Compare and contrast the behaviour of the god(s) in “Eluma Elish,” Gilgamesh, and the Old Testament

1) Compare and contrast the behaviour of the god(s) in “Eluma Elish,” Gilgamesh, and the Old Testament. What differences do you see?</p><p style=”text-align:left;”> </p><p style=”text-align:left;”>2) Looking at the love lyrics of the Egyptians, what strikes you about these poems, written more 3500 years ago?</p><p style=”text-align:left;”> </p><p style=”text-align:left;”>3) What do you think the purposes of the assigned psalms are?</p><p style=”text-align:left;”> </p><p style=”text-align:left;”>4) Choose a Hebrew or Sumerian woman (goddesses included) and discuss the role of the women in these stories? What is it that women do?</p><p style=”text-align:left;”> </p><p style=”text-align:left;”>5) If you were an anthropologist, and all you had were these stories, what values would you say were most important to the Hebrew or Babylonian?</p><p style=”text-align:left;”> </p><p style=”text-align:left;”>6) In which culture do you think you would feel most at home?  In which culture would you feel least at home? In both cases, why?</p><p style=”text-align:left;”> </p><p style=”text-align:left;”>7) Looking at these stories as myths (stories that explain natural phenomenon or teach lessons in how to live), which is the most effective story for you, and why?</p><p style=”text-align:left;”>Do not privilege the Old Testament because you are most familiar with it, but look at how the stories function.</p><p style=”text-align:left;”> </p><p style=”text-align:left;”> </p><p style=”text-align:left;”>8) In terms of what the gods expect of their worshippers, what  do you think of  the role of the so-called pagan gods/polytheistic cultures (Sumerian and the god of the Hebrews – What differences  catch your eye?</p><p style=”text-align:left;”> </p><p style=”text-align:left;”>9) Discuss the role of nature/the wilderness in both the epic of Gilgamesh and the Old Testament. What differences in attitude do you see?</p>