Polytheism VS. Monotheism

The Epic of Gilgamesh and Genesis both deal greatly with the Gods and their powers over mankind. The most prominent difference between the two texts is the Gods different influences over their creations. In the Epic of Gilgamesh polytheism is displayed; the belief in more than one God, and in Genesis monotheism is displayed; the belief that there is only one God.
In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Anu, only one of the numerous Gods in Sumerian beliefs, felt the need to punish Gilgamesh after he killed the Bull of Heaven. Even though the Bull of Heaven was sent upon Gilgamesh unjustly, the repercussion of killing Enkidu could be overcome. However, in Genesis the repercussions were harder to overcome. In monotheism, God had absolute reign, exemplified by Noah’s ark. Once the Lord realized how great the evil of the human creature was on earth he said, “I will wipe out the human race I created from the face of the earth, from human to cattle to crawling thing to the fowl of the heavens, for I regret that I have made them.” In this circumstance, none of mankind could have overcome God’s wrath besides Noah and his family.
The Gods in The Epic of Gilgamesh don’t represent moral standards, but act upon their own emotions. However, God in Genesis acts upon his own morals and self-standards. When God realized his creations weren’t acting upon his beliefs, he decided to start over, and wipe-out all of mankind except Noah who he favored. This proves that the role of the Gods is extremely influential over their creations in both texts, and the difference between monotheism and polytheism is the most significant factor that differentiates them.