Ancient Sumer is the earliest known civilization of Mesopotamia, located in the southeastern most region of the Fertile Crescent. Some of the first settlements or cities of Sumer were Uruk, Akkad, and Ur. The names of these Sumerian cities are paralleled with similar names found in the Bible, which describe the same geographical locations. For example, Sumerian Uruk is known as Erech in the tenth chapter of the book of Genesis where Akkad, or Accad is also found. A direct parallel of Sumeria and the Bible, is the ancient city state of Ur of the Chaldees. Not only was Ur one of the main settlements of Sumer, it was also the birthplace of the patriarch and prophet Abraham. Since Abraham has Sumerian roots, so too does the Bible share in this ancient Mesopotamian legacy.
The Sumerian language was first written down on clay tablets around 3,200 BC, and was the first language to be written in the cuneiform script. Even though Sumer was in the middle of Semitic civilizations, the Sumerian language was not a Semitic language. However, the Akkadian civilization to the north of Sumer spoke a different language but shared the use of cuneiform to write down their Semitic tongue. These ancient Mesopotamian civilizations not only shared a writing system, they also shared an immense literary library as well as a complex mythology. One such mythological literary work, which indeed possesses Biblical parallels, is the ancient Babylonian poem, “The Epic of Gilgamesh.”
Gilgamesh, the hero of the story, is stated to be two-thirds a god and one-third a mortal man. He is a might ruler, and a great builder. One could say he was a giant of a man. The Bible reveals that there were indeed giants in ancient times. The Bible tells us that the giants were mighty men, and men of renown, very much like the Gilgamesh of ancient Mesopotamia. One specific Biblical character that parallels Gilgamesh, is Nimrod. The Bibles states that Nimrod was a mighty one on the earth, and a mighty hunter. Nimrod is described as if he too were a giant. Also, the Bible says that the beginning of Nimrod’s kingdom was “Babel, and Erech, and Accad…in the land of Shinar.” (Genesis 10:10). From Babel we get Babylonia, and from Erech we have Sumerian Uruk. Thus the geography and personal stature of the Biblical Nimrod corresponds to the Babylonian Gilgamesh.
Moving past Genesis and looking into other books of the Holy Bible, we still see similarities with other ancient Mesopotamian historical figures and their accomplishments. For example, in around the year 1,754 BC, the Babylonian king Hammurabi put together a code of law, which in many ways echos the laws of Moses found in Leviticus. The Code of Hammurabi has laws of retaliation, such as “an eye for an eye,” which is also written in Leviticus 24:20. Though laws in the Code of Hammurabi are also found in the Bible, the law of Moses has many more laws in it than that of Hammurabi’s Code. For instance, the Code of Hammurabi consists of 282 laws while the law of Moses contains 613 commandments, far surpassing the laws of the Babylonian Code. Despite this difference the Code of Hammurabi is indeed an ancient Mesopotamian forerunner of the Biblical Mosaic Law.
Returning to the Epic of Gilgamesh we see a most dazzling parallel with the story of the Flood as recorded in the book of Genesis. In the Gilgamesh epic the gods decide to destroy the world with a Flood, but choose one man and his family to escape this judgment by constructing a boat. The Noah character is named Upnapishti, and like Noah he releases birds after the Flood to see if there is any dry land. Unlike Noah, Upnapishti is granted immortality, but Noah’s memory is still alive to this very day. And that might be the biggest parallel of the Bible and ancient Sumeria; the theme of how man is born only to die one day. In both cases the quest of mortals who seek immortality is to live a virtuous life, with the gift of Paradise and everlasting life awaiting them when their work in this life is over.
References:
George, A. The Epic of Gilgamesh. (London, England: Penguin Classics, 1999).
Kramer, S.N. History Begins at Sumer. (Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1959).
Roux, G. Ancient Iraq. (New York, NY: Penguin Books, Inc., 1992).