If you want to get the Bible 100 % practically, the story of Noah is a tough nut to crack. Even if the area of wonders is very farfetched, the notion that every animal on earth was floating atop a one-world sea a couple thousand years ago is. Obviously, Noah’s story is completely at odds with the fossil record, regionalized wildlife ( and plantlife ), and common sense.
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Really: Plantlife. All of my plants were destroyed when Hurricane Helene flooded my house with five feet of lake water. And that inundation only lasted a short while! If the whole planet was covered with a salt sea for 40 days, there’s no way they’d live. Trust me: That water water is harsh.
( Freshwater fish probably would n’t survive either, but maybe Noah had aquariums. )
The Bible details Noah’s ark, so we have an excellent idea of what it looks like (you can even visit recreations ). For instance, we know it was made of wood.
Also, there are about 2, 000 unique species of ants. ( Only 45 termite species are native to the United States, thank God. ) I do n’t know how Noah stored 2, 000 species of termites on his wooden boat, but as a homeowner in 2024, I kinda wish he had n’t.
Really, Noah could’ve left all kinds of annoying parasites behind: Mind fleas and tapeworms, for example. Plus, all those midges, etc. It could n’t have been pleasant.
There are nearly 1.05 million mosquito species, 11, 000 animals, 11, 000 snakes, and 6, 000 animals. And on the ship, at least TWO of each species were present. There would n’t be enough hours in the day, even if every animal on the boat was fed in half a second and shoved the feces into the feces. The creatures would all be starving, and the vessel did smell awful.
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Different than keeping other human children, Noah did keep a pair of animals. That usually irritates me oddly. I mean, I have nothing against animals ( I’m pro-yak! ), but Noah perhaps could have cared for a few innocent children with the space it needed to feed and care for a pair of llamas. Maybe three hundred. So I do n’t know why yaks were more important than helpless, sinless newborns, but here we are.
Okay, I’ll stop today, because I’m sounding like an a** ( even more so than ordinary ). Finding minor imperfections in the Bible is low-hanging fruits — and ( in my opinion ) is missing the larger stage.
Besides, it’s the larger place that I care on: There are infinite ways to interpret the Bible. The Bible is about God, after all, and one’s image of God is unique: My emotional image of God differs from yours. And if we ca n’t even come to terms on the starting point, it’s going to be next to impossible to come to terms with every twist and turn in the Bible.
The significance of the Bible is a complicated matter — one that’s replete with recriminations, allegations, and declarations of trust. Some researchers contend that the exegesis of the Bible is fairly new. Some people give mystical meanings. But true believers make an excellent point: Could n’t an all-powerful, all-knowing God just as easily create a Holy Book that’s historical AND moral? So why has it finally be one or the other? Why no both?
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Just God Himself has a reliable sense of certainty.
Interestingly, the story of Noah is probably the one tale in the Old Testament that’s most supported by outside ( non-Biblical ) texts. Archaeologist Austin Henry Layard discovered an Akkadian text that predated the Bible in 1849 at the ruins of Nineveh ( the city mentioned in Jonah’s story ). It details the life of a prehistoric figure named Gilgamesh.
And in the tale, there was a gigantic disaster.
One man received a holy flood warning from a goddess named Ea. To succeed, he must develop a very large vessel with extremely specific sizes. ( The boat’s walls were 120 cubits, for example. ) And then” all the dogs and pets of the area” entered the vessel, and the wind began. Immediately, everything was flooded.
After many, several days and nights of a torrent, the weather suddenly stopped. The man then plunged a dove into the horizon. Sensing it was safe, he finally released his cattle, which took to the world in all directions. Following this, a sheep dog sacrifice was made.
The similarities to Noah are visible.
Although the story of Gilgamesh is much older than the Bible, this does n’t necessarily imply that the Bible was the author of the book. It could mean that a large-scale storm may be frequently remembered. However, even in the New World, traditions of a world-encompassing overflow are remarkably commonplace. It’s definitely humanity’s most general legend.
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Perhaps it’s the lingering remembrance of Noah’s boat — because it really, really, really happened, just like the Bible said it did! Or perhaps flooding was a regular threat as the earth’s temperature rose and the planet was warming up, making coastal cities particularly vulnerable.  ,
It could be all these items. Or just some of those items.
Or it could all be a fluke.
Do you think it boils down to this: Do you think the Bible is accurate that every phrase and assertion should be taken absolutely? Or do you think the Bible is truth, that there is a unique wisdom within the Bibles that can enhance your soul, but that truth can come in many forms, and you must work to find out what it means for yourself?
Humans are easy, God is difficult. It makes sense that His publication would be difficult, too.