Changes

| caption=The replica of Noah's ark shown above is 1/75 scale. For comparison purposes, both the railroad stockcar and model of the sailing ship Pinta (one of Columbus' ships) are also at the same 1/75 scale model size.<ref>[http://www.biblestudy.org/biblepic/arksize.html Scale model replica of Noah's ark - Biblestudy.org]</ref>

| caption=The replica of Noah's ark shown above is 1/75 scale. For comparison purposes, both the railroad stockcar and model of the sailing ship Pinta (one of Columbus' ships) are also at the same 1/75 scale model size.<ref>[http://www.biblestudy.org/biblepic/arksize.html Scale model replica of Noah's ark - Biblestudy.org]</ref>

| owner=[[Noah]]

| owner=[[Noah]]

| authorized=1 Eitanim 1536 AM (4 October 2469 BC)

| authorized=1 Eitanim 1536 AM (4 October 2469 BC) (traditional reckoning).

| keellaid=1 Abib 1536 AM (30 March 2468 BC)

| keellaid=1 Abib 1536 AM (30 March 2468 BC) (traditional reckoning).

| commissioned=10 Bul 1656 AM (5 November 2349 BC)

| commissioned=10 Bul 1656 AM (5 November 2349 BC) (traditional reckoning).

| launched=17 Bul 1656 AM (12 November 2349 BC)

| launched=17 Bul 1656 AM (12 November 2349 BC) according to young-Earth chronology calculated from the Genesis genealogies; not supported by archaeological or radiocarbon evidence. <ref name="bronk">Bronk Ramsey, C., Dee, M. W., Rowland, J. M., Higham, T. F. G., Harris, S. A., Brock, F., Quiles, A., Wild, E. M., Marcus, E. S., & Shortland, A. J. (2010). Radiocarbon-based chronology for dynastic Egypt. ''Science, 328''(5985), 1554–1557. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1189395</ref><ref name="weiss">Weiss, H., Courty, M.-A., Wetterstrom, W., Guichard, F., Senior, L., Meadow, R., & Curnow, A. (1993). The genesis and collapse of third millennium north Mesopotamian civilization. ''Science, 261''(5124), 995–1004. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.261.5124.995</ref>

| retired=27 Bul 1657 AM (11 December 2348 BC)

| retired=27 Bul 1657 AM (11 December 2348 BC) (traditional reckoning)

| status=Grounded; sightings disputed

| status=Grounded; sightings disputed

| type=Barge, livestock

| type=Barge, livestock

| crew=8

| crew=8

}}

}}

Three massive replicas of Noah's Ark exist today, partly or fully constructed: one in the Netherlands,<ref>http://www.pbase.com/paulthedane/noahs_ark</ref> one in Kentucky, and one near Miami, Florida. In May 2022, a [[Tennessee]] man built a scaled-down replica.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFTHNE3e6UI</ref>

 

Three massive replicas of Noah's Ark exist today, partly or fully constructed: one in the Netherlands,<ref>http://www.pbase.com/paulthedane/noahs_ark</ref> one in Kentucky, and one near Miami, Florida.

==Description==

==Description==

{{cquote|'''Genesis 6:14-16''' ''Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.  And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.  A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it.''}}

{{cquote|'''Genesis 6:14-16''' ''Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.  And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.  A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it.''}}

The Ark was large; in fact, until the launch of the British ship ''Great Eastern'' in 1858 the Ark was the largest moving object built by man.  The Hebrew cubit was a unit of measurement spanning the distance from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger, or about 18 inches<ref>http://worldwideflood.com/ark/noahs_cubit/cubit.htm</ref>, and based on this measurement the Ark was 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet tall.  However, Moses, the writer of ''Genesis'', was educated in the court of Egypt and was familiar with the royal cubit, which was 20.6 inches long<ref>http://worldwideflood.com/ark/noahs_cubit/cubit.htm</ref>, giving the Ark a maximum size of 618 x 103 x 61 feet<ref>https://creation.com/images/pdfs/tj/j20_3/j20_3_71-77.pdf</ref>.

The Ark was large; in fact, until the launch of the British ship ''Great Eastern'' in 1858 the Ark was the largest moving object built by man.  The Hebrew cubit was a unit of measurement spanning the distance from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger, or about 18 inches<ref>http://worldwideflood.com/ark/noahs_cubit/cubit.htm</ref> (or slightly under 1/2 meter under the metric system), and based on this measurement the Ark was 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet tall.  However, Moses, the writer of ''Genesis'', was educated in the court of Egypt and was familiar with the royal cubit, which was 20.6 inches long<ref>http://worldwideflood.com/ark/noahs_cubit/cubit.htm</ref>, giving the Ark a maximum size of 618 x 103 x 61 feet<ref>https://creation.com/images/pdfs/tj/j20_3/j20_3_71-77.pdf</ref>.

The Ark's construction consisted of "gopher wood", a material that is the subject of conjecture today.  Scholars have posited a number of possibilities for what gopher wood represents, including [[mahogany]], [[zebra wood]], [[cambriatic wood]], [[cypress]], and [[ebony]]<ref>[http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/gopherwood.html What is “Gopher Wood”? ChristianAnswers.net]</ref>.  Strong's states that it is an unused root word (גֹּפֶר ''gôpher'') possibly related to either building something from wood, to house in, or a type of tree, leaning toward the cypress.  It may also be related to ''kâphar'' (כָּפַר), which in the ''Genesis'' account (ch. 6:14) specifies "pitch", leading scholars to speculate that the wood involved was from a resinous tree.

The Ark's construction consisted of "gopher wood", a material that is the subject of conjecture today.  Scholars have posited a number of possibilities for what gopher wood represents, including [[mahogany]], zebra wood, cambriatic wood, cypress, and ebony<ref>[http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/gopherwood.html What is “Gopher Wood”? ChristianAnswers.net]</ref>.  Strong's states that it is an unused root word (גֹּפֶר ''gôpher'') possibly related to either building something from wood, to house in, or a type of tree, leaning toward the cypress.  It may also be related to ''kâphar'' (כָּפַר), which in the ''Genesis'' account (ch. 6:14) specifies "pitch", leading scholars to speculate that the wood involved was from a resinous tree.

The "pitch" itself was bitumen<ref>https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bitumen</ref>, used extensively by the ancients as both a binder and a waterproofing agent.  Commonly called asphalt or tar, the material is first heated up to make it more viscous before being applied; Arabic reed boats called ''kufas'' have lasted for years after being pitched<ref>https://www.thoughtco.com/bitumen-history-of-black-goo-170085</ref>, and on a similar note it has been recorded that Native Americans also used the pitch obtained from the [[La Brea tar pits]] in California to waterproof baskets<ref>https://nativeamericannetroots.net/diary/2605</ref>.  

The "pitch" itself was bitumen<ref>https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bitumen</ref>, used extensively by the ancients as both a binder and a waterproofing agent.  Commonly called asphalt or tar, the material is first heated up to make it more viscous before being applied; Arabic reed boats called ''kufas'' have lasted for years after being pitched<ref>https://www.thoughtco.com/bitumen-history-of-black-goo-170085</ref>, and on a similar note it has been recorded that Native Americans also used the pitch obtained from the [[Rancho La Brea|La Brea tar pits]] in California to waterproof baskets<ref>https://nativeamericannetroots.net/diary/2605</ref>.  

There were three decks within the Ark, which were themselves divided into multiple rooms for the housing of the animals and food storage.  According to Gen. 6:16, the Ark was finished to within a cubit at the top (''...in a cubit shalt thou finish it above''), apparently giving the vessel a cubit-wide opening spanning much of the length of the ship.  A single large door in the side was the only entrance, and a window was placed at some point on the upper hull, which Noah would use later to release a dove to see if the flood waters had abated<ref>Gen. 8:6-12</ref>.

There were three decks within the Ark, which were themselves divided into multiple rooms for the housing of Noah and his family, the animals, and food storage.  According to Gen. 6:16, the Ark was finished to within a cubit at the top ("''...in a cubit shalt thou finish it above''"), apparently giving the vessel a cubit-wide opening spanning much of the length of the ship; this may have been the "window" that is mentioned in the King James Version, and translated as an opening for light in other versions.  This opening would allow for fresh air to circulate throughout the interior as well as for the collection of drinkable rainwater; it would also be used by Noah near the end of the flood, when he released a dove to see if the waters had abated<ref>Gen. 8:6-12</ref>.

===Construction time===

===Construction time===

=== Durupinar site ===

=== Durupinar site ===

In 1977, Ron Wyatt promoted a site on the lower slopes of Mount Ararat which he claimed was the remnants of Noah's Ark.<ref>http://www.wyattmuseum.com/noahs-ark-04.htm</ref> However, his findings have since been discredited by a variety of sources including mainstream archaeologists and other Young Earth Creationists<ref>Snelling, Andrew, [http://creationontheweb.com/content/view/1945/ Special report: Amazing ‘Ark’ exposé], ''Creation'' 14(4):26–38

In 1977, Ron Wyatt promoted a site on the lower slopes of Mount Ararat which he claimed was the remnants of Noah's Ark.<ref>http://www.wyattmuseum.com/noahs-ark-04.htm</ref> However, his findings have since been discredited by a variety of sources including mainstream archaeologists and other Young Earth Creationists<ref>Snelling, Andrew, [http://creationontheweb.com/content/view/1945/ Special report: Amazing ‘Ark’ exposé], ''Creation'' 14(4):26–38

September 1992.</ref> prompting [[Creation Ministries International]] and [[Answers in Genesis]], two of the world's largest creationist ministries, to make a general statement that Young Earth Creationists should not use Wyatt's claims since they are at best highly dubious.<ref>http://www2.andrews.edu/~merling/</ref><ref>[http://creationontheweb.com/content/view/2996/84/#Wyatt Arguments we think creationists should NOT use] (Creation Ministries International)</ref><ref>http://www.answersingenesis.org/home/area/faq/dont_use.asp</ref>

September 1992.</ref> prompting [[Creation Ministries International]] and [[Answers in Genesis]], two of the world's largest creationist ministries, to make a general statement that Young Earth Creationists should not use Wyatt's claims since they are at best highly dubious.<ref>http://www2.andrews.edu/~merling/</ref><ref>[http://creationontheweb.com/content/view/2996/84/#Wyatt Arguments we think creationists should NOT use] (Creation Ministries International)</ref><ref>http://www.answersingenesis.org/home/area/faq/dont_use.asp</ref>.

 

However, geologist Lorence Collins and marine salvage expert David Fasold, who explored the site with Wyatt in 1985, later released a peer-reviewed study explaining why the site was actually not the Ark. They concluded that while the fold in the rock did resemble the outline of a ship, the formation was (and is) a natural geological structure and not evidence of Noah's Ark. The limestone that cuts across the structure is younger than the supposed "Ark", and no fossilised wood, reed or carbon traces were found. Further, stones at the village of Kazan nearby that were claimed to be from the Ark were revealed to be made from volcanic rock found locally rather than being from the Ark. <ref>Collins, L. G., & Fasold, D. F. (1996). Bogus "Noah's Ark" from Turkey exposed as a common geologic structure. ''Journal of Geoscience Education, 44''(4), 439–444. https://www.csun.edu/~vcgeo005/bogus.html</ref>

==Ark story "hidden" in Chinese characters==

==Ark story "hidden" in Chinese characters==

It has been noted by several researchers<ref>http://creation.com/images/pdfs/tj/j19_2/j19_2_96-108.pdf</ref><ref>''The Discovery of Genesis: How the Truths of Genesis Were Found Hidden in the Chinese Language'', C. H. Kang and Ethel R. Nelson, Concordia College (publisher), 1979</ref> that the Chinese character for a "large ship/boat/vessel"<ref>http://www.chinalanguage.com/dictionaries/ccdict/?action=view&query=8239&encoding=text&mode=english</ref> is a combination of the characters for "boat,"<ref>http://www.chinalanguage.com/dictionaries/ccdict/?action=view&query=821F&encoding=text&mode=english</ref> "eight"<ref>http://www.chinalanguage.com/dictionaries/ccdict/?action=view&query=516B&encoding=text&mode=english</ref> and "mouth/person."<ref>http://www.chinalanguage.com/dictionaries/ccdict/?action=view&query=53E3&encoding=text&mode=english</ref> Noah, his wife, his three sons and their wives totaled eight mouths/people.

It has been noted by several researchers<ref>https://creation.com/images/pdfs/tj/j19_2/j19_2_96-108.pdf</ref><ref>''The Discovery of Genesis: How the Truths of Genesis Were Found Hidden in the Chinese Language'', C. H. Kang and Ethel R. Nelson, Concordia College (publisher), 1979</ref> that the Chinese character for a "large ship/boat/vessel"<ref>http://www.chinalanguage.com/dictionaries/ccdict/?action=view&query=8239&encoding=text&mode=english</ref> is a combination of the characters for "boat,"<ref>http://www.chinalanguage.com/dictionaries/ccdict/?action=view&query=821F&encoding=text&mode=english</ref> "eight"<ref>http://www.chinalanguage.com/dictionaries/ccdict/?action=view&query=516B&encoding=text&mode=english</ref> and "mouth/person."<ref>http://www.chinalanguage.com/dictionaries/ccdict/?action=view&query=53E3&encoding=text&mode=english</ref> Noah, his wife, his three sons and their wives totaled eight mouths/people.

 

 

The dates for the flood (such as launch date 2349 BC) come from genealogies in the book of Genesis rather than from physical scientific and archaeological evidence. Archaeological evidence shows instead that Noah's Ark cannot be backed scientifically. Radiocarbon dating suggests that Egypt's Old Kingdom was already established centuries earlier, with Djoser's reign beginning between 2691 and 2625 BC, and its dynasties continued without interruption past this date.<ref name="bronk" /> Excavations at Tell Leilan in Syria further show continuous occupation throughout the same period, with the Akkadian Empire taking control of the city around 2300 BC. When the site was eventually abandoned around 2200 BC, the deposits record a prolonged drought rather than a flood.<ref name="weiss" /> Hence, archaeological records show that Noah's Ark cannot have launched during this period despite what was written in the bible.  

== Criticisms ==

== Criticisms ==

* The difficulties surviving in the post-flood environment

* The difficulties surviving in the post-flood environment

Young Earth Creationists have written a number of responses to such criticisms, such as John Woodmorappe's ''Noah's Ark: A Feasibility Study''<ref>http://www.rae.org/noah.html</ref> which argues that ''kinds'' is not to be equated with ''species'', and that there would therefore be a much smaller number of creatures on the ark, and that there are ways that the humans on board could have cared for all the creatures on board.  Creationary geologists have also pointed out that much of the Earth's geology is sedimentary (water-laid) rocks, as one would expect from a global flood.

Young Earth Creationists have written a number of responses to such criticisms, such as John Woodmorappe's ''Noah's Ark: A Feasibility Study''<ref>http://www.rae.org/noah.html</ref> which argues that ''kinds'' is not to be equated with ''species'', and that there would therefore be a much smaller number of creatures on the ark, and that there are ways that the humans on board could have cared for all the creatures on board (for example, many animals hibernate for long periods; thus not needing care).  Creationary geologists have also pointed out that much of the Earth's geology is sedimentary (water-laid) rocks, as one would expect from a global flood.

A study by University of Leicester physicists proves that the Ark is large enough for all the animals it had to carry.<ref>http://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/press/press-releases/2014/april/hurrah-the-animals-could-have-floated-two-by-two-according-to-physicists</ref>

A study by University of Leicester physicists proves that the Ark is large enough for all the animals it had to carry.<ref>http://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/press/press-releases/2014/april/hurrah-the-animals-could-have-floated-two-by-two-according-to-physicists</ref>