Let’s be honest for a moment. The list of hard to believe parts of the flood story are many: how did all the animals fit on the boat? wouldn’t they try to eat each other? why hasn’t science found more proof of a global flood? how can you believe in the flood and be a young Earth believer? Added to this is the fact that although it is a story of horrific judgment, American culture has seen fit to use it for children’s toys and crib bumpers. How can you take something seriously when there is a Little People version of it? Just yesterday, I was laughing up a storm watching Evan Almighty, the Steve Carell comedy based on the Flood story. It didn’t make these questions go away.
There are two common questions that I get about the Flood. 1) Do you really believe that the Flood was global? isn’t it more likely to have been just a regional flood? 2) Most ancient cultures have a flood story/ epic/ legend. Isn’t it likely that the Bible “borrowed” from this common mythology in order to teach about the serious nature of sin? Of course, this is taking it for granted that students believe the Bible and don’t simply dismiss the Flood story as not believable. (By the way, the stories about people finding remnants of the Ark on Mount Ararat are not helping! Get a life! Go back to looking for the Ark!) Let’s tackle the myth angle first, and then move on to the more complicated one about local vs. global flood.
It is true that several other ancient cultures have flood stories in their mythology. The Babylonian myth of the Epic of Gilgamesh from the Enuma Elish has been the most popular one used to show how the Bible “borrows” from other cultures. The oldest copies found are on cuneiform tablets dated to the 12th century B.C. Liberal scholars were quick to point out that the oldest copies of the Hebrew Old Testament date to the Dead Sea Scrolls (the oldest being from around 250 B.C.). Most believed at this point that the Bible originated during the time of the kings at the earliest, post exilic at the latest (around 700 – 500 B.C.). Therefore, they concluded that the Bible was written at least several hundred years after the Babylonian Enuma Elish. The parallels between the two stories include: the flood occurring in Mesopotamia; the main character is warned and builds a boat to escape; the boat comes to rest on a mountain after flood; and birds are released to see if it is safe to disembark. Even I must admit that the similarities are too great to be merely coincidental.
First, I believe that the Flood story and Genesis were written long before the oldest copy we have found dates to. Using 1 Kings 6:1 and Exodus 12:40, the Bible clearly states that the Exodus happened around 1446 B.C. Since Moses is given as the author of the entire Pentateuch, he would have written the story of the Flood down around this time, way before the Enuma Elish was written. I have no problem saying that someone “borrowed” from someone else, I merely maintain that it was the Babylonian legend that borrowed from the Biblical account. Moses got the account passed down from Hebrew oral tradition, and it isn’t difficult to imagine this being passed from the Hebrews to the Babylonians, where the story was adapted into the Epic of Gilgamesh. I actually believe that the multitude of flood stories in other cultures gives more weight to the truth of the Bible, as the other cultures corroborate the original story did actually take place (a common shared experience before these people groups descended from Noah’s sons).
As to whether the flood was local or not, I won’t attempt to make a huge scientific argument. I am not a scientist (although I have played one on tv) and you can find other excellent blogs and sites that help you in that area (which is why I won’t be touching the whole “did the flood happen at all” scientific debate). I will say that from Scripture, it would seem that it was a global flood. Genesis 7:19 says that the “waters covered the mountains” and it is hard to see that happening from a local flood. Also, Genesis 9:19 shows that Noah and his family were the only survivors. If the flood was only local, other people would have survived. Last, if the flood was only local, why couldn’t God have saved Noah a lot of time building the ark, and merely told him to leave the area???
Science is great, but the bottom line is that it can’t explain everything in the Bible. That is why we use the word “supernatural” to explain certain events like the flood or people raising from the dead (and talking animals too). God can make animals do whatever He wants, can figure out how to flood the whole world, and can decide how to divide up a super continent (if one actually existed). We need to stop trying to always “prove” miracles, while at the same time appreciating how creation speaks of God all the time. I am all for Christians who are astrophysicists as long as they don’t try to give me a natural explanation for how people can walk on water. The Flood happened, killed everyone but Noah and his family, and God showed the harsh penalty of sin, while also showing His great mercy in saving anyone.
Don’t go and throw away all your cute Noah stuff just yet. At the same time, I would seriously reconsider your plans to make those Bubonic plague baby crib bumpers. Next up on the blog, Top 10 “Real” Bible Question # 7, “Are the 7 days of Creation in Genesis 1 literal or figurative?” No biggie, just the whole theory of Creationism is on the line…
The Bible Nerd 