In our continuing series on the reliability of the Old Testament, we'll examine the texts in view of two sets of evidence. First, the way in which it can be confirmed by historical evidence, either textual or material; and second, the way in which it points to a fulfillment in Jesus, which gives evidence of the divine inspiration of scripture.
The Historicity of Noah's Flood
There's a fairly broad debate among Bible scholars about how to interpret the details of Noah's story, which (like all of Gen. 1-11) comes under discussions of cultural historiography, genre, and authorial intent. Essentially, the question here is whether it was written and understood as an exact history (in the manner we would write history today) or as a primeval epic (in which historical events are portrayed to make a larger point about the world and its meaning). In terms of the historicity of the text, then, the question is not whether Noah is a historical character (both possible genres assume that he is), but whether this was a truly global flood or a major flood of the known world at the time. The details of that debate are worth exploring, but our purpose here is to explore the common ground that points, in the cases of both genres, toward Gen. 6-9 conveying true historical memories.
- There is archaeological evidence in both the Mesopotamian region and in the Black Sea basin of a major ancient flood that effectively wiped out a primeval civilization. That is, the areas on both sides of the geographic area said to be the landing-spot of the ark show evidence of a civilization-ending flood.
- Legends and folktales from around the world have a common story about a major flood that wipes out humanity, except for one family (and often some animals). Well-known examples from the ancient world are the Atrahasis epic from Babylon and the myth of Deucalion from Greece. Tellingly, these legends come from every major area of human settlement, including far-flung areas (like South America and Australia) which would have had no contact with the ancient Middle Eastern tales for thousands of years. This suggests that all the legends stem from a common historical memory.
Noah's Flood as an Allegory of the Gospel
See the following previously published posts on this subject: