Difference between revisions of "Great Flood"

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[[Image:Michelangeloflood.jpg|thumb|300px|right|''The Flood'', by Michaelangelo, detail from the Sistine Chapel, 1509.]]
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{{cquote|'''[[Genesis]] 6:13'''<br />...The end of all flesh has come before Me; for the [[earth]] is filled with violence because of them; and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth.<ref>Quoting the [[NASB]] 1995 version (destroy them with "the earth" is the phrase used by most modern [[English]] translations).</ref>}}
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Cultures around the world record a world-destroying '''flood''' in their oral or written histories. Today 60% of Americans believe the Biblical account of the Great Flood to be true.<ref>http://www.washtimes.com/national/20040216-113955-2061r.htm</ref> 
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[[Image:Schönfeld The Flood.jpg|thumb|320px|''The Flood'' by Johann Heinrich Schönfeld.]]
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The '''Great Flood''' was the most catastrophic [[geology|geological]] event in human history.  
  
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== The Flood accounts ==
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It lasted about one year.<ref>Mortenson, Terry (July 2, 2018). [https://answersingenesis.org/the-flood/global/biblical-necessity-global-flood/ Noah’s Flood: a Unique, Historical, Yearlong, Global Catastrophe]. ''Answers in Genesis''. Retrieved July 4, 2018.</ref> Nothing historical, from writings to civilization to long-living organisms like trees, has survived from prior to 3000 or 3300 B.C., when the Great Flood occurred.<ref>''See, e.g.'', http://www.ohtm.org/strut99.pdf</ref>  Today 43–60% of Americans accept as truth the [[Bible|Biblical]] account of the Great Flood,<ref>http://www.washtimes.com/national/20040216-113955-2061r.htm</ref><ref>https://www.gallup.com/poll/155003/hold-creationist-view-human-origins.aspx</ref> and many cultures record a world-destroying flood in their oral or written histories.  [[Liberal denial]] of the Great Flood results in public ignorance about how deadly common floods are: "Flash flooding is the number one storm-related killer in the United States."<ref>https://www.weather.gov/shv/awarenessweek_severe_flashflood#:~:text=Flash%20flooding%20is%20the%20number,around%20127%20people%20per%20year. - National Weather Service</ref>
  
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The best known of the flood accounts are, the two intermeshed versions found in the book of [[Genesis]], and the version found in the [[Gilgamish Epic]]. Both are written accounts.
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The ''Iceman'', an experienced hiker, was frozen by a massive surprise ice storm in the Italian Alps 5,300 years ago — the same time that the Great Flood likely occurred.<ref>https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ancient/iceman-last-meal.html</ref>  Similarly, a notably ancient [[corn]] cob was radiocarbon dated to be 5,310 years old.<ref>https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(16)31120-4?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0960982216311204%3Fshowall%3Dtrue</ref> In 2025, an "elite woman" mummy in Peru was likewise dated to 3,000 B.C.<ref>https://www.aol.com/remains-5-000-old-elite-101551314.html</ref>
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The Genesis account is the most detailed of any of the accounts, and the one against which others are usually compared.
 
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It has also been studied the most, with a number of terms used in reference to it, including the '''Flood''', '''Noah's Flood''', the '''Deluge''', the '''Great Flood''', and the '''Noahic flood'''.
 
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The terms ''pre-diluvian'' and ''post-diluvian'' are used to refer to the times before and after the flood respectively.
 
  
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A table comparing specific details in a number of different flood accounts can be found [http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/3107 here].
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"Among geologists, the concept of a catastrophic flood came to be universally accepted by the late 1950s," after a discovery in the American Northwest of "giant ripple marks, 50 feet high and 200–500 feet apart."<ref>[http://www.iafi.org/floods.html The Ice Age Flood Institute reports on the massive floods in the Northwest.]</ref>  This evidence of a massive flood in the Northwest suggests that the Great Flood was not merely a local flood in the [[Middle East]].  All cultures, not merely [[Christian]] ones, have an account of a great flood.  [[Jesus]] specifically mentioned the Great Flood.<ref>[[Matthew 20-28 (Translated)#24:37|Matthew 24:37-39]].</ref>
  
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== The Genesis account ==
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The [[rainbow]] is attributed by the [[Bible]] as confirmation of [[God]]'s promise never to impose another Great Flood.<ref>[[Genesis]] 9:13-17</ref>
  
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The Genesis account is the most detailed account.
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== Summary ==
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In it, God warned Noah that He was going to destroy the world with a flood, because of the wickedness of mankind.  Noah was to build an ark and take on it his family and representatives of all air-breathing, land-dwelling creatures.  The ark was to be 300 cubits long by 50 cubits wide by 30 cubits high<ref>''Genesis'' 6:15</ref> (approximately 450 feet long, by 75 feet wide, by 45 feet high), have three decks, and rooms.
 
  
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God brought the animals and birds to Noah, and there were, per Gen 7:2 two of the "[[unclean (animals)|unclean]]" animals and seven (or seven pairs) of the "[[clean (animals)|clean]]", and per Gen 6:19-20 "two of every sort".
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This flood was the means of [[God]]'s judgment on mankind because of the evil in their heart and actions.  God warned [[Noah]] that He was going to destroy the world with a flood, because of the wickedness of mankind. Noah was to build an [[Noah's Ark|ark]] and take his family and pairs of each [[baraminology|kind]] of air-breathing animal in it in order to be saved from the flood.
  
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After Noah and his family and all the creatures were on board, God shut the door of the ark.
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After Noah and his family and all the creatures were on board, God shut the door of the ark. The flood was brought on by the bursting open of the ''fountains of the great deep'' and the opening of ''the floodgates of the sky''. The rain lasted nearly six weeks (40 days and nights). The flood waters apparently continued to rise for 150 days, but it was just over a year before the waters had receded enough for the occupants of the ark to leave.
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The flood was brought on by the eruption of subterranean water ("''the fountains of the deep were opened''"), and rain.
 
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The rain lasted nearly six weeks (40 days and nights).
 
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The flood waters apparently continued to rise for 150 days, but it was just over a year before the waters had receded enough for the occupants of the ark to leave.
 
  
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The ark is recorded as having come to rest on the mountains of Ararat, taken by many today to be the existing mountains of that name.
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The ark came to rest on one of the mountains of [[Ararat]]. God used a [[rainbow]] in the clouds as a sign that he would never again destroy the world in a flood.<ref>Genesis does not say that this was the first ever rainbow.</ref>
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God put a rainbow in the clouds, and said that it was to be a reminder that he would never again destroy the world in a flood. (Genesis does not say that this was the first ever rainbow.)
 
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He also told Noah that it was now okay to eat meat.
 
  
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== The Gilgamish Epic account ==
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== Flood accounts ==
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[[Image:The Great Deluge - Gustave Dore.jpg|thumb|330px|''The Great Deluge'', by Gustave Doré.]]
 +
One of the strong pieces of evidence in support of a worldwide flood is the many stories that exist among societies all over the world of such an event.  Although some of the details differ between them, the main parts (a catastrophic flood, and a family and animals saved on a large boat) are very similar.
  
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The council of the gods decided to destroy mankind with a flood, but Utnapishtim was warned by the god who had made man, Ea, to build a boat to take all living being. The length, width, and height were each 120 cubits (about 180 feet). It had seven stories.
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It seems unlikely that this similarity is accidental.  Dr. [[John Morris]] wrote regarding the historicity of the biblical flood:
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{{cquote|One of the strongest evidences for the global flood which annihilated all people on [[Earth]] except for [[Noah]] and his family, has been the ubiquitous presence of flood legends in the folklore of people groups from around the world. And the stories are all so similar.<ref>https://www.icr.org/article/570/</ref>}}
  
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The gods got frightened by the flood and retreated to heaven where they cowered and wept.
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=== Gilgamesh Epic ===
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The flood lasted six days and seven nights, and was accompanied by wind and storm.
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The best known of the flood accounts is, firstly, the biblical account in [[Genesis]], and secondly, the one found in the [[Gilgamesh Epic]]. Here is a summary of the Gilgamesh Epic:
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Utnapishtim send out a dove followed by a swallow, but both returned, unable to find land. He then sent a raven, which didn't return.
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:''The council of the gods decided to destroy mankind with a flood, but Utnapishtim was warned by the god who had made man, Ea, to build a boat to take all living beings. The length, width, and height were each 120 cubits (about 180 feet). It had seven stories.
 +
:''The gods got frightened by the flood and retreated to heaven where they cowered and wept.
 +
:''The flood lasted six days and seven nights, and was accompanied by wind and storm.
 +
:''Utnapishtim send out a dove followed by a swallow, but both returned, unable to find land. He then sent a raven, which didn't return.
  
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Dr. Jonathan Sarfati comments on the Gilgamish Epic:
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Dr. [[Jonathan Sarfati]] comments on the Gilgamesh Epic:
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:It is common to make legends out of historical events, but not history from legends. ... For instance, in Genesis, God’s judgment is just, he is patient with mankind for 120 years (Genesis 6:3), shows mercy to Noah, and is sovereign. Conversely, the gods in the Gilgamesh Epic are capricious and squabbling, cower at the Flood and are famished without humans to feed them sacrifices. That is, the human writers of the Gilgamesh Epic rewrote the true account, and made their gods in their own image.<ref Name="JS_GE" />
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{{cquote|It is common to make legends out of historical events, but not history from legends. ... For instance, in Genesis, God’s judgment is just, he is patient with mankind for 120 years (Genesis 6:3), shows mercy to Noah, and is sovereign. Conversely, the gods in the Gilgamesh Epic are capricious and squabbling, cower at the Flood and are famished without humans to feed them sacrifices. That is, the human writers of the Gilgamesh Epic rewrote the true account, and made their gods in their own image.<ref Name="JS_GE" />}}
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== Other ancient references ==
 
  
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The Assyrian King [[Ashurbanipal]], who lived in the seventh century B.C., recorded, "I have read intricate tablets inscribed with obscure Sumerian or Akkadian...inscriptions on stone from before the Flood."<ref>[http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1032092 Ashurbanipal]<!-- this may not be the best reference for this.--></ref>
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=== Common Themes in Flood Accounts ===
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There are parallel themes going through most of the accounts of the [[Great Flood (cultural traditions)|Great Flood]]. Here are some of them.
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== Common Themes for Flood Accounts ==
 
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=== Cause ===
 
  
 +
==== Cause ====
 
Many of the accounts say that the flood was caused by God or some equivalent being.
 
Many of the accounts say that the flood was caused by God or some equivalent being.
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In Genesis, it was Yahweh<ref>Genesis 6:3</ref>.
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In Genesis, it was Yahweh.<ref>Genesis 6:3</ref>
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In the Gilgamish Epic, it was the council of the gods <ref Name="JS_GE">[http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/3107 Noah’s Flood and the Gilgamesh Epic] by Jonathan Sarfati, ''Creation'', vol. 28 No. 4 pp.12-17</ref>.
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In the Gilgamesh Epic, it was the council of the gods.<ref Name="JS_GE">[http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/3107 Noah’s Flood and the Gilgamesh Epic] by Jonathan Sarfati, ''Creation'', vol. 28 No. 4 pp.12-17</ref>
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In the Bundaba (Australian aboriginal) flood story, it was Ngowungu, the Great Father. <ref>[http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/1468 Australian Aboriginal Flood Stories], ''Creation'' Vol. 5 No. 1, pp. 6-9.</ref>
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In the Bundaba (Australian aboriginal) flood story, it was Ngowungu, the Great Father.<ref>[http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/1468 Australian Aboriginal Flood Stories], ''Creation'' Vol. 5 No. 1, pp. 6-9.</ref>
 
The Greeks recorded it as being [[Zeus]].<ref name="Greek">[http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/flood-myths.html#Greek Greek], in ''Flood Stories from Around the World'' by Mark Isaak.</ref>
 
The Greeks recorded it as being [[Zeus]].<ref name="Greek">[http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/flood-myths.html#Greek Greek], in ''Flood Stories from Around the World'' by Mark Isaak.</ref>
  
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=== Purpose ===
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==== Purpose ====
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When the cause of the flood is attributed to a god, the reason is frequently said to be for [[mankind]]'s wickedness.
 
When the cause of the flood is attributed to a god, the reason is frequently said to be for [[mankind]]'s wickedness.
 
Genesis adds that "every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time".<ref>Genesis 6:5 (NIV)</ref>
 
Genesis adds that "every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time".<ref>Genesis 6:5 (NIV)</ref>
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The Miao account from China says, in verse, "These did not God's will nor returned His affection. / But fought with each other defying the Godhead. / Their leaders shook fists in the face of the Mighty."<ref>[http://www.icr.org/index.php?module=articles&action=view&ID=341 Genesis According to the Miao People], by Edgar A. Truax, ''Impact'', April 1991</ref>
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The Miao account from China says, in verse, "These did not God's will nor returned His affection. / But fought with each other defying the Godhead. / Their leaders shook fists in the face of the Mighty."<ref>[https://www.icr.org/index.php?module=articles&action=view&ID=341 Genesis According to the Miao People], by Edgar A. Truax, ''Impact'', April 1991</ref>
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A Navajo account says that it was because of "their sins of adultery and constant quarreling". <ref>[http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/flood-myths.html#Navajo Navajo (Four Corners area)], in ''Flood Stories from Around the World'' by Mark Isaak</ref>
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A Navajo account says that it was because of "their sins of adultery and constant quarreling".<ref>[http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/flood-myths.html#Navajo Navajo (Four Corners area)], in ''Flood Stories from Around the World'' by Mark Isaak</ref>
  
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=== What saved the people ===
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==== What saved the people ====
  
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People were generally saved either by floating out the flood, or fleeing to the top of a mountain. In the former case, the vessel took a variety of forms.
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People were generally saved either by floating out of the flood or fleeing to the top of a mountain. In the former case, the vessel took a variety of forms.
 
A Hopi Indian story has them surviving in the hollow stems of giant reeds<ref name="Hopi">[http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/flood-myths.html#Hopi Hopi], in ''Flood Stories from Around the World'' by Mark Isaak.</ref>
 
A Hopi Indian story has them surviving in the hollow stems of giant reeds<ref name="Hopi">[http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/flood-myths.html#Hopi Hopi], in ''Flood Stories from Around the World'' by Mark Isaak.</ref>
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The Greek story has them surviving in a chest. <Ref name="Greek" />
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The Greek story has them surviving in a chest.<ref name="Greek" />
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In Genesis, Noah was instructed by God to build an ark to dimensions and other specifications included in the account.
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In Genesis, [[Noah]] was instructed by God to build an ark to the dimensions and other specifications included in the account.
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=== Who was saved? ===
 
  
 +
==== Who was saved? ====
 
The survivors were often a single family.
 
The survivors were often a single family.
 
An Australian aboriginal account has Ngadgja, the Supreme One, telling Gajara to take his wife, his sons, and his sons' wives.<ref name="Wunambal">[http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/1467 Aboriginal Flood Legend], by Howard Coates, ''Creation'' Vol. 4 No.3, pp.9-12</ref>
 
An Australian aboriginal account has Ngadgja, the Supreme One, telling Gajara to take his wife, his sons, and his sons' wives.<ref name="Wunambal">[http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/1467 Aboriginal Flood Legend], by Howard Coates, ''Creation'' Vol. 4 No.3, pp.9-12</ref>
 
The Masai account from East Africa has Tumbainot taking his two wives, his six sons, and their wives.<ref name="Masai">[http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/flood-myths.html#Masai Masai (East Africa)], in ''Flood Stories from Around the World'' by Mark Isaak.</ref>
 
The Masai account from East Africa has Tumbainot taking his two wives, his six sons, and their wives.<ref name="Masai">[http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/flood-myths.html#Masai Masai (East Africa)], in ''Flood Stories from Around the World'' by Mark Isaak.</ref>
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A Hawaiian story has Nuu taking his wife and three sons. <ref name="Hawaii">[http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/flood-myths.html#Hawaii Hawaii], in ''Flood Stories from Around the World'' by Mark Isaak.</ref>
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A Hawaiian story has Nuu taking his wife and three sons.<ref name="Hawaii">[http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/flood-myths.html#Hawaii Hawaii], in ''Flood Stories from Around the World'' by Mark Isaak.</ref>
 
Noah took his wife, his three sons, and their wives.<ref>Genesis 7:13</ref>
 
Noah took his wife, his three sons, and their wives.<ref>Genesis 7:13</ref>
  
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=== Birds sent out ===
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==== Birds sent out ====
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[[Image:Michelangeloflood.jpg|thumb|300px|right|''The Flood'', by Michaelangelo, detail from the Sistine Chapel, 1509.]]
 
Genesis describes Noah sending out birds to see if there was yet dry land.<ref>Genesis 8:6-12</ref>
 
Genesis describes Noah sending out birds to see if there was yet dry land.<ref>Genesis 8:6-12</ref>
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Initially this was unsuccessful, but a subsequent attempt was successful when a dove didn't return. In the Hopi account also, they unsuccessfully sent out birds to find land.<ref name="Hopi" />
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Initially this was unsuccessful, but a subsequent attempt was successful when a dove didn't return. In the Hopi account also, they unsuccessfully sent out birds to find land.<ref name="Hopi" />
 
An Australian aboriginal account has a cuckoo not returning because it found land.<ref name="Wunambal" />
 
An Australian aboriginal account has a cuckoo not returning because it found land.<ref name="Wunambal" />
 
The Masai account has Tumbainot sending out a dove, which returned because it had no place to rest.<ref name="Masai" />
 
The Masai account has Tumbainot sending out a dove, which returned because it had no place to rest.<ref name="Masai" />
  
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=== A rainbow ===
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==== A rainbow ====
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The Masai account has four rainbows signifying that God's [[wrath]] was over.<ref name="Masai" />
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The Masai account has four rainbows signifying that God's wrath was over.<ref name="Masai" />
 
 
A Hawaiian account has the god Kane leaving a rainbow as a perpetual sign of his forgiveness.<ref name="Hawaii" />
 
A Hawaiian account has the god Kane leaving a rainbow as a perpetual sign of his forgiveness.<ref name="Hawaii" />
 
From an Australian aboriginal story comes this account:
 
From an Australian aboriginal story comes this account:
Line 90: Line 81:
 
Genesis says that the rainbow would be a reminder that God would never again destroy the world with a flood.<ref>Genesis 9:12-17</ref>  
 
Genesis says that the rainbow would be a reminder that God would never again destroy the world with a flood.<ref>Genesis 9:12-17</ref>  
  
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=== Criticisms ===
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==== Criticisms ====
  
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''See also criticism in [[Noah's Ark#Controversy|Noah's Ark]] and [[Flood Geology#Controversy|Flood Geology]].
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:''See more criticisms in the article on [[Noah's Ark#Criticisms|Noah's Ark]] and [[Flood Geology#Controversy|Flood Geology]].''
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Critics of the global flood suggest that the flood accounts are unrelated accounts of local floods or stories influenced by the arrival of missionaries.
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Critics of the global flood suggest that the flood accounts are unrelated accounts of local floods, or stories influenced by the arrival of missionaries.
 
  
 
However, Nozomi Osanai responds that "''...the detailed nature of the widely spread statements has common elements to the Bible. In fact, even people who live far from the sea or in mountainous areas have flood traditions which are similar to the Genesis account.''"<ref>[http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/4089/ A comparative study of the flood accounts in the Gilgamesh Epic and Genesis, chapter 7], by Nozomi Osanai.</ref>
 
However, Nozomi Osanai responds that "''...the detailed nature of the widely spread statements has common elements to the Bible. In fact, even people who live far from the sea or in mountainous areas have flood traditions which are similar to the Genesis account.''"<ref>[http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/4089/ A comparative study of the flood accounts in the Gilgamesh Epic and Genesis, chapter 7], by Nozomi Osanai.</ref>
  
 
And Murray Adamthwaite responds regarding the missionary influence, "''...that explanation fails since in many cases secular anthropologists gathered the stories before missionaries reached these tribes with the Gospel. In other cases missionaries have related how they indeed told the story of Noah, only to find that the tribal folk already had a similar tale in their own legends.''"<ref>[http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/2538 Animals, a Deluge and Noah’s Ark]</ref>
 
And Murray Adamthwaite responds regarding the missionary influence, "''...that explanation fails since in many cases secular anthropologists gathered the stories before missionaries reached these tribes with the Gospel. In other cases missionaries have related how they indeed told the story of Noah, only to find that the tribal folk already had a similar tale in their own legends.''"<ref>[http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/2538 Animals, a Deluge and Noah’s Ark]</ref>
 +
{{Clear}}
 +
 +
== Other ancient references ==
 +
The Great Flood has left a variety of traditions in many cultures worldwide.  In most of them, the stories involve a few survivors and a number of animals in a boat or on a raft; the search for dry land involving a bird; a landing on a mountain, and a sacrifice to the gods after the flood was over.
 +
 +
{| border="1" align="center" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="900" style="margin-left:5px"
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|align="center" colspan="6"|
 +
|-
 +
!colspan="6" align="center" style="color: black; height: 30px; background: tan  no-repeat scroll top left;"|European traditions
 +
|-
 +
! width="100" | Culture or people
 +
! width="500" | Details
 +
! width="150" | Name of Noah
 +
! width="150" | Name of mountain
 +
! width="80" | Number of survivors
 +
! width="80" | Animals involved
 +
|-
 +
| Greece
 +
| Deucalion and Pyrrha were warned by Prometheus about the flood and told to build a chest; they survived when the chest landed on a high mountain.<ref>[http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0022%3Atext%3DLibrary%3Abook%3D1%3Achapter%3D7%3Asection%3D2 Apollodorus, ''The Library'', book 1]</ref>
 +
| Deucalion
 +
| Mt. Parnassus
 +
| -
 +
| Yes
 +
|-
 +
!colspan="6" align="center" style="color: black; height: 30px; background: tan  no-repeat scroll top left;"|Asian traditions
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|-
 +
! width="100" | Culture or people
 +
! width="500" | Details
 +
! width="150" | Name of Noah
 +
! width="150" | Name of mountain
 +
! width="80" | Number of survivors
 +
! width="80" | Animals involved
 +
|-
 +
| Babylonia
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| [[Epic of Gilgamesh]]; The god Ea warned Utnapishtim of the imminent destruction of the earth; the ark built was cube-shaped, and held his family, friends, and all animals
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| Utnapishtim
 +
| Mt. Nisir
 +
| 8
 +
| Yes; a raven and dove were used to search for dry land as well
 +
|-
 +
| Assyria
 +
| King [[Ashurbanipal]], who lived in the seventh century B.C., recorded, "I have read intricate tablets inscribed with obscure [[Sumerian]] or [[Akkadian]]...inscriptions on stone from before the Flood."
 +
| Utnapishtim; possibly used the same Gilgamesh tales of Babylonia
 +
| Mt. Nisir
 +
| 8
 +
| Yes
 +
|-
 +
| Chaldean
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| Xisuthrus was warned of a coming flood by the god Chronos, who ordered him to build a boat in which to carry family, friends, and two of every kind of animal.<ref>[http://rbedrosian.com/euseb2.htm Eusebius, ''Chronicle'', book 1]</ref> 
 +
| Xisuthrus
 +
| -
 +
| 8
 +
| Yes; birds were used to find land.
 +
|-
 +
| China
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| [[Hihking]]; The Chinese classic record details one family who survived a great flood by gathering their sons and sons' wives together in a large boat, whereupon they repopulated the earth afterward.
 +
| Fuhi
 +
| -
 +
| 8
 +
| Yes
 +
|-
 +
| Sumeria
 +
| [[Eridu Genesis]]: the god [[Enki]] warns Ziudsura to build a large boat due to the coming destruction of the earth.  After a flood lasting seven days, Ziudsura sacrifices to the gods.
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| Ziudsura
 +
| translation lost
 +
| -
 +
| translation lost
 +
|-
 +
!colspan="6" align="center" style="color: black; height: 30px; background: tan  no-repeat scroll top left;"|Australian traditions
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|-
 +
! width="100" | Culture or people
 +
! width="500" | Details
 +
! width="150" | Name of Noah
 +
! width="150" | Name of mountain
 +
! width="80" | Number of survivors
 +
! width="80" | Animals involved
 +
|-
 +
| Wunambal
 +
| Children tormented an owl, who complained to the god Ngadja. Ngadja then sent a flood to punish them, but he helped one family escape. Ngadja then put a rainbow in the sky to hold back the rain-clouds.<ref name="Wunambal" />
 +
| Gajara
 +
| Numbuzare
 +
| -
 +
| Yes
 +
|-
 +
!colspan="6" align="center" style="color: black; height: 30px; background: tan  no-repeat scroll top left;"|Oceanic Islanders traditions
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|-
 +
! width="100" | Culture or people
 +
! width="500" | Details
 +
! width="150" | Name of Noah
 +
! width="150" | Name of mountain
 +
! width="80" | Number of survivors
 +
! width="80" | Animals involved
 +
|-
 +
| Hawaiian
 +
| A man built a boat to escape a great flood. He landed his vessel on top of Mauna Kea on the Big Island. The man accidentally attributed the cause of his safety to the moon god, and made sacrifices to the wrong god. Kane, the actual creator god descended to the man from a rainbow telling him of his error.<ref>http://www.enotes.com/wm-encyclopedia/nuu</ref><ref>"Nu'u" A Dictionary of World Mythology. Arthur Cotterell. Oxford University Press, 1997. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. 30 September 2010 http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t73.e525</ref><ref>http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/am/v2/n2/flood-legends</ref><ref>http://www.answers.com/topic/nu-u</ref><ref>https://books.google.com/books?id=FyIEpx1aLXEC&pg=PA290&lpg=PA290&dq=nu'u+flood&source=bl&ots=BDjZOWOLI2&sig=y1I_kYruIhHJ6_UgsqiE5N1oTh8&hl=en&ei=zM0oTpbiC8L50gH6wdCACw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CGEQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=nu'u%20flood&f=false</ref>
 +
| Nu'u
 +
| Mauna Kea
 +
| Unknown
 +
| Unknown
 +
|-
 +
!colspan="6" align="center" style="color: black; height: 30px; background: tan  no-repeat scroll top left;"|African traditions
 +
|-
 +
! width="100" | Culture or people
 +
! width="500" | Details
 +
! width="150" | Name of Noah
 +
! width="150" | Name of mountain
 +
! width="80" | Number of survivors
 +
! width="80" | Animals involved
 +
|-
 +
| Masai
 +
| God resolved to destroy mankind, as the people were sinful. God commanded Tumbainot, the only righteous man, to build an ark and enter it with his two wives, six sons and their wives, and some animals of every sort. God caused a great flood, and all other men and beasts drowned. When the water receded the ark grounded and its occupants disembarked.<ref>http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/flood-myths.html#Masai</ref>
 +
| Tumbainot
 +
| -
 +
| 9+
 +
| Yes
 +
|-
 +
!colspan="6" align="center" style="color: black; height: 30px; background: tan  no-repeat scroll top left;"|North American traditions
 +
|-
 +
! width="100" | Culture or people
 +
! width="500" | Details
 +
! width="150" | Name of Noah
 +
! width="150" | Name of mountain
 +
! width="80" | Number of survivors
 +
! width="80" | Animals involved
 +
|-
 +
| Chippewa
 +
| A war between Nanabozho and the Great Serpent who lived at the bottom of Lake Superior; the serpent, being wounded in the fight, vowed to destroy the tribe by a flood.  The tribe quickly built rafts, gathered their animals, and escaped to the highest mountains, which were quickly covered over except the one on which stood Nanabozho.<ref>[http://www.indians.org/welker/greatflo.htm].</ref>
 +
| Nanabozho
 +
| unknown
 +
| unknown
 +
| Yes
 +
|-
 +
| Choctaw
 +
| The Great Spirit destroyed a corrupt and wicked human race and all life on earth, except a prophet who went in vain to warn the people to repent or die.  The prophet survived by building a raft of sassafras logs.<ref>[http://www.tc.umn.edu/~mboucher/mikebouchweb/choctaw/flood1.htm].</ref>
 +
| known only as the prophet.
 +
| unknown
 +
| unknown
 +
| Yes; the bird which led him to land he named "Puchi Yushuba" (lost pigeon)
 +
|-
 +
!colspan="6" align="center" style="color: black; height: 30px; background: tan  no-repeat scroll top left;"|South American traditions
 +
|-
 +
! width="100" | Culture or people
 +
! width="500" | Details
 +
! width="150" | Name of Noah
 +
! width="150" | Name of mountain
 +
! width="80" | Number of survivors
 +
! width="80" | Animals involved
 +
|-
 +
| Tamanakis (Carib tribe, Orinoco River basin)
 +
| A man and woman escaped to the highest peak after being warned of a flood.  Afterward, the tossed coconuts behind them, which became the next race of man.
 +
| -
 +
| Mt Tapanacu
 +
| -
 +
| -
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
→
 +
 +
== Effects of ''the Flood'' ==
 +
=== Natural Effects ===
 +
==== Flood Geology ====
 +
{{Main|Flood Geology}}
 +
Flood geology is the study of the Earth's geology in search of evidence for the Flood in the [[geology]] of the Earth.
 +
 +
=== Separation of Continents===
 +
Some [[Young Earth Creationists]] point to the flood as the reason for the separation of [[Pangea]], rather than the secular view that the separation was caused by [[plate tectonics]] over millions or even billions of years.
 +
 +
=== Ice Age ===
 +
 +
Some scientists think that the Great Flood caused the Ice Age. Meteorologist Michael J. Oard
 +
states in ''Frozen in Time'' that:
  
−
== Modern explanations ==
+
<blockquote>
 +
''The Flood and its aftershocks provide the volcanic dust and gases that bring the summer cooling indispensable for the Ice Age. Water from the “fountains of the great deep” and mixing during the Flood provides a warm ocean. In the mid and high latitudes the warm ocean would cause copious evaporation and produce massive amounts of snow. The two ingredients required for an Ice Age, cool temperatures and tons of snow, were dramatically fulfilled immediately after the Genesis flood. This unique climate would persist for hundreds of years after the Flood as the intensity of the two mechanisms slowly decreased.'' <ref>[http://www.answersingenesis.org/home/area/fit/chapter7.asp The Genesis flood caused the Ice Age]</ref><ref>Oard, M.J., 1990. An ice age caused by the Genesis Flood, Institute for Creation Research, El Cajón, California.</ref>
 +
</blockquote>
  
−
===Black Sea theory===
+
=== Spiritual Effects ===
−
In 2000, explorers discovered evidence that humans lived where the [[Black Sea]] now is and speculated the sea was created during a great flood <ref>http://archives.cnn.com/2000/NATURE/09/13/great.flood.finds.ap/</ref>.  Dr. Robert Ballard expanded on this theory, postulating that the Black Sea was much lower during the Ice Age (including the finding of a beach thousands of feet underwater), and when the walls holding back the Mediterranean Sea at the Bosporus broke, the sea rushed in and drowned the inhabitants; those who survived told the tale orally, and according to Ballard this became the basis for the flood accounts of Genesis and Gilgamesh [http://www.nationalgeographic.com/blacksea/ax/frame.html].  This theory is for a local flood, and not the world-wide flood as recorded in Genesis and many other cultural traditions.  It also doesn't fit with many other details of the Genesis account.<ref>[http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/3392 Proof of Noah's Flood at the Black Sea?] by Creation Ministries International.</ref>
 
  
−
== Flood geology ==
+
Interpreting the way Noah obeyed God (Genesis 6:22):
  
−
''See main article:  [[Flood geology]]''
+
<blockquote>
 +
Noah was faithful for 120 long hard disappointing years. You can be sure, however, he was a happy man the day the rains came and he was safe and dry inside the ark that was the product of his faith and obedience to God...
  
−
Flood geology is the study of the Earth's geology from the point of view that the Genesis account is true and accurate, and that evidence of the Flood can be found in the geology of the Earth.
+
Noah submitted himself and worshiped God... His strength to live for God was that he chose to walk daily with the Lord. The same power is available to us to believe in God and let God direct our lives.
 +
<ref>[http://www.bible-truth.org/GEN6.HTM THE GREAT WORLDWIDE FLOOD]</ref>
 +
</blockquote>
  
−
Until the rise of [[uniformitarian]] geology in the early 19th century, most geologists accepted the Noahic deluge as part of geology.
+
Consequently, at present we should ask ourselves: What kind of faith do we have?, Does my faith guide me always in my daily decision? ([[Ibidem]])
−
But [[James Hutton]] proposed in 1795 that geology ought to be based on the processes that we see happening now, thereby automatically ruling the Flood out of consideration.
 
−
During the 19th century a number of "[[scriptural geologists]]" held out against the rising acceptance of Hutton's principles,<ref>The Great Turning Point, by Terry Mortenson.  See also a series of articles in the ''Journal of Creation'', commencing with "British scriptural geologists in the first half of the nineteenth century: part 1" by Terry Mortenson, ''Journal of Creation'' Vol. 11 No. 2 pp. 221-252.</ref> but they fought a losing battle and interest in flood geology virtually died out by the end of the 19th century.
 
  
−
However, in the second half of the 20th century, interest was revived amongst people keen to show that the biblical account was correct, and a small but growing number of geologists are now studying this field again, although the vast majority of geologists still reject the idea of a global flood on Earth.
+
== Evolutionary explanations ==
 +
[[Image:The building of the ark.jpg|thumb|260px|left|The building of the ark by Bertram of Minden.]]
  
−
Flood geologists propose that such a world-wide, year-long flood would have caused massive erosion, sedimentation, and geological movements, and leaving plenty of evidence in the [[geology|geological]] record.
+
=== Black Sea theory ===
−
Many propose that there was a single continent before the flood that broke up during the flood.
+
In 2000, explorers discovered evidence that humans lived where the [[Black Sea]] now is and speculated the sea was created during a great flood.<ref>http://archives.cnn.com/2000/NATURE/09/13/great.flood.finds.ap/</ref> Dr. Robert Ballard expanded on this theory, postulating that the Black Sea was much lower during the [[Ice Age]] (including the finding of a beach thousands of feet underwater), and when the walls holding back the [[Mediterranean Sea]] at the Bosporus broke, the sea rushed in and drowned the inhabitants; those who survived told the tale orally, and according to Ballard this became the basis for the flood accounts of Genesis and Gilgamesh.<ref>http://www.nationalgeographic.com/blacksea/ax/frame.html</ref> This theory is for a local flood, and not the worldwide flood as recorded in Genesis and many other cultural traditions. It also doesn't fit with many other details of the Genesis account.<ref>[http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/3392 Proof of Noah's Flood at the Black Sea?] by Creation Ministries International.</ref>
−
The idea of tectonic plate movement was proposed by creationary scientist Antonio Snider in 1859,<ref>[http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/3670 What About Continental Drift], Chapter 11 of The Answers Book Updated & Expanded, Don Batten (Ed.)</ref> although it was not until several other scientists had proposed similar ideas that the idea was adopted by mainstream scientists in the last few decades of the 20th century.
 
  
−
According to flood geologists, the flood resulted from subterranean water erupting to the surface ("''the fountains of the deep were opened''"&mdash;Genesis 7:xx), combined with 40 days and nights of rain.
+
=== Crustal Displacement Theory ===
−
Although the rain stopped after 40 days, the flood waters continued to rise for 150 days, and lasted just over a year before Noah and the others on the boat were able to leave.<ref>The flood began on the 17th day of the second month of the 600th year of Noah's life (Genesis 7:11) and the ark's passengers alighted on the 27th day of the second month of the 601st year of Noah's life (Genesis 8:13-15)</ref>
+
In ''When the sky fell: In search of Atlantis'' (1996), Rand Flem Ath<ref>http://www.flem-ath.com</ref> expanded on Professor [[Charles Hapgood]]'s theory of crustal displacement whereby the entire earth's crust moved with respect to the core. The suggested date for this was about 10,000 years BC. If a displacement had occurred then it would have caused enormous disruption to the earth's oceans with massive tsunamis and heavy rain. Although the book was nominally about the disappearance of [[Atlantis]], the theory of crustal displacement not only explains the discrepancies in ice thickness in [[Greenland]] and [[Antarctica]] but also the sudden demise of the [[mammoth]]s. This theory could also potentially explain the widespread existence of flood accounts throughout different cultures.
−
During the flood, there was massive tectonic activity, including some land rising up and other land dropping, such that the waters ended up in newly-deepened oceans.
 
−
All the animals and birds (except those on the ark), and large numbers of sea creatures perished, and many of them were buried so quickly that they became [[fossil]]s, accounting for the vast majority of fossils existing today.
 
  
−
Flood geology also proposes that the flood waters swept together and buried large mats of vegetation ripped from the surface of the Earth, forming the [[coal]] beds that are mined today.
+
==See also==
 +
*[[Causes of the Great Flood]]
 +
*[[Flood geology]]
  
−
==External Links==
+
==External links==
  
 +
*[https://creation.com/noahs-flood-questions-and-answers Noah's flood - Questions and answers] by [[Creation Ministries International]]
 
*[http://www.maicar.com/GML/Flood.html Greek Myths: Deucalion and the Flood]
 
*[http://www.maicar.com/GML/Flood.html Greek Myths: Deucalion and the Flood]
 
*[http://www.ancienttexts.org/library/mesopotamian/gilgamesh/tab11.htm Epic of Gilgamesh, Tablet 11 (Flood Story)]
 
*[http://www.ancienttexts.org/library/mesopotamian/gilgamesh/tab11.htm Epic of Gilgamesh, Tablet 11 (Flood Story)]
 
*[http://www.nwcreation.net/geologycolumn.html Geological evidence from Northwest Creation]
 
*[http://www.nwcreation.net/geologycolumn.html Geological evidence from Northwest Creation]
−
*[http://www.genesisfiles.com/Library.htm#B Genesis Files website]
+
*[http://www.searchgodsword.org/enc/isb/view.cgi?number=T2631 DELUGE OF NOAH]
−
*[http://www.searchgodsword.org/enc/isb/view.cgi?number=T2631]
 
 
*[http://www.answersingenesis.org/Home/Area/AnswersBook/global10.asp Was the Flood Global? Answers in Genesis article]
 
*[http://www.answersingenesis.org/Home/Area/AnswersBook/global10.asp Was the Flood Global? Answers in Genesis article]
 
*[http://www.nationalgeographic.com/blacksea/ax/frame.html Black Sea theory, from Dr. Robert Ballard and National Geographic]
 
*[http://www.nationalgeographic.com/blacksea/ax/frame.html Black Sea theory, from Dr. Robert Ballard and National Geographic]
 
*[http://www.ilhawaii.net/~stony/lore64.html Native American flood story]
 
*[http://www.ilhawaii.net/~stony/lore64.html Native American flood story]
 
*[http://wovoca.com/myths-flood-1.htm Collection of Flood myths]
 
*[http://wovoca.com/myths-flood-1.htm Collection of Flood myths]
 +
*[http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/3107 A table comparing specific details in a number of different flood accounts]
 +
*[http://www.swartzentrover.com/cotor/Bible/Bible/OT/Law/Genesis/timeline_of_the_flood.htm Timeline of the flood]
 +
*[http://www.swartzentrover.com/cotor/Bible/Bible/OT/Law/Genesis/NoahsArk/Quotes%20of%20Seeing%20Noah%27s%20Ark.htm Quotes of Seeing Noah's Ark on Mt. Ararat]
  
−
== Notes ==
+
==References==
 +
{{Reflist|colwidth=35em}}
  
−
<references />
+
[[Category:Geology]]
 +
[[Category:Natural Disasters]]
 +
[[Category:Disasters]]
 +
[[Category:Bible]]
 +
[[Category:Ancient History]]
 +
[[Category:Book of Genesis]]
 +
[[Category:Featured articles]]
 +
[[Category:Water]]

Latest revision as of 20:38, October 24, 2025

“ Genesis 6:13
...The end of all flesh has come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence because of them; and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth.[1] 		”
The Flood by Johann Heinrich Schönfeld.

The Great Flood was the most catastrophic geological event in human history.

It lasted about one year.[2] Nothing historical, from writings to civilization to long-living organisms like trees, has survived from prior to 3000 or 3300 B.C., when the Great Flood occurred.[3] Today 43–60% of Americans accept as truth the Biblical account of the Great Flood,[4][5] and many cultures record a world-destroying flood in their oral or written histories. Liberal denial of the Great Flood results in public ignorance about how deadly common floods are: "Flash flooding is the number one storm-related killer in the United States."[6]

The Iceman, an experienced hiker, was frozen by a massive surprise ice storm in the Italian Alps 5,300 years ago — the same time that the Great Flood likely occurred.[7] Similarly, a notably ancient corn cob was radiocarbon dated to be 5,310 years old.[8] In 2025, an "elite woman" mummy in Peru was likewise dated to 3,000 B.C.[9]

"Among geologists, the concept of a catastrophic flood came to be universally accepted by the late 1950s," after a discovery in the American Northwest of "giant ripple marks, 50 feet high and 200–500 feet apart."[10] This evidence of a massive flood in the Northwest suggests that the Great Flood was not merely a local flood in the Middle East. All cultures, not merely Christian ones, have an account of a great flood. Jesus specifically mentioned the Great Flood.[11]

The rainbow is attributed by the Bible as confirmation of God's promise never to impose another Great Flood.[12]

Summary

This flood was the means of God's judgment on mankind because of the evil in their heart and actions. God warned Noah that He was going to destroy the world with a flood, because of the wickedness of mankind. Noah was to build an ark and take his family and pairs of each kind of air-breathing animal in it in order to be saved from the flood.

After Noah and his family and all the creatures were on board, God shut the door of the ark. The flood was brought on by the bursting open of the fountains of the great deep and the opening of the floodgates of the sky. The rain lasted nearly six weeks (40 days and nights). The flood waters apparently continued to rise for 150 days, but it was just over a year before the waters had receded enough for the occupants of the ark to leave.

The ark came to rest on one of the mountains of Ararat. God used a rainbow in the clouds as a sign that he would never again destroy the world in a flood.[13]

Flood accounts

The Great Deluge, by Gustave Doré.

One of the strong pieces of evidence in support of a worldwide flood is the many stories that exist among societies all over the world of such an event. Although some of the details differ between them, the main parts (a catastrophic flood, and a family and animals saved on a large boat) are very similar.

It seems unlikely that this similarity is accidental. Dr. John Morris wrote regarding the historicity of the biblical flood:

“ One of the strongest evidences for the global flood which annihilated all people on Earth except for Noah and his family, has been the ubiquitous presence of flood legends in the folklore of people groups from around the world. And the stories are all so similar.[14] ”

Gilgamesh Epic

The best known of the flood accounts is, firstly, the biblical account in Genesis, and secondly, the one found in the Gilgamesh Epic. Here is a summary of the Gilgamesh Epic:

The council of the gods decided to destroy mankind with a flood, but Utnapishtim was warned by the god who had made man, Ea, to build a boat to take all living beings. The length, width, and height were each 120 cubits (about 180 feet). It had seven stories.
The gods got frightened by the flood and retreated to heaven where they cowered and wept.
The flood lasted six days and seven nights, and was accompanied by wind and storm.
Utnapishtim send out a dove followed by a swallow, but both returned, unable to find land. He then sent a raven, which didn't return.

Dr. Jonathan Sarfati comments on the Gilgamesh Epic:

“ It is common to make legends out of historical events, but not history from legends. ... For instance, in Genesis, God’s judgment is just, he is patient with mankind for 120 years (Genesis 6:3), shows mercy to Noah, and is sovereign. Conversely, the gods in the Gilgamesh Epic are capricious and squabbling, cower at the Flood and are famished without humans to feed them sacrifices. That is, the human writers of the Gilgamesh Epic rewrote the true account, and made their gods in their own image.[15] ”

Common Themes in Flood Accounts

There are parallel themes going through most of the accounts of the Great Flood. Here are some of them.

Cause

Many of the accounts say that the flood was caused by God or some equivalent being. In Genesis, it was Yahweh.[16] In the Gilgamesh Epic, it was the council of the gods.[15] In the Bundaba (Australian aboriginal) flood story, it was Ngowungu, the Great Father.[17] The Greeks recorded it as being Zeus.[18]

Purpose

When the cause of the flood is attributed to a god, the reason is frequently said to be for mankind's wickedness. Genesis adds that "every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time".[19] The Miao account from China says, in verse, "These did not God's will nor returned His affection. / But fought with each other defying the Godhead. / Their leaders shook fists in the face of the Mighty."[20] A Navajo account says that it was because of "their sins of adultery and constant quarreling".[21]

What saved the people

People were generally saved either by floating out of the flood or fleeing to the top of a mountain. In the former case, the vessel took a variety of forms. A Hopi Indian story has them surviving in the hollow stems of giant reeds[22] The Greek story has them surviving in a chest.[18] In Genesis, Noah was instructed by God to build an ark to the dimensions and other specifications included in the account.

Who was saved?

The survivors were often a single family. An Australian aboriginal account has Ngadgja, the Supreme One, telling Gajara to take his wife, his sons, and his sons' wives.[23] The Masai account from East Africa has Tumbainot taking his two wives, his six sons, and their wives.[24] A Hawaiian story has Nuu taking his wife and three sons.[25] Noah took his wife, his three sons, and their wives.[26]

Birds sent out

The Flood, by Michaelangelo, detail from the Sistine Chapel, 1509.

Genesis describes Noah sending out birds to see if there was yet dry land.[27] Initially this was unsuccessful, but a subsequent attempt was successful when a dove didn't return. In the Hopi account also, they unsuccessfully sent out birds to find land.[22] An Australian aboriginal account has a cuckoo not returning because it found land.[23] The Masai account has Tumbainot sending out a dove, which returned because it had no place to rest.[24]

A rainbow

The Masai account has four rainbows signifying that God's wrath was over.[24] A Hawaiian account has the god Kane leaving a rainbow as a perpetual sign of his forgiveness.[25] From an Australian aboriginal story comes this account:

Ngadja, the Supreme Being, put the rainbow in the sky to keep the rain-clouds back. The rainbow lies bent across the sky; he ties up the clouds behind it and the rain does not come. The rainbow keeps the clouds back and protects us so that the rainfall does not rise too high. Our people understand the significance of it. When we see the rainbow we say, ‘There will not be any abnormally heavy rain.’[23]

Genesis says that the rainbow would be a reminder that God would never again destroy the world with a flood.[28]

Criticisms

See more criticisms in the article on Noah's Ark and Flood Geology.

Critics of the global flood suggest that the flood accounts are unrelated accounts of local floods or stories influenced by the arrival of missionaries.

However, Nozomi Osanai responds that "...the detailed nature of the widely spread statements has common elements to the Bible. In fact, even people who live far from the sea or in mountainous areas have flood traditions which are similar to the Genesis account."[29]

And Murray Adamthwaite responds regarding the missionary influence, "...that explanation fails since in many cases secular anthropologists gathered the stories before missionaries reached these tribes with the Gospel. In other cases missionaries have related how they indeed told the story of Noah, only to find that the tribal folk already had a similar tale in their own legends."[30]

Other ancient references

The Great Flood has left a variety of traditions in many cultures worldwide. In most of them, the stories involve a few survivors and a number of animals in a boat or on a raft; the search for dry land involving a bird; a landing on a mountain, and a sacrifice to the gods after the flood was over.

European traditions
Culture or people Details Name of Noah Name of mountain Number of survivors Animals involved
Greece Deucalion and Pyrrha were warned by Prometheus about the flood and told to build a chest; they survived when the chest landed on a high mountain.[31] Deucalion Mt. Parnassus - Yes
Asian traditions
Culture or people Details Name of Noah Name of mountain Number of survivors Animals involved
Babylonia Epic of Gilgamesh; The god Ea warned Utnapishtim of the imminent destruction of the earth; the ark built was cube-shaped, and held his family, friends, and all animals Utnapishtim Mt. Nisir 8 Yes; a raven and dove were used to search for dry land as well
Assyria King Ashurbanipal, who lived in the seventh century B.C., recorded, "I have read intricate tablets inscribed with obscure Sumerian or Akkadian...inscriptions on stone from before the Flood." Utnapishtim; possibly used the same Gilgamesh tales of Babylonia Mt. Nisir 8 Yes
Chaldean Xisuthrus was warned of a coming flood by the god Chronos, who ordered him to build a boat in which to carry family, friends, and two of every kind of animal.[32] Xisuthrus - 8 Yes; birds were used to find land.
China Hihking; The Chinese classic record details one family who survived a great flood by gathering their sons and sons' wives together in a large boat, whereupon they repopulated the earth afterward. Fuhi - 8 Yes
Sumeria Eridu Genesis: the god Enki warns Ziudsura to build a large boat due to the coming destruction of the earth. After a flood lasting seven days, Ziudsura sacrifices to the gods. Ziudsura translation lost - translation lost
Australian traditions
Culture or people Details Name of Noah Name of mountain Number of survivors Animals involved
Wunambal Children tormented an owl, who complained to the god Ngadja. Ngadja then sent a flood to punish them, but he helped one family escape. Ngadja then put a rainbow in the sky to hold back the rain-clouds.[23] Gajara Numbuzare - Yes
Oceanic Islanders traditions
Culture or people Details Name of Noah Name of mountain Number of survivors Animals involved
Hawaiian A man built a boat to escape a great flood. He landed his vessel on top of Mauna Kea on the Big Island. The man accidentally attributed the cause of his safety to the moon god, and made sacrifices to the wrong god. Kane, the actual creator god descended to the man from a rainbow telling him of his error.[33][34][35][36][37] Nu'u Mauna Kea Unknown Unknown
African traditions
Culture or people Details Name of Noah Name of mountain Number of survivors Animals involved
Masai God resolved to destroy mankind, as the people were sinful. God commanded Tumbainot, the only righteous man, to build an ark and enter it with his two wives, six sons and their wives, and some animals of every sort. God caused a great flood, and all other men and beasts drowned. When the water receded the ark grounded and its occupants disembarked.[38] Tumbainot - 9+ Yes
North American traditions
Culture or people Details Name of Noah Name of mountain Number of survivors Animals involved
Chippewa A war between Nanabozho and the Great Serpent who lived at the bottom of Lake Superior; the serpent, being wounded in the fight, vowed to destroy the tribe by a flood. The tribe quickly built rafts, gathered their animals, and escaped to the highest mountains, which were quickly covered over except the one on which stood Nanabozho.[39] Nanabozho unknown unknown Yes
Choctaw The Great Spirit destroyed a corrupt and wicked human race and all life on earth, except a prophet who went in vain to warn the people to repent or die. The prophet survived by building a raft of sassafras logs.[40] known only as the prophet. unknown unknown Yes; the bird which led him to land he named "Puchi Yushuba" (lost pigeon)
South American traditions
Culture or people Details Name of Noah Name of mountain Number of survivors Animals involved
Tamanakis (Carib tribe, Orinoco River basin) A man and woman escaped to the highest peak after being warned of a flood. Afterward, the tossed coconuts behind them, which became the next race of man. - Mt Tapanacu - -

→

Effects of the Flood

Natural Effects

Flood Geology

For a more detailed treatment, see Flood Geology.
Flood geology is the study of the Earth's geology in search of evidence for the Flood in the geology of the Earth.

Separation of Continents

Some Young Earth Creationists point to the flood as the reason for the separation of Pangea, rather than the secular view that the separation was caused by plate tectonics over millions or even billions of years.

Ice Age

Some scientists think that the Great Flood caused the Ice Age. Meteorologist Michael J. Oard states in Frozen in Time that:

The Flood and its aftershocks provide the volcanic dust and gases that bring the summer cooling indispensable for the Ice Age. Water from the “fountains of the great deep” and mixing during the Flood provides a warm ocean. In the mid and high latitudes the warm ocean would cause copious evaporation and produce massive amounts of snow. The two ingredients required for an Ice Age, cool temperatures and tons of snow, were dramatically fulfilled immediately after the Genesis flood. This unique climate would persist for hundreds of years after the Flood as the intensity of the two mechanisms slowly decreased. [41][42]

Spiritual Effects

Interpreting the way Noah obeyed God (Genesis 6:22):

Noah was faithful for 120 long hard disappointing years. You can be sure, however, he was a happy man the day the rains came and he was safe and dry inside the ark that was the product of his faith and obedience to God...

Noah submitted himself and worshiped God... His strength to live for God was that he chose to walk daily with the Lord. The same power is available to us to believe in God and let God direct our lives. [43]

Consequently, at present we should ask ourselves: What kind of faith do we have?, Does my faith guide me always in my daily decision? (Ibidem)

Evolutionary explanations

The building of the ark by Bertram of Minden.

Black Sea theory

In 2000, explorers discovered evidence that humans lived where the Black Sea now is and speculated the sea was created during a great flood.[44] Dr. Robert Ballard expanded on this theory, postulating that the Black Sea was much lower during the Ice Age (including the finding of a beach thousands of feet underwater), and when the walls holding back the Mediterranean Sea at the Bosporus broke, the sea rushed in and drowned the inhabitants; those who survived told the tale orally, and according to Ballard this became the basis for the flood accounts of Genesis and Gilgamesh.[45] This theory is for a local flood, and not the worldwide flood as recorded in Genesis and many other cultural traditions. It also doesn't fit with many other details of the Genesis account.[46]

Crustal Displacement Theory

In When the sky fell: In search of Atlantis (1996), Rand Flem Ath[47] expanded on Professor Charles Hapgood's theory of crustal displacement whereby the entire earth's crust moved with respect to the core. The suggested date for this was about 10,000 years BC. If a displacement had occurred then it would have caused enormous disruption to the earth's oceans with massive tsunamis and heavy rain. Although the book was nominally about the disappearance of Atlantis, the theory of crustal displacement not only explains the discrepancies in ice thickness in Greenland and Antarctica but also the sudden demise of the mammoths. This theory could also potentially explain the widespread existence of flood accounts throughout different cultures.

See also

External links

References

  1. ↑ Quoting the NASB 1995 version (destroy them with "the earth" is the phrase used by most modern English translations).
  2. ↑ Mortenson, Terry (July 2, 2018). Noah’s Flood: a Unique, Historical, Yearlong, Global Catastrophe. Answers in Genesis. Retrieved July 4, 2018.
  3. ↑ See, e.g., http://www.ohtm.org/strut99.pdf
  4. ↑ http://www.washtimes.com/national/20040216-113955-2061r.htm
  5. ↑ https://www.gallup.com/poll/155003/hold-creationist-view-human-origins.aspx
  6. ↑ https://www.weather.gov/shv/awarenessweek_severe_flashflood#:~:text=Flash%20flooding%20is%20the%20number,around%20127%20people%20per%20year. - National Weather Service
  7. ↑ https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ancient/iceman-last-meal.html
  8. ↑ https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(16)31120-4?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0960982216311204%3Fshowall%3Dtrue
  9. ↑ https://www.aol.com/remains-5-000-old-elite-101551314.html
  10. ↑ The Ice Age Flood Institute reports on the massive floods in the Northwest.
  11. ↑ Matthew 24:37-39.
  12. ↑ Genesis 9:13-17
  13. ↑ Genesis does not say that this was the first ever rainbow.
  14. ↑ https://www.icr.org/article/570/
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Noah’s Flood and the Gilgamesh Epic by Jonathan Sarfati, Creation, vol. 28 No. 4 pp.12-17
  16. ↑ Genesis 6:3
  17. ↑ Australian Aboriginal Flood Stories, Creation Vol. 5 No. 1, pp. 6-9.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Greek, in Flood Stories from Around the World by Mark Isaak.
  19. ↑ Genesis 6:5 (NIV)
  20. ↑ Genesis According to the Miao People, by Edgar A. Truax, Impact, April 1991
  21. ↑ Navajo (Four Corners area), in Flood Stories from Around the World by Mark Isaak
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Hopi, in Flood Stories from Around the World by Mark Isaak.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 23.3 Aboriginal Flood Legend, by Howard Coates, Creation Vol. 4 No.3, pp.9-12
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 Masai (East Africa), in Flood Stories from Around the World by Mark Isaak.
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 Hawaii, in Flood Stories from Around the World by Mark Isaak.
  26. ↑ Genesis 7:13
  27. ↑ Genesis 8:6-12
  28. ↑ Genesis 9:12-17
  29. ↑ A comparative study of the flood accounts in the Gilgamesh Epic and Genesis, chapter 7, by Nozomi Osanai.
  30. ↑ Animals, a Deluge and Noah’s Ark
  31. ↑ Apollodorus, The Library, book 1
  32. ↑ Eusebius, Chronicle, book 1
  33. ↑ http://www.enotes.com/wm-encyclopedia/nuu
  34. ↑ "Nu'u" A Dictionary of World Mythology. Arthur Cotterell. Oxford University Press, 1997. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. 30 September 2010 http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t73.e525
  35. ↑ http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/am/v2/n2/flood-legends
  36. ↑ http://www.answers.com/topic/nu-u
  37. ↑ https://books.google.com/books?id=FyIEpx1aLXEC&pg=PA290&lpg=PA290&dq=nu'u+flood&source=bl&ots=BDjZOWOLI2&sig=y1I_kYruIhHJ6_UgsqiE5N1oTh8&hl=en&ei=zM0oTpbiC8L50gH6wdCACw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CGEQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=nu'u%20flood&f=false
  38. ↑ http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/flood-myths.html#Masai
  39. ↑ [1].
  40. ↑ [2].
  41. ↑ The Genesis flood caused the Ice Age
  42. ↑ Oard, M.J., 1990. An ice age caused by the Genesis Flood, Institute for Creation Research, El Cajón, California.
  43. ↑ THE GREAT WORLDWIDE FLOOD
  44. ↑ http://archives.cnn.com/2000/NATURE/09/13/great.flood.finds.ap/
  45. ↑ http://www.nationalgeographic.com/blacksea/ax/frame.html
  46. ↑ Proof of Noah's Flood at the Black Sea? by Creation Ministries International.
  47. ↑ http://www.flem-ath.com
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