil regrets creation, plans flood Yahweh regrets creation, plans flood Enki informs Atrahasis about flood Ea informs Uta-napishtim about flood Yahweh informs Noah about flood Enki instructs Atrahasis to build boat with multiple decks Ea instructs Uta-napishtim to build boat with multiple decks Yahweh instructs Noah to build boat with multiple decks Atrahasis fills boat with birds, cattle, wild animals Uta-napishtim fills boat with household possessions, “all the seed of living things,” cattle, wild beasts Noah fills boat with seven male/female pairs of each clean animal, one male/female pair of each unclean animal Enlil sends rain that lasts 7 days and 7 nights Enlil sends rain that lasts 7 days Yahweh sends rain that lasts 40 days all life on earth drowned [text broken] boat runs aground on Mt. Nimush boat runs aground on Mt. Ararat Uta-napishtim sends dove; dove returns Noah sends raven; raven returns Uta-napishtim sends swallow; swallow returns Noah sends dove; dove returns Noah sends dove again; dove returns with olive leaf

BABYLONIAN GILGAMESH XI HEBREW GENESIS SUMERIAN ATRAHASIS BABYLONIAN GILGAMESH XI HEBREW GENESIS [text broken] Uta-napishtim sends raven; raven does not return Noah sends dove third time; dove does not return Atrahasis disembarks Uta-napishtim disembarks Noah disembarks Atrahasis makes burnt offerings Uta-napishtim makes burnt offerings (incense) Noah makes burnt offerings gods smell pleasant odor, gather “like flies” Yahweh smells pleasant odor Nintu condemns flood, reproaches Enlil Inanna condemns flood, reproaches Enlil Yahweh promises not to send flood again Enlil enraged that destruction is not complete Enki confesses to warning Atrahasis Ea confesses to warning Uta-napishtim Yahweh blesses Noah Yahweh makes rules about shedding and eating blood Nintu makes lapis lazuli necklace out of flies as memento of flood Inanna makes lapis lazuli necklace out of flies as memento of flood Yahweh establishes rainbow as covenant with Noah gods create diseases and disabilities to curb overpopulation gods propose other means (famine, predation) to curb overpopulation [Yahweh sets 120-year limit on human lifespan] Uta-napishtim and wife immortalized Noah’s family multiplies

Reason Atrahasis I Gilgamesh XI Genesis 6:1-7 And the country became too wide, the people too numerous. The country was as noisy as a bellowing bull. The god grew restless at their racket, Ellil had to listen to their noise. He addressed the great gods, “The noise of mankind has become too much, I am losing sleep over their racket...” Shuruppak is a city that you yourself know, situated on the bank of the Euphrates. That city was already old when the gods within it decided that the great gods should make a flood. 1 When men began to multiply on the face of the ground, and daughters were born to them, 
2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were fair; and they took to wife such of them as they chose. 
3 Then the Lord said, "My spirit shall not abide in man for ever, for he is flesh, but his days shall be a hundred and twenty years." 
...
5 The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 
6 And the Lord was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. 
7 So the Lord said, "I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the ground, man and beast and creeping things and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them."

Sacrifice Atrahasis III Gilgamesh XI Genesis 6:20-21 He put down [ ], provided food [ ] The gods smelled the fragrance, gathered like flies over the offering. When they had eaten the offering, Nintu got up and blamed them all... I made a sacrifice, set out a surginnu-offering upon the mountain peak, arranged the jars seven and seven. Into the bottom of them I poured reeds, pine, and myrtle. the gods smelled the pleasant fragrance, the gods like flies gathered over the sacrifice. 20 Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 
21 And when the Lord smelled the pleasing odor, the Lord said in his heart, "I will never again curse the ground because of man...”

Covenant Atrahasis III Gilgamesh XI Genesis 9:12-17 Then she went up to the big flies which Anu had made, and declared before the gods, “His grief is mine! My destiny goes with his! He must deliver me from evil and appease me! [ ] Let these flies be the lapis lazuli of my necklace by which I may remember it daily forever.” As soon as the Mistress of he Gods arrived she raised the great flies which Anu had made to please her: “Behold, O gods, I shall never forget my lapis lazuli necklace, I shall remember these times, and I shall never forget. 12 And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: 
13 I set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 
14 When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, 
15 I will remember my covenant which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. 
16 When the bow is in the clouds, I will look upon it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth." 
17 God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth."

Reform Atrahasis III Gilgamesh XI Genesis 6:3 In addition let there be one-third of the people, Among the people the woman who gives birth yet does Not give birth [successfully]; Let the pasittu-demon be among the people, To snatch the baby from its mother's lap. Establish ugbabtu, entu, egisitu-women: They shall be taboo, and thus control childbirth. Instead of imposing a flood, let a lion come and diminish the people. Instead of imposing a flood, let a wolf come    and diminish the people. Instead of imposing a flood, impose famine    and lessen the land. Instead of imposing a flood, let Erra rise up    and savage the people. Then the Lord said, "My spirit shall not abide in man for ever, for he is flesh, but his days shall be a hundred and twenty years."