Comparing Confucius and Mesopotamia

Comparisons of Confucian and Mesopotamians Beliefs

Joshua Barney

        The cultures of Early China and Mesopotamia existed far from each other physically and had various principles in the political and religious beliefs. In reading the two texts from the book, “Analects of Confucius” ^[1] and “The Epic of Gilgamesh”^[2], the reader finds that there are many comparisons between the beliefs of the two cultures. Conforming to ancient Chinese values, Confucius initially defined the complex structure of Confucianism with his religious and philosophical beliefs. Confucianism emphases that followers should exemplify intellect and virtue in everyday activities to promote a righteous society. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, the physical power of man and the supernatural power of the gods is discussed. The story is infused with the gods’ preternatural abilities to create beings beyond what would be considered human and to cause rampant destruction. The given stories will be used to show correlations in the beliefs systems of the two disparate societies.

        The first comparison that can be made is based off of each society’s views on spirituality. In The Analects, Confucius shows that he believed in the afterlife when he noted, “Let there be a careful attention to perform the funeral rites to parents, and let them be followed when long gone with the ceremonies of sacrifice”^[3]. Confucius goes on to note that people should respect spiritual beings in their daily lives, “To give one’s self earnestly to the duties due to men, and, while respecting spiritual beings, to keep aloof from them”^[4]. The information in The Analects shows that the Chinese believed in the spirit world indirectly affecting the physical world.

        In contrast, The Epic of Gilgamesh shows the gods using more direct means to affect the happenings of the world. The first occurrence of direct intervention by the gods was in the creation of Gilgamesh himself; “When the gods created Gilgamesh they gave him a perfect body. Shamash the glorious sun endowed him with beauty. Adad, the god of the storm endowed him with courage, the great gods made his beauty perfect, surpassing all others, terrifying like a great wild bull. Two-thirds they made him god and one-third man”^[5]. The next intervention by the gods was presented in the form of a dream, “Enlil of the mountain, the father of the gods, had decreed the destiny of Gilgamesh. So Gilgamesh dreamed”^[6]. The text continues to show direct intervention into the lives of men when Gilgamesh goes to speak with Utnapishtim who was the only man to survive the great flood and receive eternal life from the gods. Then finally while Gilgamesh talks to Utnapishtim about the flood, Utnapishtim says that “Enlil heard the clamor and he said to the gods in council, ‘The uproar of mankind is intolerable and sleep is no longer possible by reason of the babel.’ So the gods agreed to exterminate mankind...”^[7]. The writings in The Epic clearly show that Mesopotamians, as with many other ancient societies, believed that the gods played an active role in affecting the everyday world.