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Noah & the Flood
“The Story of De-Creation & the Hope of a New Creation”
Genesis 6-9
How Does the World End?
Why are we so Fascinated by its Ending?
Noah’s Flood & Ancient Near Eastern Flood Stories
The Gilgamesh
EpicAn ancient flood story
whose hero is named Utnapishtim. The story
predates Genesis by 1500 years
(Other ancient flood stories: Akkadian account of atrahasis; Sumerian account of Ziusdra)
Genesis’s Flood Parallels with the Gilgamesh Epic
The gods or God use the flood as a means of judgement.
There is a “hero” in each story.
An ark is constructed to save life.
Particular dimensions are given for the arks construction.
All living beings are gathered together and brought onto the ark.
A dove and raven are sent out to determine if the flood has receded.
Differences among the parallels between Genesis & the
Gilgamesh Epic
Different canonical context between the stories.
Different reasons behind the judgment.
Different reasons behind the choice of the “hero.”
Different reasons behind the design of the ark.
Different reasons for sacrifices before traveling in the ark.
Order of birds is different.
“It is safe to conclude that the parallels between the biblical account of the flood and the Mesopotamian stories, being so numerous and detailed, are much more than the result of mere coincidence...Whatever be its literary history, the Flood story of the torah [of Genesis] stands out as an authentic, original expression of the religious genius of Israel. Conceptually, spiritually, and morally, it stands in striking contrast to all other versions.”
- Nahum Sarna, JPS Commentary on Genesis
One of world’s leading authorities on ANE Flood
Stories - Nahum Sarna
What can we learn from the Ancient Near Eastern Parallels to Genesis’s flood story?
The flood story must be understood in light
of the wider story it fits into.
The flood story was global news.
History and Literature were close together in
the ANE.
Why Did The World End Through a Flood?
Noah’s Flood From Creation to De-Creation
Genesis 1-3as Creation
Genesis 6-9as De-Creation
God de-created all life through water
(Genesis 7.11)
God saw all that he
created and said it was evil (6.5, 12).
God’s word proceeds
de-creation (6.7, 13).
God created out of the deep waters (Genesis
1.1, 6-7).
God saw all he created
and said that all was good (1.31).
God’s word proceeds
creation (1.3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24, 26).
“The flood, in essence, represents an undoing of creation. Back in Genesis 1, the creation was narrated as God’s shaping the formless mass (tohu vabohu) by moving back the waters that completely surrounded the world. The flood is thus a reversal of creation.”
- Tremper Longman III, How to Read Genesis
The Flood as a Reversal of Creation
Noah’s Flood From De-Creation to a Hope of a New Creation
Noah’s Flood is a central
hinge upon which the Biblical
Story turns.
Creation - De-Creation - New CreationAdam - Noah - Abraham - Moses - David - Christ
The Flood as the hope of new
creation
Noah as the 2nd Adam
Genesis 1-2
Genesis 9:1-17
Literary Repetitions
Wind Bringing New Life 1.2 vs 8.1
Rhythm of Nature Established 1.14 vs 8.22
Divine Blessing 1.28 vs 9.7
The Image of God Affirmed 1.26 vs 9.6
How does Noah’s flood offer us hope for a new creation?
A New Covenant
A New Community
A New Adam To Hope For
2 Peter 3.4-7
4 They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” 5 For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, 6 and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. 7 But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
The first end of
the world
= Water
The final end of
the world= Fire
Noah & the Flood
“The Story of De-Creation & the Hope of a New Creation”
Genesis 6-9
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