Noah’s Ark Was Not Round

Irving Finkel, a curator at the British Museum, thinks that an old Babylonian tablet describes the real dimensions of Noah’s Ark.



Joel Kontinen


Just over a year ago, Irving Finkel published his book The Ark Before Noah: Decoding the Story of the Flood. This was followed more recently by a documentary that describes what he thought Noah’s Ark was like.

Dr. Finkel, an Assyriologist at the British Museum, thinks that an old Babylonian tablet describes the real dimensions of Noah’s Ark. The Mesopotamian ark appears to be circular, with a diameter of approximately 68 metres (220 feet). As such, it was a lot more seaworthy than the cube-shaped Gilgamesh ark that would hardly have withstood the flood.

But it was a lot smaller and unlike the Ark described in Genesis, it could most probably not have survived a yearlong flood.

As coracles or round river boats were widely used in ancient Mesopotamia and the local flood hypothesis is so widespread in liberal circles, this might explain why Finkel and some others were so eager to associate the tablet with Noah’s Ark.

It all boils down to presuppositions. Those who assume that the Mesopotamian stories predate Genesis will claim that the writer of Noah’s account used extra-biblical sources to write Genesis.

However, the ark described in Genesis is a more credible vessel. There are flood legends in almost every culture, which suggests that the flood was a real global event.

The most logical solution to the ark dilemma is that the Mesopotamians copied the Genesis account and not vice versa. In doing so, they got the shape of vessel wrong.

Source:

Finkel, Irving. 2014. Was the ark round? A Babylonian description discovered. The British Museum Blog (24 January).

Noah is Making Headlines Again

Noah has made news recently.




Joel Kontinen


With Darren Aronofsky’s Noah very much in the news, Biblical Archaeology Society joins the conversation by re-publishing an 11-year old article on Noah’s Flood written by Ronald Hendel.

Aronofsky’s Noah, featuring Russell Crowe as Noah and Anthony Hopkins as Methuselah, regards the Flood as a global cataclysm. The film has a number of extra-biblical elements, which tend to distort the Genesis account, putting too little emphasis on the Bible text.

The film’s environmental agenda is obvious. It does not depict Noah as a righteous man, and its description of Methuselah and some other characters borders on the bizarre.

What is more, it appears to add theistic evolution to Genesis.

In contrast, Genesis states unambiguously that God, the Sovereign Creatorof the universe, sent the Flood because of human sin and that exactly eight people and two animals of each kind survived it.

Hendel sticks even less closely to the biblical text than Aronofsky’s Noah. He calls the Genesis account “the legend of Noah’s Flood,” suggesting:

“Biblical scholars will tell you that the Flood Story in Genesis 6–9 derives most directly not from an actual event, but from earlier stories. The earlier stories are from ancient Mesopotamia, best known from the Gilgamesh Epic (Standard Babylonian version, c. 1100 B.C.E.) and the Atrahasis Epic (Old Babylonian, c. 1700 B.C.E.).”

I happen to be a Bible scholar who wrote my master’s thesis on Genesis but I do not subscribe to Hendel’s interpretation. He seems to rely too much on the dubious documentary theory that is mostly based on speculation instead of facts and sees Genesis as a later work.

The details in Genesis support the view that it was the original account and that like other flood legends, the Gilgamesh Epic is a distortion of it.

The ark in Genesis was a huge 150-metre (450 feet) long very seaworthy vessel that could have endured over 30 metre (90 feet) high waves. In contrast, the Gilgamesh ark was cube-formed. It would have capsized on the very first day of the Flood.

Source:

Hendel, Ronald S. 2003. The Search for Noah’s Flood. Scientists are looking in the wrong place. Biblical Archaeology Society.

More Evidences for the Genesis Flood in Australia: The Three Sisters

Joel Kontinen

There is no shortage of evidences for the Genesis Flood. The Three Sisters is a rock formation in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales near Sydney, Australia. It does not fit in well with the millions of years paradigm.

Erosion has eaten away the softer material, leaving only the Three Sisters and some other formations standing. However, during millions of years, nothing would be left, not even a single sister.

The best explanation for the Three Sisters is the Genesis Flood.

How Did Noah's Flood Begin?

Joel Kontinen

The Flood of Noah’s day was one of the major turning points in the history of our planet. While many people choose not to believe that the event was a global catastrophe, it was very real for those who had to encounter it, and it changed our world completely.

All reconstructions of the distant past that fail to take into account the Flood will thus give a false picture of the earth’s history.

Answers in Genesis designed a brief video that explains how the Flood might have begun:

The Genesis Flood and the Gilgamesh Epic

Genesis describes the ark and the global flood convincingly.



Joel Kontinen

Many skeptics think that the author of Genesis borrowed an ancient Babylonian myth in writing his account of the Flood. But a closer look at ancient documents reveals that this cannot be true.

We know of over 200 flood legends. It seems that almost every culture has its own version. This suggests that there was a destructive historical catastrophe that mankind has not been able to forget.

The ark in Genesis was a huge 150-metre (450 feet) long very seaworthy vessel that could have endured over 30 metre (90 feet) high waves. In contrast, the Gilgamesh ark was cube-formed. It would have capsized on the very first day of the Flood.

Utnapishtim, the hero in the Gilgamesh Epic, was boastful, whereas Noah was a righteous man. In Genesis, the description of the flood's ending is very convincing. In the Mesopotamian story it is not. Utnapishtim first sent out a dove before a raven, which is known as a carrion eater. Noah first sent out a raven and waited a week before sending a dove.

Sources:

Graves, Dan. 2007. Smith Electrified London with New Flood Account. Christianity. com.

Osanai, Nozomi. 2004. A comparative study of the flood accounts in the Gilgamesh Epic and Genesis. MA Thesis. Westley Biblical Seminary.

Migratory Birds Cause Problems for the Genesis ”Local Flood” Hypothesis

The Sooty Shearwater's (Puffinus griseus) long migration suggests that Noah’s Flood could not have been local. Image courtesy of Mike Baird, Flikr/Wikipedia.



Joel Kontinen

Some Christians and especially sceptics think that the Flood of Noah’s days was a local inundation in either Mesopotamia or the Black Sea area.

However, this view that many progressive creationists and theistic evolutionists promote has several serious problems.

The ark would have been unnecessary in a local flood. According to Genesis, Noah also had to take birds on the ark:

”You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive.” (Genesis 6:19-20, NIV).

Even today, many migratory birds fly thousands of kilometres from one continent to another twice a year. For instance, the Sooty Shearwater (Puffinus griseus) migrates from the Falkland Islands, Tierra del Fuego or New Zealand to Norway, a distance of some 14,000 kilometres (9,000 miles). And then the same way back.

The only reason why Noah had to take birds on the ark was that the Flood was global.

In a world entirely covered by water, the only shelter for migratory birds was inside the ark.

Interview With Dr. John Whitcomb (Co-author of The Genesis Flood)

Joel Kontinen

50 years ago, when evolutionist Sir Julian Huxley had just claimed that creationism was dead, two Christians – a scientist and a theologian – published a book that started the modern creationist renaissance. Drs. Henry Morris and John Whitcomb’s The Genesis Flood (1961) has become a Christian classic. Watch an interview with Dr. Whitcomb:

A Massive Noah’s Ark Sails into the London Olympics?

Joel Kontinen

Dutch ark-builder Johan Huibers has sent a letter to Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, asking for permission to anchor a full-size Noah’s ark on the Thames for next year’s Olympics.

The 150- metre (450 feet) long vessel is expected to become a tourist attraction. It will be a testimony of the reliability of the Bible, as visitors will be able to see how massive Noah’s Ark was.


The original ark was a huge ocean-going vessel. It could take on board as many animals as could fit in over 520 railroad stock cars. The dimensions of the ark made it a very seaworthy vessel. Not even 30-metre (over 90 ft) waves could have capsized it during the year-long global flood.

In 2007 Mr. Huber’s built a floating ark that was 70 metres (230 ft) long, 13 metres (43 ft) wide and 13 metres (43 ft) high. Many were amazed at how big the Dutch ark was although its volume was roughly only one-fifth of Noah’s vessel:





Source:

Hall, Allan. 2011. Now that's what I call an Olympic event: Life-sized replica of Noah's Ark to sail up Thames for 2012 games... complete with animals. Mail Online( 1 June)

Huge Fossil Graveyard Found in China

All land animals outside Noah’s ark met their death in a year-long global catastrophe.



Joel Kontinen

Researchers have found a huge fossil graveyard in south west China. According to LiveScience, it is “a giant cache of nearly 20,000 fossil reptiles, shellfish and a host of other prehistoric creatures”.

A research team led by Shixue Hu reported on the finds online in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

The researchers assume that the mass grave holds the remains of animals that met their death in the mass extinction event at the end of the Permian Period some 250 million years ago. The event is assumed to be “the most devastating mass extinction on Earth.”

Genesis also describes a huge mass extinction event that put an end to all land-based life outside Noah’s ark. Some 4500 years ago all land animals outside the ark met their death in a year-long global catastrophe.

The Flood left massive fossil graveyards all over the world. (You can read more here and here.)

Source:

Choi, Charles Q. 2010. Cache in Chinese Mountain Reveals 20,000 Prehistoric Fossils. LiveScience (21 December).

Noah’s ark was an amazingly large vessel

Joel Kontinen


In 2007 Johan Huibers, a Dutch carpenter, built a floating ark that was 70 metres (230 ft) long, 13 metres (43 ft) wide and 13 metres (43 ft) high. Many were amazed at how big the Dutch ark was. However, its volume was roughly one-fifth of Noah’s vessel.

It took 20 weeks for Huibers to build his ark. He hopes to build a full-size ark one day.

The original ark was a huge ocean-going vessel. It could take on board as many animals as could fit in over 520 railroad stock cars. The dimensions of the ark made it a very seaworthy vessel. Not even 30-metre (over 90 ft) waves could have capsized it.

Noah’s ark has been in the news lately. Ark Encounter and Answers in Genesis are building a full-size ark in Kentucky. It should be ready in 2014.


Source

Gunnink, Frans. 2008. One man and a vision. Creation 30(4):12–14.

When Neanderthals Were Depicted As Apemen

Recent discoveries have shown that Neanderthals were not ape-like. Reconstruction of a Neanderthal girl. Image courtesy of Christopher P.E. Zollikofer, Anthropological Institute, University of Zurich, via Wikipedia.




Joel Kontinen

In the 19th century, anthropologists had not yet discovered any fossils of our assumed forefathers in Africa so they used Neanderthal men as their poster boys for Darwinism, depicting them as grunting, stooped cavemen. Evolution needed spectacular evidence and ape-men were well-suited for the task.

Chris Stringer, an anthropologist at the London Natural History Museum, acknowledges that Neanderthal men were not ape-men although they differed from us in some respects. For instance, they had larger brains than H. sapiens.

Dr. Stringer has not become a creationist but he nevertheless pointed out some misconceptions in a recent Scientific American podcast.

Neanderthal men were cleverer than we thought. (You can read more here , here and here.)

Neanderthals have made headlines recently. Svante Pääbo, a geneticist at the Max Planck Institute, and his research team are sequencing the Neanderthal genome and hope to publish some preliminary results in the near future.

Pääbo believes that H. sapiens and H. neanderthalis lived near each other for long ages in Europe and the Middle East and they probably came into contact with each other. However, he does not think that there was any genetic mixing between them and us.

According to the creation model, Neanderthal men were the descendants of Adam. They most probably lived after the global flood of Noah’s day so we would not be surprised to see Neanderthal traits in some of our fellow-travellers.

Sources:

Callaway, Ewen. 2009. Genetic evidence for human-Neanderthal hanky panky? New Scientist blog (27 October.) http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/shortsharpscience/2009/10/genetic-evidence-for-human-nea.html

Scientific American podcast, 23 October 2009
http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=human-evolution-lucy-and-neandertha-09-10-23&sc=WR_20091027

If there was no global flood in Noah’s days how do we find billions of fossils in the Grand Canyon?

Nautiloid fossil. Image from Wikipedia.

Joel Kontinen

New Scientist is a popular science magazine. Published weekly in Great Britain, it has recently focused on educating the public about evolution. A few weeks ago the magazine's website referred to a study conducted two years ago that indicated that in Charles Darwin’s homeland only 48 per cent of all people believed in evolution.

The magazine came up with a solution: more science (i.e. evolution) education. New Scientist has thus enlightened its readers by featuring articles promoting evolution. On April 16 New Scientist run a special section on its website on the myths and misconception people have about evolution. Online editor Michael Le Page claimed for instance that the flood of Noah’s days never happened. However, he failed to provide any proof for his view.

Many enormous fossil graveyards speak volumes for a real watery catastrophe. For instance, scientists have found billions of fossilised nautiloids in the Grand Canyon. They have had to be buried really fast. Read more here.


Read more about New Scientist’s theological arguments for evolution here.

Source:

Le Page, Michael. 2008. Evolution: 24 myths and misconceptions. http://www.newscientist.com/channel/life/dn13620?DCMP=NLC-nletter&nsref=dn13620