The Epic of Gilgamesh is the world’s first epic. In this epic is a story very similar to Noah’s flood of our Holy Bible. And throughout other religions people can find similar stories as to what is told in the Bible. As well as the similar messages preached by the Buddha and the sermons of Christ. All of these things sparked my curiosity as to the origin of belief, and the origin of these tales. The Epic of Gilgamesh is strikingly similar to the account of Noah and the flood in our Holy Bible, as well as the Buddha’s sermons bear so much in common with the sermons of Christ.


The Epic of Gilgamesh is the world’s first epic, it was recited for centuries before it was ever recorded. The Epic of Gilgamesh speaks of the flood of Noah’s days, names have changed and some specific details vary, but it was handed down orally for centuries before it was ever recorded, so it is perfectly logical to assume that some of the information was misreported. What I find to be most interesting about my recent studies, is that so many different religions tell the same stories and for the most part teach the same message. Had it not been for Jesus Christ, God born of the flesh, coming to dwell here on earth with us and teaching us the mysteries of the unknown, then a person could be easily deceived or misguided on the proper way to worship our creator. But Christ did come, and He did teach us the proper ways to honor and worship our heavenly Father. What my research has led me to believe is that the stories in the Holy Bible are truthful and accurate and even other religions believe many truths found in the Holy Bible. As one will see in this Native American account of creation, “Going to the bank of the river he took a piece of clay, and out of it he fashioned a little clay man” (Fiero, 2006) Does that sound familiar at all? To me it sounds a whole lot like the account given in Genesis on creation. The Epic of Gilgamesh is strikingly similar to the account of Noah and the flood in our Holy Bible, and the Buddha’s sermons bear much in common with the sermons of Christ.
I was kind of shocked when I first read the Epic of Gilgamesh and read about the flood account given there. For six days and six nights the winds blew, torrent and tempest and flood overwhelmed the world, tempest and flood raged together like warring hosts. When the seventh day dawned the storm from the south subsided, the seas grew calm, the flood was stilled; I looked at the face of world and there was silence, all mankind was turned to clay.(Fiero, 2006,p. 41)
I wonder about the flood stopping on the seventh day, and in Genesis the Lord resting on the seventh day. Also when God is telling Noah how many animals to take of the clean ones he takes seven. In Genesis we read,“Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female.”(Gen. 7:2) Why should we look at the numbers as being important? Because the stories do vary in detail but different numerical truths always seem to remain, like the number seven. Also different animals seem to stay the same like in the Mayan creation account the serpent is a key character. “As with the Polpal Vuh, animals (in this case a serpent) play important roles in creation accounts.”(Parsons, 2004, 185-205) Now let’s look at the similarities in Buddha’s sermons and those of my savior Christ Jesus.
Siddhartha Gautama, better known as the Buddha lived centuries before Christ, but gave two sermons strikingly similar to those of Christ. Buddha’s sermon at Benares resembles the sermon Christ gave on the Mount. “Neither abstinence from fish or flesh, nor going naked, nor shaving the head, nor wearing matted hair, nor dressing in rough garment, nor covering oneself with dirt, nor sacrificing to Agni, will cleanse a man who is not free from delusions.”(Fiero, 2006, 13) This is an excerpt from Buddha’s sermon at Benares, taken from our text and the following comes from Buddha’s sermon on abuse,
Son, if a man declined to accept a present made to him, to whom would it belong? And he answered: In that case it would belong to the man who offered it My son, said the Buddha, Thou has railed at me, but I decline to accept thy abuse, and request thee to keep it thyself. Will it not be a misery to thee? . . . A wicked man who reproaches a virtuous one is like one who looks up and spits at the heavens: the spittle soils not the heavens, but comes back defiles his own person. (Fiero, 2006, p.15)
Now let’s see how that sermon by Buddha resembles that of Christ’s Sermon on the Mount. “3: Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.4: Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. 39 But I say unto you, that ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also.
Obviously there are some similarities there and some scholars whose main goal is to disprove the bible would say that that Jesus traveled to India and abroad studying different religions before he started his earthly ministry, and He very well may have. The next person we are going to look at is Confucius, having no real spiritual belief he came up with the Golden rule again centuries before Christ. Throughout history many intelligent men have written guidelines and codes of conduct. Few non Christian men however have hit the mark as close as Kong- fuzi, better known as Confucius. “Confucius was China’s most notable thinker.”(Fiero,2006,p 158)
Confucius confidently maintained that human character, not birth, determined the worth and status of an individual. He had little to say about gods and spirits; nor did he pursue ultimate truth (in the manner of the Greek philosophers). Rather, he taught the importance of tradition, filial piety (respect for one’s elders), and the exercise of li. In doing so, he formulated the first expression of the so-called “Golden Rule”: “What you do not wish for yourself, do not do to others.(Fiero,2006,p.158)
“Confucius-at least in the Luen yu-did not willingly deal with matters that did not have a practical aspect. He spoke of them only in implicit manner. When Tse-Lu questioned him about death, he replied, “You do not know what life is; how could you know what death is?” During the same conversation, Tse-Lu asked him how one must serve the spirits and the gods, and Confucius answered, “You do not know how to serve men. How could you serve the gods?”(Do-Dinh, 1969,p.124)
Confucius not being a spiritual man came up with the number one rule that spiritual men and women live by every day.
In conclusion, many religions share stories, beliefs, and similar values and backgrounds. In doing this paper I learned that the topic I picked was way too diverse and needed much more time for research than what is allowed in an accelerated class. But it did spark my interest in the study of the origins of beliefs and I hope that it sparks curiosity in others as well. The similarities of The Epic of Gilgamesh and the flood of the Bible caught my attention right away; as did the similarities of Buddha’s sermons in comparison to those of Christ’s. I pray that after hearing my presentation my hearers will take some time for themselves to study the inspired Word of God and other Religious literature as well.

References
Works Cited
Do-Dinh, P. (1969). Confucius and Chinese humanism. usa: Funk and Wagnalls.
Fiero, G. k. (2006). The humanistic tradition. New York: McGraw-Hill.Book 1
Fiero, G. K. (2006). The humanistic tradition. New York: McGraw-Hill.Book 2
Parsons, m. c. (2004). Cosmogonies and culture. Christian Higher Education , 185-205.
The Holy Bible. (1990). Belarus: Thomas Nelson, inc.