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{{Short description|Revered figure in Abrahamic traditions}}
{{About|the biblical Noah}}
{{Other uses|Noah (disambiguation)}}
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| name = Noah
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| image = Giovanni Battista Gaulli - The Sacrifice of Noah - NG.M.03497 - National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design (cropped).jpg
|caption=''Noah's Sacrifice'' by ]
| alt =
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| caption = Detail from ''The Sacrifice of Noah'' by ]
|birth_date =
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In the ], '''Noah''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|n|oʊ|.|ə}}<ref> (retrieved 2012-02-25), ]-ified from «nō´a»</ref>), or '''Noé''' or '''Noach''' ({{Hebrew Name|נֹחַ,&lrm; נוֹחַ|Noaẖ|Nōăḥ}}; {{lang-syr|ܢܘܚ}} ''Nukh''; {{lang-ar|نُوح}} ''{{transl|ar|ALA-LC|Nūḥ}}''; {{lang-grc|Νῶε}}), was the tenth and last of the ] ]. The story of ] is told in the Torah in the ]. The biblical account is followed by the story of the ].


'''Noah'''{{efn|{{Langx|he|{{Script/Hebrew|נֹחַ}}}} ''Nōaḥ''; {{langx|syr|ܢܘܚ}} ''Nōḥ''; {{langx|am|ኖህ}}, ''Noḥ''; {{langx|ar|نُوح}} ''{{transliteration|ar|ALA-LC|Nūḥ}}''; {{langx|grc|Νῶε}} ''Nôe''}} ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|n|oʊ|.|ə}};<ref>{{cite book |last=Wells |first=John C. |title=Longman Pronunciation Dictionary |publisher=Longman |year=2008 |isbn=9781405881180 |edition=3rd}}</ref> {{Langx|he|נֹחַ|translit=Nōaḥ|lit=rest' or 'consolation}}) appears as the last of the ] ] in the traditions of ]. His story appears in the ] (], chapters 5–9), the ] and ], and extracanonically.
Besides the Book of Genesis, Noah is also mentioned in ], ], ], ], ], ], the ], the ], the ], ], and ]. He was the subject of much elaboration in the literature of later Abrahamic religions, including the ] (]).


The ] is among the best-known stories of the ]. In this account, God "regrets" making mankind because they filled the world with evil. Noah then labors faithfully to build the ] at ]'s command, ultimately saving not only his own family, but mankind itself and all land animals, from extinction during the ]. Afterwards, God makes a ] with Noah and promises never again to destroy the earth with a flood. Noah is also portrayed as a "tiller of the soil" who is the first to cultivate the vine. After the flood, God commands Noah and his sons to "be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth".
==Biblical account==
] depiction of Noah sending the dove]]
The primary account of Noah in the Bible is in the ].


The story of Noah in the Pentateuch is similar to the flood narrative in the Mesopotamian ], composed around 1800 BC, where a hero builds an ark to survive a divinely sent flood. Scholars suggest that the biblical account was influenced by earlier Mesopotamian traditions, with notable parallels in plot elements and structure. Comparisons are also drawn between Noah and the Greek hero ], who, like Noah, is warned of a flood, builds an ark, and sends a bird to check on the flood's aftermath.
Noah was the tenth of the pre-flood (]) Patriarchs. His father was ] and his mother is unknown, but is thought to be either ] or ], wives of ].<ref>Fullom, SW., , 1855, p.10</ref> When Noah was five hundred years old, he begat ], ] and ] ({{Bibleverse||Genesis|5:32|9}}).

==Biblical narrative==
] depiction of Noah sending the ]]]

Tenth and final of the pre-Flood (]) Patriarchs, son to ] and a mother whose name is unmentioned,<ref>Fullom, S.W. (1855). . p.10</ref> Noah is 500 years old before his sons ], ] and ] are born.<ref name=Bechtel>{{CE1913 |last=Bechtel |first=Florentine Stanislaus |title=Noe |volume=11}}</ref>


===Genesis flood narrative=== ===Genesis flood narrative===
{{Main|Genesis flood narrative}} {{Main|Genesis flood narrative}}

The Genesis flood narrative makes up chapters 6–9 in the ], in the ].<ref>{{cite book|last=Silverman|first=Jason|title=Opening Heaven's Floodgates: The Genesis Flood Narrative, Its Context, and Reception|year=2013|publisher=]}}</ref> The narrative, one of many ]s found in human cultures, indicates that ] intended to return the ] to its pre-Creation state of watery ] by flooding the Earth because of humanity's misdeeds and then remake it using the microcosm of ]. Thus, the flood was no ordinary overflow but a reversal of ].{{sfn|Bandstra|2009|p=61}} The narrative discusses the evil of mankind that moved God to destroy the world by the way of the flood, the preparation of the ark for certain animals, Noah, and his family, and God's guarantee (the ]) for the continued existence of life under the promise that he would never send another flood.{{sfn|Cotter|2003|p=49, 50}}
The Genesis flood narrative is encompassed within chapters 6–9 in the ], in the ].<ref>{{cite book|last=Silverman|first=Jason|title=Opening Heaven's Floodgates: The Genesis Flood Narrative, Its Context, and Reception|year=2013|publisher=]}}</ref> The narrative indicates that ] intended to return the ] to its pre-Creation state of watery ] by flooding the Earth because of humanity's misdeeds and then remake it using the microcosm of ]. Thus, the flood was no ordinary overflow but a reversal of ].<ref name="Bandstra2008">{{cite book|author=Barry L. Bandstra|title=Reading the Old Testament: Introduction to the Hebrew Bible|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vRY9mTUZKJcC&pg=PR19|date=2008|publisher=Cengage Learning|isbn=978-0-495-39105-0|page=61}}</ref> The narrative discusses the evil of mankind that moved God to destroy the world by way of the flood, the preparation of the ark for certain animals, Noah, and his family, and God's guarantee (the ]) for the continued existence of life under the promise that he would never send another flood.{{sfn|Cotter|2003|pp=49, 50}}


===After the flood=== ===After the flood===
{{Main|Covenant (biblical)#Noahic covenant}} {{Main|Covenant (biblical)#Noahic}}
After the flood, Noah offered burnt offerings to the {{LORD}}, who said: "I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart '''' evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done." ({{bibleverse-nb||Genesis|8:20-21|9}})


After the flood, Noah offered burnt offerings to God. God accepted the sacrifice, and made a covenant with Noah, and through him with all mankind, that he would not waste the earth or destroy man by another deluge.<ref name=Bechtel/>
"And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth." ({{bibleverse-nb||Genesis|9:1|9}}) They were also told that all fowls, land animals, and fishes would be afraid of them. Furthermore, as well as green plants, every moving thing would be their food with the exception that the blood was not to be eaten. Man's life blood would be required from the beasts and from man. "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man." (9:6) A rainbow, called "my bow", was given as the sign of a covenant "between me and you and every living creature that '''' with you, for perpetual generations", ({{bibleverse-nb||Genesis|9:2-17|9}}) called the Noahic covenant or the ].


"And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth".<ref>{{bibleverse||Genesis|9:1|9}}</ref> As a pledge of this gracious covenant with man and beast the ] was set in the clouds (ib. viii. 15–22, ix. 8–17). Two injunctions were laid upon Noah: While the eating of animal food was permitted, abstinence from blood was strictly enjoined; and the shedding of the blood of man by man was made a crime punishable by death at the hands of man (ib. ix. 3–6).<ref name=JewishEnyc/>
Noah died 350 years after the flood, at the age of 950,<ref>{{bibleverse||Genesis|9:28-29|9}}</ref> the last of the extremely long-lived ] Patriarchs. The maximum human lifespan, as depicted by the Bible, diminishes rapidly thereafter, from almost 1,000 years to the 120 years of ]. ({{bibleref2|Gen.6:3;Deut.31:22;34:37||9|Genesis 6:3; Deuteronomy 31:22; 34:37}})

Noah, as the last of the extremely long-lived ] patriarchs, died 350 years after the flood, at the age of 950, when ] was 128.<ref name=Bechtel/> The maximum human lifespan, as depicted by the Bible, gradually diminishes thereafter, from almost 1,000 years to the 120 years of ].<ref>{{bibleverse|Gen|6:3|9|Genesis 6:3}}</ref><ref>{{bibleverse|Deut|31:22|9|Deuteronomy 31:22}}, {{bibleverse|Deut|34:37|9|34:37}}</ref>


===Noah's drunkenness=== ===Noah's drunkenness===
]
After the flood, Noah became a ] and he planted a vineyard: and he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and was uncovered within his tent. Noah's son Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father and told his brethren, which led to Ham's son Canaan being ] by Noah.<ref>{{bibleverse||Genesis|9:20-27|9}}</ref> As early as the ], commentators on {{bibleverse||Genesis|9:20–21|HE}} have excused Noah's excessive drinking because he was considered to be the first wine drinker; the first person to discover the soothing, consoling, and enlivening{{tone-inline|date=October 2014}} effects of wine.<ref name="Ellen&Rollins">Ellens & Rollins. ''Psychology and the Bible: From Freud to Kohut'', 2004, (ISBN 027598348X, 9780275983482), p.52</ref> ], ] of ], and a ], writes that Noah's behaviour is defensible: as the first human to taste wine, he would not know its effects: "Through ignorance and inexperience of the proper amount to drink, fell into a drunken stupor".<ref>Hamilton, 1990, pp. 202–203</ref>
{{see also|Curse of Ham}}


After the flood, the Bible says that Noah became a ] and he planted a ]. He drank ] made from this vineyard, and got ]; and lay "uncovered" within his tent. Noah's son Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father naked and told his brothers, which led to Ham's son ] by Noah.<ref name=JewishEnyc/>
], a ] Jewish philosopher, also exonerates Noah by noting that one can drink in two different manners: (1) to drink wine in excess, a peculiar sin to the vicious evil man or (2) to partake of wine as the wise man, Noah being the latter.<ref>''Philo'', 1971, p. 160</ref>


As early as the ], commentators on Genesis 9:20–21<ref>{{bibleverse||Genesis|9:20–21|HE}}</ref> have excused Noah's excessive drinking because he was considered to be the first wine drinker; the first person to discover the effects of wine.<ref>{{cite book | last=Rashkow | first=Ilona | chapter=Sexuality in the Hebrew Bible: Freud's lens <!-- | pages=33-74 --> | editor-last=Ellens | editor-first=J. Harold | editor-last2=Rollins | editor-first2=Wayne G. | year=2004 | title=Psychology and the Bible: From Feud to Kohut | series=Psychology and the Bible: A New Way to Read the Scriptures <!-- Praeger Perspectives --> | volume=1 | publication-place=Westport, Connecticut | publisher=] | isbn=978-0-275-98348-2 | page=52}}</ref> ], ], and a ], wrote in the 4th century that Noah's behavior is defensible: as the first human to taste wine, he would not know its effects: "Through ignorance and inexperience of the proper amount to drink, fell into a drunken stupor".{{sfn|Hamilton|1990|pp=202–203}} ], a ] Jewish philosopher, also excused Noah by noting that one can drink in two different manners: (1) to drink wine in excess, a peculiar sin to the vicious evil man or (2) to partake of wine as the wise man, Noah being the latter.<ref>''Philo'', 1971, p. 160</ref> In ] and ], rabbis blame ] for the intoxicating properties of the wine.<ref>Gen. Rabbah 36:3</ref><ref name=JewishEnyc>{{Cite web|url=http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/11571-noah|title=NOAH - JewishEncyclopedia.com|website=jewishencyclopedia.com}}</ref>
In Jewish tradition, rabbis blame ] for saturating the vine with intoxicating properties from the blood of certain animals, thus Noah behaved not knowing what he was doing.<ref>Gen. Rabbah 36:3</ref>


]]]
===Curse of Ham===
{{main|Curse of Ham}}
]]]
In the field of ], ] and W. G. Rollins address the narrative of {{Bibleverse||Genesis|9:18–27|HE}} that narrates the unconventional behavior that occurs between Noah and Ham. Because of its brevity and textual inconsistencies, it has been suggested that this narrative is a "splinter from a more substantial tale".<ref>Speiser, 1964, 62</ref><ref>T. A. Bergren. ''Biblical Figures Outside the Bible'', 2002, (ISBN 1563384116, ISBN 978-1-56338-411-0), p. 136</ref> A fuller account would explain what exactly Ham had done to his father, or why Noah directed a curse at ] for Ham's misdeed, or how Noah came to know what occurred. The narrator relates two facts: (1) Noah became drunken and "he was uncovered within his tent", and (2) Ham "saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without". Thus, these passages revolve around sexuality and the exposure of genitalia as compared with other Hebrew Bible texts, such as {{Bibleverse|Habakkuk|2:15|HE}} and {{Bibleverse|Lamentations|4:21|HE}}.<ref>Ellens & Rollins, 2004, p.53</ref>


In the context of Noah's drunkenness,<ref>{{Bibleverse||Genesis|9:18–27|HE}}</ref> relates two facts: (1) Noah became drunken and "he was uncovered within his tent", and (2) ] "saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without".{{sfn|Rashkow|2004|p=53}}<ref name="Bergsma/Hahn"/>
===Table of Nations===
]
{{See also|Sons of Noah}}
{{Bibleverse||Genesis|10|HE}} sets forth the descendants of Shem, Ham, and Japheth, from whom the nations branched out over the earth after the flood. Among Japheth’s descendants were the maritime nations. (10:2–5) Ham’s son ] had a son named ], who became the first man of might on earth, a mighty hunter, king in ] and the land of ]. (10:6–10) From there ] went and built ]. (10:11–12) Canaan’s descendants{{snd}} Sidon, ], the ]s, the ]s, the Girgashites, the ], the Arkites, the Sinites, the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites{{snd}} spread out from ] as far as ], near ], and as far as ]. (10:15–19) Among Shem’s descendants was ]. (10:21)


Because of its brevity and textual inconsistencies, it has been suggested that this narrative is a "splinter from a more substantial tale".{{sfn|Speiser|1964|p=62}}<ref>T. A. Bergren. ''Biblical Figures Outside the Bible'', 2002, ({{ISBN|1563384116}}, {{ISBN|978-1-56338-411-0}}), p. 136</ref> A fuller account would explain what exactly Ham had done to his father, or why Noah directed a curse at ] for Ham's misdeed, or how Noah realised what had occurred. In the field of ], ] and W. G. Rollins have analysed the unconventional behavior that occurs between Noah and Ham as revolving around sexuality and the exposure of genitalia as compared with other Hebrew Bible texts, such as Habakkuk 2:15<ref>{{Bibleverse|Habakkuk|2:15|HE}}</ref> and Lamentations 4:21.<ref>{{Bibleverse|Lamentations|4:21|HE}}</ref>{{sfn|Rashkow|2004|p=53}}
These genealogies differ structurally from those set out in Genesis 5 and 11. It has a segmented or treelike structure, going from one father to many offspring. It is strange that the table, which assumes that the population is distributed about the Earth, precedes the account of the ], which says that all the population is in one place before it is dispersed.<ref>Bandstra, B., , Cengage Learning, 2008, pp. 67-68.</ref>


Other commentaries mention that "uncovering someone's nakedness" could mean having ] with that person or that person's spouse, as quoted in Leviticus 18:7–8<ref>{{Bibleverse|Leviticus|18:7–8|HE}}</ref> and 20.<ref>{{Bibleverse|Leviticus|20:11|HE}}</ref> From this interpretation comes the speculation that Ham was guilty of engaging in incest and raping Noah{{sfn|Levenson|2004|p=26}} or his own mother. The latter interpretation would clarify why Canaan, as the product of this illicit union, was cursed by Noah.<ref name="Bergsma/Hahn">John Sietze Bergsma/Scott Walker Hahn. 2005. "Noah's Nakedness and the Curse on Canaan". ''Journal Biblical Literature'' 124/1 (2005), p. 25-40.</ref> Alternatively, Canaan could be the perpetrator himself as the Bible describes the illicit deed being committed by Noah's "youngest son", with Ham being consistently described as the middle son in other verses.<ref name="Kugle_1998_223">{{harvnb|Kugel|1998|p=223}}.</ref>
==Narrative analysis==
According to the ], the first five books of the Bible (]/]), including Genesis, were collated during the 5th century BC from four main sources, which themselves date from no earlier than the 10th century BC. Two of these, the ], composed in the 10th century BC, and the ], from the late 7th century BC, make up the chapters of Genesis which concern Noah. The attempt by the 5th century editor to accommodate two independent and sometimes conflicting sources accounts for the confusion over such matters as how many of each animal Noah took, and how long the flood lasted.<ref>{{cite book |title= Introduction to the Hebrew Bible|last= Collins|first= John J.|year= 2004|publisher= Fortress Press|location= Minneapolis|isbn= 0-8006-2991-4|pages= 56–57}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title= Who Wrote the Bible?|last= Friedman|first= Richard Elliotty|year= 1989|publisher= HarperCollins Publishers|location= New York|isbn=0-06-063035-3|page= 59}}</ref>


===Table of nations===
''The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Books of the Bible'' notes that this story echoes parts of the ] story: Noah is the first vintner, while Adam is the first farmer; both have problems with their produce; both stories involve nakedness; and both involve a division between brothers leading to a curse. However, after the flood, the stories differ. Noah plants the vineyard and utters the curse, not God, so "God is less involved".<ref>, Oxford University Press, 2011, p. 318.</ref>
{{See also|Generations of Noah}}
]


Genesis 10<ref>{{Bibleverse||Genesis|10|HE}}</ref> sets forth the descendants of Shem, Ham, and Japheth, from whom the nations branched out over the Earth after the flood. Among Japheth's descendants were the maritime nations (10:2–5). Ham's son ] had a son named ], who became the first man of might on earth, a mighty hunter, king in ] and the land of ] (10:6–10). From there ] went and built ]. (10:11–12) Canaan's descendants{{snd}} Sidon, ], the ]s, the ]s, the Girgashites, the ], the Arkites, the Sinites, the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites{{snd}} spread out from ] as far as ], near ], and as far as ] (10:15–19). Among Shem's descendants was ] (10:21).
==Other accounts==
Noah appears in several non-canonical books.


These genealogies differ structurally from those set out in Genesis 5 and 11. It has a segmented or treelike structure, going from one father to many offspring. It is strange that the table, which assumes that the population is distributed about the Earth, precedes the account of the ], which says that all the population is in one place before it is dispersed.<ref>{{citation |last=Bandstra |first=B. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vRY9mTUZKJcC&q=%22table+of+nations%22+noah&pg=PA67 |title=Reading the Old Testament: Introduction to the Hebrew Bible |publisher= Cengage Learning |year=2008 |pages= 67–68|isbn=978-0495391050 }}</ref>
===Pseudepigrapha===
The ] refers to Noah and says that he was taught the arts of healing by an angel so that his children could overcome "the offspring of the ]".<ref>Lewis, Jack Pearl, , BRILL, 1968, p. 14.</ref>


===Family tree===
In 10:1–3 of the ] (which is part of the ]), ] was dispatched by "the Most High" to inform Noah of the approaching "deluge".<ref>{{cite book |chapter=] |title=The Book of Enoch |others= translated by ] |location=London |publisher=Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge|year=1917 }}</ref>
Genesis 5:1–32 transmits a genealogy of the Sethites down to Noah, which is taken from the ] tradition.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Genesis: A Commentary|last=von Rad|first=Gerhard|publisher=]|year=1961|location=London|pages=67–73}}</ref> A genealogy of the Canites from the ] tradition is found in Genesis 4:17–26.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Genesis: A Commentary|last=von Rad|first=Gerhard|publisher=]|year=1961|location=London|pages=109–113}}</ref> Biblical scholars see these as variants on one and the same list.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Genesis: A Commentary|last=von Rad|first=Gerhard|publisher=]|year=1961|location=London|page=71}}</ref> However, if we take the merged text of Genesis as a single account, we can construct the following family tree, which has come down in this form into the Jewish and Christian traditions.


{{AdamtoNoah}}
===Dead Sea scrolls===
There are 20 or so fragments of the ] that appear to refer to Noah.<ref>Peters, DM., , Society of Biblical Lit, 2008, pp. 15-17.</ref> ] writes, "Among the Dead Sea Scrolls at least three different versions of this legend are preserved."<ref>Schiffman, LH., , Granite Hill Publishers, 2000, pp. 613-614.</ref> In particular, "The ] devotes considerable space to Noah." However, "The material seems to have little in common with Genesis 5 which reports the birth of Noah." Also, Noah's father is reported as worrying that his son was actually fathered by one of the ].<ref>Lewis, Jack Pearl, , BRILL, 1968, p. 11. "the offspring of the Watchers"</ref>


===Narrative analysis===
==Comparative mythology==
According to the ], the first ] (]/]), including Genesis, were collated during the 5th century BC from four main sources, which themselves date from no earlier than the 10th century BC. Two of these, the ], composed in the 10th century BC, and the ], from the late 7th century BC, make up the chapters of Genesis which concern Noah. The attempt by the 5th-century editor to accommodate two independent and sometimes conflicting sources accounts for the confusion over such matters as how many of each animal Noah took, and how long the flood lasted.<ref>{{cite book |title= Introduction to the Hebrew Bible|last= Collins|first= John J.|year= 2004|publisher= Fortress Press|location= Minneapolis|isbn= 0-8006-2991-4|pages= 56–57}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title= Who Wrote the Bible?|last= Friedman|first= Richard Elliotty|year= 1989|publisher= HarperCollins Publishers|location= New York|isbn= 0-06-063035-3|page= |url-access= registration|url= https://archive.org/details/whowrotebible000frie/page/59}}</ref>
{{Main|Flood myth}}
Many non-Middle-Eastern civilizations have flood myths, and some have very similar stories containing characters who are very like Noah. Thinkers have argued that these similarities are evidence that Noah actually existed, being called different names by different peoples. Others have argued that civilizations must have borrowed details of Noah's life for their own Noah-types, or that they all spring from the same source. Yet others say that these Noah-like stories are completely unrelated.<ref>Frazer, JG., in Dundes, A (ed.),
, University of California Press, 1988,
pp. 121-122.</ref>


''The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Books of the Bible'' notes that this story echoes parts of the ] story: Noah is the first vintner, while Adam is the first farmer; both have problems with their produce; both stories involve nakedness; and both involve a division between brothers leading to a curse. However, after the flood, the stories differ. It is Noah, not God, who plants the vineyard and utters the curse, so "God is less involved".<ref>, Oxford University Press, 2011, p. 318.</ref>
===Mesopotamian===
The Mesopotamian ], composed about 2500 BC, contains a flood story almost exactly the same as the Noah story in the Pentateuch, with a few variations such as the number of days of the deluge, the order of the birds, and the name of the mountain on which the ark rests. The flood story in Genesis 6–8 matches the ] so closely that "few doubt that derives from a Mesopotamian account."<ref name="George2003">{{cite book|author=A. R. George|title=The Babylonian Gilgamesh Epic: Introduction, Critical Edition and Cuneiform Texts|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=21xxZ_gUy_wC&pg=PA70|accessdate=8 November 2012|year=2003|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-927841-1|page=70}}</ref> What is particularly noticeable is the way the Genesis flood story follows the Gilgamesh flood tale "point by point and in the same order", even when the story permits other alternatives.<ref>Rendsburg, Gary. "The Biblical flood story in the light of the Gilgamesh flood account," in ''Gilgamesh and the world of Assyria'', eds Azize, J & Weeks, N. Peters, 2007, p. 117</ref>


==Other accounts==
The earliest written ] is found in the ] ] and ] texts. "These mythologies are the source of such features of the biblical Flood story as the building and provisioning of the ark, its flotation, and the subsidence of the waters, as well as the part played by the human protagonist."<ref>''Encyclopædia Britannica'': .</ref> The ''Encyclopedia Judaica'' adds that there is a strong suggestion that <blockquote>an intermediate agent was active. The people most likely to have fulfilled this role are the ]s, whose territory included the city of ], where the Patriarch ] had his roots. The Hurrians inherited the Flood story from Babylonia.<ref name=Skolnik287 /></blockquote>
In addition to the main story in Genesis, the ] (Christian ]) also refers to Noah in the ], ] and ]. References in the ] include the books of ], ], ], ] and ]. ] references include the gospels of ] and ], and some of the epistles (], ] and ]).
The encyclopedia mentions another similarity between the stories: Noah is the tenth patriarch and ] notes that "the hero of the great flood was Babylonia’s tenth antediluvian king." However, there is a discrepancy in the ages of the heroes. For the Mesopotamian antecedents, "the reigns of the antediluvian kings range from 18,600 to nearly 65,000 years." In the Bible, the lifespans "fall far short of the briefest reign mentioned in the related Mesopotamian texts." Also the name of the hero differs between the traditions: "The earliest Mesopotamian flood account, written in the Sumerian language, calls the deluge hero ]."<ref name=Skolnik287 />


Noah became the subject of much elaboration in the literature of later Abrahamic religions, including ] (]s ], ], ], ], and ] of the Quran) and the ] (] and ]).<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Kitáb-i-Íqán {{!}} Bahá'í Reference Library|url=https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/bahaullah/kitab-i-iqan/2#411318536|access-date=2022-01-31|website=www.bahai.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Gems of Divine Mysteries |url=https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/bahaullah/gems-divine-mysteries/4#442040328 |access-date=2022-01-31 |publisher=Bahá'í Reference Library}}</ref>
]’s historical reign is believed to have been approximately 2700 BC,<ref>Georges Roux, ''Ancient Iraq'', pages 123, 502</ref> shortly before the earliest known written stories. The discovery of artifacts associated with ] and ] of ], two other kings named in the stories, has lent credibility to the historical existence of Gilgamesh.<ref>Dalley, Stephanie, ''Myths from Mesopotamia'', Oxford University Press (1989), p. 40–41</ref>


===Pseudepigrapha===
The earliest ]ian Gilgamesh poems date from as early as the ] (2100–2000 BC).<ref>Andrew George, page xix</ref> One of these poems mentions Gilgamesh’s journey to meet the flood hero, as well as a short version of the flood story.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.1.8.1.3# |title=The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature; The death of Gilgameš (three versions, translated)}}</ref> The earliest ] versions of the unified epic are dated to ca. 2000–1500 BC.<ref>Andrew George, page 101, "Early Second Millennium BC" in Old Babylonian</ref> Due to the fragmentary nature of these Old Babylonian versions, it is unclear whether they included an expanded account of the flood myth; although one fragment definitely includes the story of Gilgamesh’s journey to meet ]. The "standard" Akkadian version included a long version of the flood story and was edited by ] sometime between 1300 and 1000 BC.<ref>Andrew George, pages xxiv–xxv</ref>
The ] refers to Noah and says that he was taught the arts of healing by an angel so that his children could overcome "the offspring of the ]".<ref>Lewis, Jack Pearl, , BRILL, 1968, p. 14.</ref>


In 10:1–3 of the ] (which is part of the ]) and canonical for ], ] was dispatched by "the Most High" to inform Noah of the approaching "deluge".<ref>{{cite book |chapter=] |title=The Book of Enoch |translator=] |location=London |publisher=Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge|year=1917 }}</ref>
===Sumerian===
Utnapishtim, a character in The Epic of Gilgamesh, tells the story of a flood very similar to that of Noah. In this story, the gods are enraged by the noise that man has raised from the earth. To quiet them they decide to send a great flood to silence mankind. Various correlations between the stories of Noah and Utnapishtim (the flood, the construction of the ark, the salvation of animals, and the release of birds following the flood) have led to this story being seen as the inspiration for the story of Noah. However, his role in Gilgamesh is to provide the secret of everlasting life to the hero, who promptly falls asleep before Utnapishtim gives him the secret.


===Ancient Greek=== ===Dead Sea scrolls===
], a portion of the ] that features Noah]]
Noah has often been compared to ], the son of ] and ] in ]. Like Noah, Deucalion is warned of the flood (this time by ] and ]); he builds an ark and staffs it with creatures – and when he completes his voyage, gives thanks and takes advice from the gods on how to repopulate the Earth. Deucalion also sends a pigeon to find out about the situation of the world and the bird returns with an olive branch.<ref>''Encyclopædia Britannica'', .</ref><ref>Wajdenbaum, P., , Routledge, 2014, pp. 104-108.</ref> Deucalion, in some versions of the myth, also becomes the inventor of wine, like Noah.<ref>Anderson, G., , Greenwood Publishing Group, 2006. pp. 129-130.</ref> ]<ref>Lewis, JP.; Lewis, JP., , BRILL, 1968, p. 47.</ref> and ] equate Deucalion with Noah, and ] used the story of Deucalion as evidence that the flood actually occurred and that, therefore, Noah existed.<ref>Peters, DM., , Society of Biblical Lit, 2008, p. 4.</ref><ref>Feldman, LH., , University of California Press, 1998, p. 133.</ref>


There are 20 or so fragments of the ] that appear to refer to Noah.<ref>Peters, DM., , Society of Biblical Lit, 2008, pp. 15–17.</ref> ] writes, "Among the Dead Sea Scrolls at least three different versions of this legend are preserved."<ref>Schiffman, LH., ''Encyclopedia of the Dead Sea Scrolls, Volume 2'', Granite Hill Publishers, 2000, pp. 613–614.</ref> In particular, "The ] devotes considerable space to Noah." However, "The material seems to have little in common with Genesis 5 which reports the birth of Noah." Also, Noah's father is reported as worrying that his son was actually fathered by one of the ].<ref>Lewis, Jack Pearl, , BRILL, 1968, p. 11. "the offspring of the Watchers".</ref>
===Hindu===
A story involving Lord ] and King ] is found in the ] chronicle ]. Lord Vishnu in his 'matsya' (fish) ] ordered the virtuous king Manu to construct a huge boat with animal and plant specimens of all forms, to escape the Great Deluge, and finally when the water receded,the great boat was found atop the ].<ref>Frazer. RW., , Mittal Publications, 1898, pp. 83-84.</ref> ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' notes that "Manu combines the characteristics of the Hebrew Bible figures of Noah, who preserved life from extinction in a great flood, and Adam, the first man",<ref>''Encyclopædia Britannica'', </ref> which view is reflected in several other works.<ref>Ananda, SG., , Art of Unity, 2014, pp. 177 - 180.</ref> ] ] writes that borrowing between the myths of Manu and Noah "cannot be ruled out".<ref>Shulman, DD, in Dundes, A. (ed), , University of California Press, 1988, p. 296.</ref>
For Christian apologist ], the names "Noah" and "Manu" "had the same etymological root: 'Manu' must have been the Indo-Aryan ideal of Noah."<ref>Sugirtharajah, RS., , Cambridge University Press, 2001, p. 93.</ref> Philologist and founder of the ], ], "identifies Manu with Noah", along with whom, "the seven sages can be identified with the eight people aboard the Ark."<ref>Trautmann. TR., , Yoda Press, 2006 p. 58.</ref> Furthermore, researcher ] reports a Muslim writer who "identifies Brahma with Abraham .... and Manu with Noah."<ref>Klostermaier, K., , SUNY Press, 2010, p. 406.</ref> Others, however, would say that "the story is thoroughly Indian" and the "boat is not the equivalent of Noah's Ark, though it is still the symbol of salvation"<ref>Bonnefoy, Y., , University of Chicago Press, 1993, p. 80.</ref>


==Religious views== ==Religious views==

===Judaism=== ===Judaism===
{{See also|Noah in rabbinic literature|Noach (parsha)}} {{See also|Noah in rabbinic literature|Noach (parsha)}}
] ]
The righteousness of Noah is the subject of much discussion among rabbis.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/11571-noah#anchor5 |title=JewishEncyclopedia.com – Noah – His Marriage}}</ref> The description of Noah as "righteous in his generation" implied to some that his perfection was only relative: In his generation of wicked people, he could be considered righteous, but in the generation of a '']'' like ], he would not be considered so righteous. They point out that Noah did not pray to God on behalf of those about to be destroyed, as Abraham prayed for the wicked of ]. In fact, Noah is never seen to speak; he simply listens to God and acts on his orders. This led such commentators to offer the figure of Noah as "the man in a fur coat," who ensured his own comfort while ignoring his neighbour.<ref>Mamet, D., Kushner, L., , Schocken Books, 2003, p. 1.</ref> Others, such as the medieval commentator ], held on the contrary that the building of the Ark was stretched over 120 years, deliberately in order to give sinners time to repent. Rashi interprets his father's statement of the naming of Noah (in Hebrew נֹחַ) "This one will comfort (in Hebrew– yeNaHamainu יְנַחֲמֵנו) from our work and our hands sore from the land that the Lord had cursed",<ref>{{bibleverse||Genesis|5:28|9}}</ref> by saying Noah heralded a new era of prosperity, when there was easing (in Hebrew – nahah – נחה) from the curse from the time of Adam when the Earth produced thorns and thistles even where men sowed wheat and that Noah then introduced the plow.<ref>Frishman, J., Rompay, L. von, , Peeters Publishers, 1997, pp. 62-65.</ref> The righteousness of Noah is the subject of much discussion among rabbis.<ref name=JewishEnyc/> The description of Noah as "righteous in his generation" implied to some that his perfection was only relative: In his generation of wicked people, he could be considered righteous, but in the generation of a '']'' like ], he would not be considered so righteous. They point out that Noah did not pray to God on behalf of those about to be destroyed, as Abraham prayed for the wicked of ]. In fact, Noah is never seen to speak; he simply listens to God and acts on his orders. This led some commentators to offer the figure of Noah as "the righteous man in a fur coat," who ensured his own comfort while ignoring his neighbour.<ref>Mamet, D., Kushner, L., , Schocken Books, 2003, p. 1.</ref> Others, such as the medieval commentator ], held on the contrary that the building of the Ark was stretched over 120 years, deliberately in order to give sinners time to repent. Rashi interprets his father's statement of the naming of Noah (in Hebrew – Noaħ נֹחַ). "This one will comfort us (in Hebrew– yeNaĦamenu יְנַחֲמֵנו) in our work and in the toil of our hands, which come from the ground that the Lord had cursed"<ref>{{bibleverse||Genesis|5:29|9}}</ref> Some interpret this as meaning Noah heralded a new era of prosperity, when there was an easing (in Hebrew, naħah נחה) of the curse from Adam's time, when the Earth produced thorns and thistles even where men sowed wheat. It is said that Noah introduced the plow, symbolizing this relief.<ref>Frishman, J., Rompay, L. von, , Peeters Publishers, 1997, pp. 62–65.</ref>

According to the '']'', "The ] contains two accounts of Noah." In the first, Noah is the hero of the flood, and in the second, he is the father of mankind and a husbandman who planted the first vineyard. "The disparity of character between these two narratives has caused some critics to insist that the subject of the latter account was not the same as the subject of the former."<ref name=JewishEnyc/>


The '']'' notes that Noah's drunkenness is not presented as reprehensible behavior. Rather, "It is clear that ... Noah’s venture into viticulture provides the setting for the castigation of Israel’s Canaanite neighbors." It was Ham who committed an offense when he viewed his father's nakedness. Yet, "Noah’s curse, ... is strangely aimed at Canaan rather than the disrespectful Ham."<ref name=Skolnik287 />
According to the ''Jewish Encyclopedia'', "The ] contains two accounts of Noah." In the first, Noah is the hero of the flood, and in the second, he is the father of mankind and a husbandman who planted the first vineyard. "The disparity of character between these two narratives has caused some critics to insist that the subject of the latter account was not the same as the subject of the former." Perhaps the original name of the hero of the flood was actually ''Enoch''.<ref>''Jewish Encyclopedia'': Noah. </ref>


===Mandaeism===
The ] notes that Noah's drunkenness is not presented as reprehensible behavior. Rather, "It is clear that ... Noah’s venture into viticulture provides the setting for the castigation of Israel’s Canaanite neighbors." It was Ham who committed an offense when he viewed his father’s nakedness. Yet, "Noah’s curse, ...is strangely aimed at Canaan rather than the disrespectful Ham." (p.&nbsp;288)<ref name=Skolnik287 />
In ], Noah ({{langx|myz|ࡍࡅ|Nu}}) is mentioned in ] of the '']''. In the text, ] is named as Nuraita ({{langx|myz|ࡍࡅࡓࡀࡉࡕࡀ}}), while his son is named as Shum (i.e., ]; {{langx|myz|ࡔࡅࡌ|Šum}}).<ref name="GR Gelbert">{{cite book |url=https://livingwaterbooks.com.au/product/ginza-rba/ |last1=Gelbert |first1=Carlos |title=Ginza Rba |year=2011 |publisher=Living Water Books |location=Sydney |isbn=9780958034630}}</ref><ref name="GR Lidzbarski">{{cite book|last=Lidzbarski|first=Mark|date=1925|title=Ginza: Der Schatz oder Das große Buch der Mandäer|location=Göttingen|publisher=Vandenhoek & Ruprecht|url=https://archive.org/details/MN41563ucmf_2}}</ref>


===Christianity=== ===Christianity===
] as the dove returns]] ] as the dove returns]]
According to , Noah is considered a "preacher of righteousness". Of the Gospels in the ], the ] compares Noah's flood with the coming ]: "Just as it was in the days of Noah, so too it will be in the days of the coming of the ]."<ref>Luke 17:26</ref>


2 Peter 2:5 refers to Noah as a "preacher of righteousness".<ref>{{bibleverse|2 Peter|2:5|NASB}} (])</ref> In the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke, Jesus compares Noah's flood with the coming ]: "Just as it was in the days of Noah, so too it will be in the days of the coming of the ]. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man."<ref>{{bibleverse|Matthew|24:38}}</ref><ref>{{bibleverse|Luke|17:26}}</ref>
The ] compares the saving power of ] with the Ark saving those who were in it. In later Christian thought, the Ark came to be compared to the ]: ] was to be found only within Christ and his Lordship, as in Noah's time it had been found only within the Ark. ] (354–430), demonstrated in '']'' that the dimensions of the Ark corresponded to the dimensions of the human body, which corresponds to the ]; the equation of Ark and Church is still found in the ] rite of baptism, which asks God, "who of thy great mercy didst save Noah," to receive into the Church the infant about to be baptised.<ref>Peters, DM., , Society of Biblical Lit, 2008, pp. 15-17.</ref>


The ] compares the power of ] with the Ark saving those who were in it. In later Christian thought, the Ark came to be compared to the ]: ] was to be found only within Christ and his Lordship, as in Noah's time it had been found only within the Ark. ] (354–430), demonstrated in '']'' that the dimensions of the Ark corresponded to the dimensions of the human body, which corresponds to the ]; the equation of Ark and Church is still found in the ] rite of baptism, which asks God, "who of thy great mercy didst save Noah," to receive into the Church the infant about to be baptised.<ref>Peters, DM., , Society of Biblical Lit, 2008, pp. 15–17.</ref>
In ], Noah's three sons were generally considered as the founders of the populations of the three known ]s, ]/Europe, ]/Asia, and ]/Africa, although a rarer variation held that they represented the three classes of medieval society – the priests (Shem), the warriors (Japheth), and the peasants (Ham). In medieval Christian thought, Ham was considered to be the ancestor of the people of black Africa. So, in racialist arguments, the curse of Ham became a justification for the slavery of the black races.<ref>Jackson, JP., Weidman, NM., , ABC-CLIO, 2004, p. 4.</ref>


In ], Noah's three sons were generally considered as the founders of the populations of the three known ]s, ]/Europe, ]/Asia, and ]/Africa, although a rarer variation held that they represented the three classes of medieval society – the priests (Shem), the warriors (Japheth), and the peasants (Ham). In medieval Christian thought, Ham was considered to be the ancestor of the people of black Africa. So, in racialist arguments, the curse of Ham became a justification for the slavery of the black races.<ref>Jackson, JP., Weidman, NM., , ABC-CLIO, 2004, p. 4.</ref>
====Mormon theology====
In ] theology, Noah plays an important role prior to his birth as the angel ]. And then lived in his mortal life as the patriarch/prophet Noah. Gabriel and Noah are regarded as the same individual; Noah being his mortal name and Gabriel being his heavenly name.<ref>{{citation |contribution-url= https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bd/noah?lang=eng |contribution= Noah |title= ] |series= ] |publisher= ] }}</ref><ref>{{citation |contribution-url= https://www.lds.org/scriptures/gs/noah-bible-patriarch?lang=eng |contribution= Noah, Bible Patriarch |title= Study Helps: The Guide to the Scriptures |series= ] |publisher= ] }}</ref> ] also believe that Noah returned to earth as Gabriel after his earthly life<ref>{{citation |chapter-url= https://www.lds.org/manual/teachings-joseph-smith/chapter-8?lang=eng |chapter= Chapter 8: The Everlasting Priesthood |title= ] |year= 2001 |pages= 101–113 |publisher= LDS Church }}</ref> and appeared to ] to teach him about the ]; to ], the father of ]; and to ], the mother of Jesus.<ref>{{citation |url= https://www.lds.org/ensign/2014/02/noah?lang=eng |title= Old Testament Prophets: Noah |journal= ] |date= February 2014 }}</ref>


], in his religious works on the development of religion, wrote about Noah and his offspring. In Newton's view, while Noah was a monotheist, the gods of pagan antiquity are identified with Noah and his descendants.<ref>{{citation |last=Force |first=J E |chapter=Essay 12: Newton, the "Ancients" and the "Moderns" |editor-last1= Popkin |editor-first1=RH |editor-last2=Force |editor-first2=JE |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gJKaqMDxyL0C&q=noah+religion&pg=PA254 |title=Newton and Religion: Context, Nature, and Influence |publisher=Kluwer |year=1999 |pages=253–254 |via=Google Books |series=International Archive of the History of Ideas |number =161|isbn=9780792357445 }}</ref>
Noah is considered the head of a ] along with ], ], ], ], ] and ] . A dispensation is a period of time in which the Lord has at least one authorized servant on earth who bears the keys of the holy priesthood.<ref>{{citation |contribution-url= https://www.lds.org/scriptures/gs/dispensation?lang=eng |contribution= Dispensation |title= Study Helps: The Guide to the Scriptures |series= ] |publisher= LDS Church }}</ref> Noah became the means by which the gospel of Jesus Christ— the ] —is revealed anew, the means by which divine transforming powers, including saving covenants and ordinances, are extended to people during an age of time called a dispensation.<ref>{{citation |url= https://www.lds.org/ensign/1994/06/joseph-smith-among-the-prophets?lang=eng |title= Joseph Smith among the Prophets |first= Robert L. |last= Millet |authorlink= Robert L. Millet |journal= ] |date= June 1994 }}</ref>

===Gnosticism===
An important Gnostic text, the '']'', reports that the chief ] caused the flood because he desired to destroy the world he had made, but the First Thought informed Noah of the chief archon's plans, and Noah informed the remainder of humanity. Unlike the account of Genesis, not only are Noah's family saved, but many others also heed Noah's call. There is no ark in this account. According to ], "Rather, they hid in a particular place, not only Noah, but also many other people from the unshakable race. They entered that place and hid in a bright cloud."<ref>{{cite book|last=Pagels|first=Elaine|author-link=Elaine Pagels|title=The Gnostic Gospels|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sOfrvFT7RVYC|year=2013|publisher=Orion|isbn=978-1-78022-670-5|page=163}}</ref>

===Druze faith===
The ] regard Noah as the second spokesman (''natiq'') after ], who helped transmit the foundational teachings of monotheism (''tawhid'') intended for the larger audience.{{sfn|Swayd|2009|p=3}} He is considered an important prophet of God among Druze, being among the seven prophets who appeared in different periods of history.<ref name="Hitti 1928 37" /><ref name="Dana 2008 17" />


===Islam=== ===Islam===
{{Main|Noah in Islam}} {{Main|Noah in Islam}}
].]] ]]]
Noah is a highly important figure in ], and is seen as one of the most significant prophets of all. The ] contains 43 references to Noah, or ''Nuh'', in 28 chapters, and the seventy-first chapter, ''Sūrat Nūḥ'' ({{lang-ar|سورة نوح}}) or ], is named after him. His life is also spoken of in the commentaries and in Islamic legends. Noah's narratives largely cover his preaching as well the story of the ]. Noah's narrative sets the prototype for many of the subsequent prophetic stories, which begin with the prophet warning his people and then the community rejecting the message and facing a punishment. Noah is not the first prophet sent to mankind, according to the Qur'an. The first prophet according to Islam is Adam, who was the first man and he was sent to populate earth. Noah has several titles in ], based primarily on praise for him in the Qur'an, including ''True Messenger of Allah'' (XXVI: 107) and ''Grateful Servant of Allah'' (XVII: 3).<ref name=Skolnik287 >Skolnik, F., Berenbaum, M., , Thomson Gale, 2007, pp. 287-291.</ref><ref name="Enc Islam">Gibb, Hamilton Alexander Rosskeen, , Vol. 8, Brill, 1995, pp. 108-109.</ref>


Noah is a highly important figure in ] and he is seen as one of the most significant of all ]. The ] contains 43 references to Noah, or ''Nuḥ'', in 28 chapters, and the seventy-first chapter, ] ({{langx|ar|سورة نوح}}), is named after him. His life is also spoken of in the commentaries and in Islamic legends.
The Qur'an focuses on several instances from Noah's life more than others, and one of the most significant events is the Deluge. Allah makes a ] with Noah just as he did with Abraham, ], ] and ] later on (33:7). Noah is later reviled by his people and reproached by them for being a mere human messenger and not an angel (10:72–74). Moreover, the people mock Noah's words and call him a liar (7:62), and they even suggest that Noah is possessed by a devil when the prophet ceases to preach (54:9). Only the lowest in the community join Noah in believing in Allah's message (11:29), and Noah's narrative further describes him preaching both in private and public. Noah prays to Allah to say, "Lord, leave not one single family of Infidels on the Earth: / For if thou leave them they will beguile thy servants and will beget only sinners, infidels."<ref></ref> The Qur'an narrates that Noah received a revelation to build an ], after his people refused to believe in his message and hear the warning. The narrative goes on to describe that waters poured forth from the Heavens, destroying all the sinners. Even one of his sons disbelieved him, stayed behind, and was drowned. In the Qur'an, Noah originally had four sons, but they are not named. After the ] ceased, the Ark rested atop ] ({{cite quran|11|44|s=ns}}). Also, Islam beliefs deny the idea of Noah being the first person to drink wine and experience the after effects of doing so.<ref name=Skolnik287 /><ref name = "Enc Islam"/>


Noah's narratives largely cover his preaching as well the story of the ]. Noah's narrative sets the prototype for many of the subsequent prophetic stories, which begin with the prophet warning his people and then the community rejecting the message and facing a punishment.
{{cite quran|29|14|s=ns}} states that Noah had been living among the people who he was sent to for 950 years when the flood started.


Noah has several titles in Islam, based primarily on praise for him in the Quran, including "Trustworthy Messenger of God" ({{qref|26|107}}) and "Grateful Servant of God" ({{qref|17|3}}).<ref name=Skolnik287 >{{cite book | editor-last1=Skolnik | editor-first1=Fred | editor-last2=Berenbaum | editor-first2=Michael | editor3=Thomson Gale (Firm) | title=Encyclopaedia Judaica | year=2007 | isbn=978-0-02-865943-5 | oclc=123527471 | url=http://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/70174939.html | access-date=29 November 2019 | first1=Dwight | last1=Young | chapter=Noah | edition=2nd | quote=The earliest Mesopotamian flood account, written in the Sumerian language, calls the deluge hero Ziusudra, which is thought to carry the connotation “he who laid hold on life of distant days.” | volume=15 | pages=287–291 | chapter-url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/philosophy-and-religion/biblical-proper-names-biographies/noah}}</ref><ref name="Enc Islam">{{cite book|last=Gibb|first=Hamilton Alexander Rosskeen|author-link=Hamilton Alexander Rosskeen Gibb|title=The Encyclopaedia of Islam: NED-SAM|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OO4pAQAAMAAJ|year=1995|publisher=Brill|pages=108–109|isbn=9789004098343}}</ref>
{{quote|And, indeed, We sent forth Noah unto his people, and he dwelt among them a thousand years bar fifty; and then the floods overwhelmed them while they were still lost in evildoing.}}


The Quran focuses on several instances from Noah's life more than others, and one of the most significant events is the Flood. God makes a ] with Noah just as he did with Abraham, ], ] and ] later on ({{qref|33|7|pl=y}}). Noah is later reviled by his people and reproached by them for being a mere human messenger and not an angel ({{qref|10|72-74|pl=y}}). Moreover, the people mock Noah's words and call him a liar ({{qref|7|62|pl=y}}), and they even suggest that Noah is possessed by a devil when the prophet ceases to preach ({{qref|54|9|pl=y}}). Only the lowest of classes in the community join Noah in believing in God's message ({{qref|11|29|pl=y}}), and Noah's narrative further describes him preaching both in private and public. The Quran narrates that Noah received a revelation to build an ], after his people refused to believe in his message and hear the warning. The narrative goes on to describe that waters poured forth from both the earth and the Heavens, destroying all the sinners. Even one of his sons disbelieved him, stayed behind, and was drowned. After the Flood ended, the Ark rested atop ] ({{qref|11|44|b=y}}).
According to the ] understanding of the Quran, the period described in the Quran is the age of his ], which extended until the time of ] (950 years). The first 50 years were the years of spiritual progress, which were followed by 900 years of spiritual deterioration of the people of Noah.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://www.alislam.org/library/books/HadhratNuh.pdf | title=Hadhrat Nuh | author=Rashid Ahmad Chaudhry | publisher=Islam International Publications |isbn=1-85372-758-X}}</ref>
]'', 1583]]
Also, Islamic beliefs deny the idea of Noah being the first person to drink wine and experience the aftereffects of doing so.<ref name=Skolnik287 /><ref name = "Enc Islam"/>


Quran 29:14 states that Noah had been living among the people who he was sent to for 950 years when the flood started.
===Gnostic===
An important Gnostic text, the ], reports that the chief ] caused the flood because he desired to destroy the world he had made, but the ] informed Noah of the chief archon's plans, and Noah informed the remainder of humanity. Unlike the account of Genesis, not only are Noah's family saved, but many others also heed Noah's call. There is no ark in this account. According to ], "Rather, they hid in a particular place, not only Noah, but also many other people from the unshakable race. They entered that place and hid in a bright cloud."<ref>Pagels, E., , Hachette UK, 2013, p. 163.</ref>


{{blockquote|Indeed, We sent Noah to his people, and he remained among them for a thousand years, less fifty. Then the Flood overtook them, while they persisted in wrongdoing.|{{qref|29|14|c=y}}}}
===Bahá'í===
The ] regards the Ark and the Flood as symbolic.<ref>From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, October 28, 1949: Bahá'í News, No. 228, February 1950, p. 4. Republished in {{harvnb|Compilation |1983|p=508}}</ref> In Bahá'í belief, only Noah's followers were spiritually alive, preserved in the ark of his teachings, as others were spiritually dead.<ref>{{cite web|first = Brent|last = Poirier|title = The Kitab-i-Iqan: The key to unsealing the mysteries of the Holy Bible|url = http://bahai-library.com/poirier_iqan_unsealing_bible|accessdate = 2007-06-25}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Shoghi Effendi |authorlink=Shoghi Effendi |year=1971 |title=Messages to the Bahá'í World, 1950–1957 |publisher=Bahá'í Publishing Trust |location=Wilmette, Illinois, USA |isbn=0-87743-036-5 |url=http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/se/MBW/ |page=104}}</ref> The Bahá'í scripture '']'' endorses the Islamic belief that Noah had a large number of companions, either 40 or 72, besides his family on the Ark, and that he taught for 950 (symbolic) years before the flood.<ref>From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, November 25, 1950. Published in {{harvnb|Compilation |1983|p=494}}</ref>


===Isaac Newton=== ===Baháʼí Faith===
The ] regards the Ark and the Flood as symbolic.<ref>From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, October 28, 1949: Baháʼí News, No. 228, February 1950, p. 4. Republished in {{harvnb|Compilation |1983|p=508}}</ref> In Baháʼí belief, only Noah's followers were spiritually alive, preserved in the ark of his teachings, as others were spiritually dead.<ref>{{cite web|first = Brent|last = Poirier|title = The Kitab-i-Iqan: The key to unsealing the mysteries of the Holy Bible|url = http://bahai-library.com/poirier_iqan_unsealing_bible|access-date = 2007-06-25}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Shoghi Effendi |author-link=Shoghi Effendi |year=1971 |title=Messages to the Baháʼí World, 1950–1957 |publisher=Baháʼí Publishing Trust |location=Wilmette, Illinois, USA |isbn=0-87743-036-5 |url=http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/se/MBW/ |page=104}}</ref> The Baháʼí scripture '']'' endorses the Islamic belief that Noah had a large number of companions, either 40 or 72, besides his family on the Ark, and that he taught for 950 (symbolic) years before the flood.<ref>From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, November 25, 1950. Published in {{harvnb|Compilation |1983|p=494}}</ref>
], in his religious works on the development of religion, wrote about Noah and his offspring. In Newton's view, while Noah was a monotheist, the gods of pagan antiquity are identified with Noah and his descendants. "Newton argues that Noah is ultimately deified as the god Saturn."<blockquote>Newton thus traces all ancient political and religious history back to Noah and Noah's offspring and simultaneously gives an historical account of the rise of polytheism and idolatry in these gentile nations as the result of the posthumous deification of their leaders and heroes, a polytheistic process which thoroughly corrupts the core monotheistic truth ... in the original religion of Noah.<ref>Popkin, RH., Force, JE., , Springer Science & Business Media, 1999, pp. 253-254.</ref></blockquote>

===Ahmadiyya===
According to the ] understanding of the Quran, the period described in the Quran is the age of his ], which extended until the time of ] (Abraham, 950 years). The first 50 years were the years of spiritual progress, which were followed by 900 years of spiritual deterioration of the people of Noah.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://www.alislam.org/library/books/HadhratNuh.pdf | title=Hadhrat Nuh | author=Rashid Ahmad Chaudhry | year=2005 | publisher=Islam International Publications |isbn=1-85372-758-X}}</ref>

==Comparative mythology==
{{Main|Flood myth}}
{{See also|Comparative Mythology}}
Indian and Greek flood-myths also exist, although there is little evidence that they were derived from the Mesopotamian flood-myth that underlies the biblical account.<ref>Frazer, JG., in Dundes, A (ed.),
, University of California Press, 1988,
pp. 121–122.</ref>

===Mesopotamian===
], who transliterated and read the so-called "Babylonian Flood Story" of Tablet XI of the ]]]
The Noah story of the Pentateuch is quite similar to a flood story contained in the Mesopotamian ], composed {{circa|1800 BCE}}. In the Gilgamesh version, the ] decide to send a great flood to destroy mankind. Various correlations between the stories of Noah and Gilgamesh (the flood, the construction of the ark, the salvation of animals, and the release of birds following the flood) have led to this story being seen as the source for the story of Noah. The few variations include the number of days of the deluge, the order of the birds, and the name of the mountain on which the ark rests. The flood story in Genesis 6–8 matches the ] so closely that "few doubt that derives from a Mesopotamian account."<ref name="George2003">{{cite book|first=Andrew R. |last=George|title=The Babylonian Gilgamesh Epic: Introduction, Critical Edition and Cuneiform Texts|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=21xxZ_gUy_wC&pg=PA70|access-date=8 November 2012|year=2003|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-927841-1|page=70 |via=Google Books}}</ref> What is particularly noticeable is the way the Genesis flood story follows the Gilgamesh flood tale "point by point and in the same order", even when the story permits other alternatives.<ref>Rendsburg, Gary. "The Biblical flood story in the light of the Gilgamesh flood account," in ''Gilgamesh and the world of Assyria'', eds Azize, J & Weeks, N. Peters, 2007, p. 117</ref>

The earliest written ] is found in the ] ] and Epic of Gilgamesh texts. The ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' says "These mythologies are the source of such features of the biblical Flood story as the building and provisioning of the ark, its flotation, and the subsidence of the waters, as well as the part played by the human protagonist."<ref>{{Britannica|416799|Noah}}</ref> The ''Encyclopedia Judaica'' adds that there is a strong suggestion that "an intermediate agent was active. The people most likely to have fulfilled this role are the ]s, whose territory included the city of ], where the Patriarch ] had his roots. The Hurrians inherited the Flood story from Babylonia".<ref name=Skolnik287 />
The encyclopedia mentions another similarity between the stories: Noah is the tenth patriarch and ] notes that "the hero of the great flood was Babylonia's tenth antediluvian king." However, there is a discrepancy in the ages of the heroes. For the Mesopotamian antecedents, "the reigns of the antediluvian kings range from 18,600 to nearly 65,000 years." In the Bible, the lifespans "fall far short of the briefest reign mentioned in the related Mesopotamian texts." Also, the name of the hero differs between the traditions: "The earliest Mesopotamian flood account, written in the ], calls the deluge hero ]."<ref name=Skolnik287 />

However, Yi Samuel Chen writes that the oldest versions of the ] never mentioned the flood, just mentioning that he went to talk to ] to find the secret of immortality. Starting with the ], there were attempts to syncretize Utnapishtim with Ziusudra, even though they were previously seen as different figures. Gilgamesh meeting the flood hero was first alluded to in the Old Babylonian Period in "The Death of Gilgamesh" and eventually was imported and standardized in the Epic of Gilgamesh probably in the Middle Babylonian Period.<ref name="Chen 2013">Chen, Yi Samuel. The Primeval Flood Catastrophe: Origins and Early Development in Mesopotamian Traditions. Oxford University Press, 2013.</ref>

]'s historical reign is believed to have been approximately 2700 BC,<ref>{{cite book | last=Roux | first=Georges | date=April 1964 | title=Ancient Iraq | publisher=] | publication-place=London |pages=123, 502}}</ref> shortly before the earliest known written stories. The discovery of artifacts associated with ] and ] of ], two other kings named in the stories, has lent credibility to the historical existence of Gilgamesh.<ref>], ''Myths from Mesopotamia'', Oxford University Press (1989), p. 40–41</ref>

The earliest ]ian Gilgamesh poems date from as early as the ] (2100–2000 BC).{{sfn|George|2003|p=xix}} One of these poems mentions Gilgamesh's journey to meet the flood hero, as well as a short version of the flood story, although Chen writes that his was included in texts written during the Old Babylonian Period.<ref name="Chen 2013"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.1.8.1.3#|title=The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature|website=etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk}}</ref> The earliest ] versions of the unified epic are dated to c. 2000–1700 BC.<ref>{{harvnb|George|2003|p=}}: "The great list of kings of Sumer and Akkad was, in the form that we know it, compiled early in the second millennium, from sources already current, to legitimize the ] as the successors of the ]."</ref> Due to the fragmentary nature of these Old Babylonian versions, it is unclear whether they included an expanded account of the flood myth; although one fragment definitely includes the story of Gilgamesh's journey to meet ]. The "standard" Akkadian version included a long version of the flood story and was edited by ] sometime between 1300 and 1000 BC.{{sfn|George|2003|pp=xxiv–xxv}}

Yi Samuel Chen, analyzing various texts from the ] to the Old Babylonian Period, argues that the flood narrative was only added in texts written during the latter Old Babylonian Period. Observations by experts indicate that the portions of the ] which mention the time before the flood are stylistically different from the King List Proper. Chen writes that Old Babylonian copies tend to show a separate pre-flood tradition which is apart from the King List. Further, the ] copy of the King List as well as similar documents indicate that the King List Proper once existed independent of a flood narrative or a pre-flood tradition. Chen provides evidence that the sections of the Sumerian King List that mention references to the flood were all later additions added during the Old Babylonian Period through later updates and edits. The Flood as a watershed in early history of the world was probably a new historiographical concept emerging in the Mesopotamian literary traditions during the Old Babylonian Period, as evident by the fact that the flood motif didn't show up in the Ur III copy and that the earliest chronographical sources related to the flood show up in the Old Babylonian Period. Chen concludes that the name of Ziusudra as a flood hero, as well as any hinted references of a flood, in the Old Babylonian Version of the ] were later developments during the Old Babylonian Period, originating from updated information added to the text from the burgeoning Antediluvian Tradition.<ref name="Chen 2013"/>

===Ancient Greek===
Noah has often been compared to ], the son of ] and ] in ]. Like Noah, Deucalion is warned of the flood (by ] and ]); he builds an ark and staffs it with creatures – and when he completes his voyage, gives thanks and takes advice from the gods on how to repopulate the Earth. Deucalion also sends a pigeon to find out about the situation of the world and the bird returns with an olive branch.<ref>'{{Britannica|159650|Deucalion}}</ref><ref>Wajdenbaum, P., , Routledge, 2014, pp. 104–108.</ref> Deucalion, in some versions of the myth, also becomes the inventor of wine, like Noah.<ref>Anderson, G., , Greenwood Publishing Group, 2006. pp. 129–130.</ref> ]<ref>Lewis, JP.; Lewis, JP., , BRILL, 1968, p. 47.</ref> and ] equate Deucalion with Noah, and ] used the story of Deucalion as evidence that the flood actually occurred and that, therefore, Noah existed.<ref>Peters, DM., , Society of Biblical Lit, 2008, p. 4.</ref><ref>Feldman, LH., , University of California Press, 1998, p. 133.</ref>

The motif of a ] who headed the pantheon causing the great flood and then the trickster who ] saving man is also present in ], as ], instead of Zeus, causes the flood, and ], rather than Prometheus, saves man. Stephanie West has written that this is perhaps due to the Greeks borrowing stories from the Near East.<ref>West, S. (1994). Prometheus Orientalized. Museum Helveticum, 51(3), 129–149.</ref>


==See also== ==See also==
{{Portal|Religion|Christianity|Islam|Judaism|Latter Day Saints}}
* ]
* ], a Norse mythological version of Noah. * ], a jötunn in ] who survives the worldwide flood in a floating container
* ], Noah's daughter in the ] who travels to Ireland with a fleet as instructed by Noah to try to escape the flood.
* ]
* ], character of the Shahnameh that has similarities with the story of Noah
* ], ancestral figure in ].
* ], the central character in the Hindu flood myth, and ].
* ], ancient Egyptian pharaoh of the early dynastic period.
* ], king of Crete, son of Zeus and Europa. * ], a term that refers to an ].
* ] * ]
* ], Hawaiian mythological character who built an ark and escaped a Great Flood. * ], a ] character who built an ark and escaped a Great Flood.
* ], goddess in Chinese mythology best known for creating mankind.
* ] * ]
* ], sometimes referred to as arkeology.
* ]
* ]
* ] * ]
* ]
* ]
* ]


==References== == Citations ==
{{Reflist|2}} {{Reflist}}


== General and cited references ==
==Bibliography==
{{Refbegin |2}}
* {{citation |author=Compilation |editor-last=Hornby |editor-first=Helen |year=1983 |title=Lights of Guidance: A Bahá'í Reference File |publisher=Bahá'í Publishing Trust, New Delhi, India |isbn=81-85091-46-3 |url=http://books.google.com/?id=MZ7g-BIfXu0C#v=onepage&q=Noah%27s%20Flood%3A%20The%20Genesis%20Story%20in%20Western%20Thought&f=false}}
* {{cite book |last=Alter |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Alter |title=The Five Books of Moses |year=2008 |publisher=W. W. Norton & Company |isbn=978-0-393-33393-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZcMhkJ8a708C&q=justify+Canaan&pg=PA52 }}
* {{cite book |last=Brett |first=Mark G. |title=Genesis: Procreation and the Politics of Identity |year=2000 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0203992029 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nFDW1lqNEXYC&q=Canaan&pg=PA45 }}
* {{citation |author=Compilation |editor-last=Hornby |editor-first=Helen |year=1983 |title=Lights of Guidance: A Baháʼí Reference File |publisher=Baháʼí Publishing Trust, New Delhi, India |isbn=81-85091-46-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MZ7g-BIfXu0C&q=Noah%27s+Flood%3A+The+Genesis+Story+in+Western+Thought }}
* {{Cite book |last=Dimant |first=Devorah |chapter=Noah in early Jewish literature |editor=Michael E. Stone |editor2=Theodore E. Bergren |title=Biblical Figures Outside the Bible |publisher=Trinity Press |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eXM1YwCGipMC |year=2001 |isbn=9781563384110 }}
* {{cite book |last=Freedman |first=Paul H. |title=Images of the Medieval Peasant |year=1999 |publisher=Stanford University Press |isbn=9780804733731 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RXBReIaQDW8C }}
* {{cite book |last=Goldenberg |first=David M. |editor1-last=Stemberger |editor1-first=Günter |editor2-last=Perani |editor2-first=Mauro |title=The Words of a Wise Man's Mouth Are Gracious |chapter=What did Ham do to Noah? |year=2005 |publisher=Walter de Gruyter |isbn=9783110188493 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4cr-mix9kMgC&q=curse+of+ham+greek+mesopotamian+myth&pg=PA261 }}
* {{Cite book |last1=Goldenberg |first1=David M. |year=2003 |title=The Curse of Ham: Race and Slavery in Early Judaism, Christianity, and Islam |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=9780691114651}}
* {{cite book |last=Goldenberg |first=David M. |editor1-last=Salzman |editor1-first=Jack |editor2-last=West |editor2-first=Cornel |title=Struggles in the Promised Land: Toward a History of Black-Jewish Relations |chapter=The Curse of Ham: A Case of Rabbinic Racism? |year=1997 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780198024927 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C2MJkRjpOHoC&q=%22long+history+of+enslaving%22&pg=PA34 }}
* {{Cite book |last1=Goldenberg |first1=David M. |title=The Curse of Ham: Race and Slavery in Early Judaism, Christianity, and Islam |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=9781400828548 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1MS9AiZ74MoC&q=%22skin+color+and+slavery%22&pg=PA168 |year=2009 }}
* {{Cite book |last1=Graves |first1=Robert |last2=Patai |first2=Raphael |title=Hebrew Myths: The Book of Genesis |publisher=Princeton University Press, Cassel |year=1964 }}
* {{cite web |last1=Ham |first1=Ken |author-link1=Ken Ham |last2=Sarfati |first2=Jonathan |author-link2=Jonathan Sarfati |last3=Wieland |first3=Carl |author-link3=Carl Wieland |year=2001 |editor-last=Batten |editor-first=Don |url=http://www.christiananswers.net/q-aig/race-blacks.html |title=Are Black People the Result of a Curse on Ham |publisher=ChristianAnswers.net |access-date=28 September 2013 }}
* {{cite book |last1=Keil |first1=Carl |last2=Delitzsch |first2=Franz |others=Trans. James Martin |title=Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament |volume=1 |year=1885 |publisher=T&T Clark |location=Edinburgh }}
* {{cite book |last=Kissling |first=Paul |title=Genesis |publisher=College Press |year=2004 |volume=1 |isbn=9780899008752 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lotBnvqdmeQC&q=In+the+beginning&pg=PP4 }}
* {{Cite book |last=Kugle |first=James L. |title=Traditions of the Bible |publisher=Harvard University Press |year=1998 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QUkaVq_GlJUC&q=%22Ham+laughed%22&pg=PA222 |isbn=9780674791510 }}
* {{cite book |last=Levenson |first=Jon D. |editor1-last=Berlin |editor1-first=Adele |editor2-last=Brettler |editor2-first=Marc Zvi |title=The Jewish Study Bible |chapter=Genesis: Introduction and Annotations |year=2004 |page= |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-529751-5 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aDuy3p5QvEYC |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780195297515/page/26 }} ().
* {{cite book |last=Lulat |first=G |title=A History of African Higher Education from Antiquity to the Present: A Critical Synthesis |year=2005 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |location=Santa Barbara, Calif. |isbn=9780313068669 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J00xEkY-vTEC&q=misnomer+ham&pg=PA86 |pages=85, 86 |quote=an ideologically driven misnomer... }}
* {{cite book |last=Metcalf |first=Alida C. |title=Go-betweens and the Colonization of Brazil, 1500–1600 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lWuNIISvBqIC&q=ham+curse |year=2005 |publisher=] |location=Austin |isbn=978-0292712768 |edition=1st |page=164 }}
* {{cite book|author1-link=W. Paul Reeve|last1=Reeve|first1=W. Paul|title=Religion of a Different Color: Race and the Mormon Struggle for Whiteness|date=2015|publisher=Oxford University Press|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=95j4BQAAQBAJ|location=New York|isbn=978-0-19-975407-6}}
* {{cite book |last=Robertson |first=John M. |title=Christianity and Mythology |year=1910 |publisher=Kessinger Publishing (2004 reprint) |isbn=978-0-7661-8768-9 |pages=496 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=usGxKc9gMNwC }}
* {{cite book |last=Sadler |first=R.S. |title=Can a Cushite Change his Skin? |year=2005 |publisher=T&T Clark |isbn=9780567029607 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jNwI0AlRhuwC }}
* {{cite book |last=Sarna |first=Nahum |author-link=Nahum Sarna |editor-last=Friedman |editor-first=Richard Elliott |title=The Creation of Sacred Literature: Composition and Redaction of the Biblical Text |chapter=The Anticipatory Use of Information as a Literary Feature of the Genesis Narratives |year=1981 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-09637-0 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HvjNTNWTyQUC |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/creationofsacred0000unse }}
* {{Cite book |last=Trost |first=Travis D. |title=Who should be king in Israel? |publisher=Peter Lang Publishing |year=2010 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FnvbpnRwxeYC&pg=PR6 |isbn=9781433111518 }}
* {{cite book |last=VanderKam |first=James Claire |author-link=James VanderKam |chapter=The Righteousness of Noah |editor=John Joseph Collins |editor2=George W. E. Nickelsburg |title=Ideal figures in ancient Judaism: profiles and paradigms, Volumes 12–15 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Le4QAQAAIAAJ |access-date=1 December 2013 |year=1980 |publisher=Scholars Press |location=Chico |isbn=978-0891304340 |pages=13–32 }}
* {{cite book |last=Van Seters |first=John |editor1-last=VanderKam |editor1-first=James |title=From Revelation to Canon: Studies in the Hebrew Bible and Second Temple Literature |chapter=Geography as an evaluative tool |year=2000 |publisher=Brill |isbn=0391041363 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L352z_jZSmcC&q=Putting+them+in+their+place%3A+Geography+as+an+evaluative+tool&pg=PA476 }}
* {{Cite book |last=Whitford |first=David M. |title=The curse of Ham in the Early Modern Era |publisher=Ashgate Publishing |year=2009 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hMb7_SL-OJYC |isbn=9780754666257 }}
* {{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1Nq9lD5wnBMC&q=abraham+druze&pg=PA3|title=The a to Z of the Druzes|isbn=9780810868366|last1=Swayd|first1=Samy S.|year=2009}}
{{Refend}}


==External links== ==External links==
{{Commons category|Noah}} {{Commons category|Noah (Biblical figure)}}
{{Wikiquote}}
* from the 1901–1906 ''Jewish Encyclopedia''
* from the 1901–1906 '']''
*
* * —MuslimWiki
* {{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Noah |volume=19 |page=722 |short=1}}


{{Adam to David}}
{{Prophets of the Tanakh}} {{Prophets of the Tanakh}}
{{Adam to David}} {{Prophets in the Quran}}
{{Noah's Ark}}
{{Prophets in the Qur'an|no}}
{{Creationism topics}}
{{Portal bar|Christianity|Islam|Judaism|Latter-day Saints}}
{{Authority control}}


{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see ]. -->
| NAME = Noah
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION = Biblical patriarch that built the ark
| DATE OF BIRTH =
| PLACE OF BIRTH = ]
| DATE OF DEATH =
| PLACE OF DEATH = <!-- unknown -->
}}
] ]
] ]
] ]
]
]
]
]
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]
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] ]
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Latest revision as of 22:02, 31 December 2024

Revered figure in Abrahamic traditions For other uses, see Noah (disambiguation).
Noah
Detail from The Sacrifice of Noah by Giovanni Battista Gaulli
Personal life
Resting placeon a hill at Karak, Lebanon (major Shrine)
SpouseWives aboard Noah's Ark (names unspecified in some traditions)
Children
Parent
Known forGenesis flood narrative
Religious life
ReligionJudaism
Mandaeism
Christianity
Druze faith
Yazidism
Islam
Baháʼí Faith

Noah (/ˈnoʊ.ə/; Hebrew: נֹחַ, romanizedNōaḥ, lit.'rest' or 'consolation') appears as the last of the Antediluvian patriarchs in the traditions of Abrahamic religions. His story appears in the Hebrew Bible (Book of Genesis, chapters 5–9), the Quran and Baha'i writings, and extracanonically.

The Genesis flood narrative is among the best-known stories of the Bible. In this account, God "regrets" making mankind because they filled the world with evil. Noah then labors faithfully to build the Ark at God's command, ultimately saving not only his own family, but mankind itself and all land animals, from extinction during the Flood. Afterwards, God makes a covenant with Noah and promises never again to destroy the earth with a flood. Noah is also portrayed as a "tiller of the soil" who is the first to cultivate the vine. After the flood, God commands Noah and his sons to "be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth".

The story of Noah in the Pentateuch is similar to the flood narrative in the Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh, composed around 1800 BC, where a hero builds an ark to survive a divinely sent flood. Scholars suggest that the biblical account was influenced by earlier Mesopotamian traditions, with notable parallels in plot elements and structure. Comparisons are also drawn between Noah and the Greek hero Deucalion, who, like Noah, is warned of a flood, builds an ark, and sends a bird to check on the flood's aftermath.

Biblical narrative

12th-century Venetian mosaic depiction of Noah sending the dove

Tenth and final of the pre-Flood (antediluvian) Patriarchs, son to Lamech and a mother whose name is unmentioned, Noah is 500 years old before his sons Shem, Ham and Japheth are born.

Genesis flood narrative

Main article: Genesis flood narrative

The Genesis flood narrative is encompassed within chapters 6–9 in the Book of Genesis, in the Bible. The narrative indicates that God intended to return the Earth to its pre-Creation state of watery chaos by flooding the Earth because of humanity's misdeeds and then remake it using the microcosm of Noah's ark. Thus, the flood was no ordinary overflow but a reversal of Creation. The narrative discusses the evil of mankind that moved God to destroy the world by way of the flood, the preparation of the ark for certain animals, Noah, and his family, and God's guarantee (the Noahic Covenant) for the continued existence of life under the promise that he would never send another flood.

After the flood

Main article: Covenant (biblical) § Noahic

After the flood, Noah offered burnt offerings to God. God accepted the sacrifice, and made a covenant with Noah, and through him with all mankind, that he would not waste the earth or destroy man by another deluge.

"And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth". As a pledge of this gracious covenant with man and beast the rainbow was set in the clouds (ib. viii. 15–22, ix. 8–17). Two injunctions were laid upon Noah: While the eating of animal food was permitted, abstinence from blood was strictly enjoined; and the shedding of the blood of man by man was made a crime punishable by death at the hands of man (ib. ix. 3–6).

Noah, as the last of the extremely long-lived Antediluvian patriarchs, died 350 years after the flood, at the age of 950, when Terah was 128. The maximum human lifespan, as depicted by the Bible, gradually diminishes thereafter, from almost 1,000 years to the 120 years of Moses.

Noah's drunkenness

Noah's drunkenness, Ham mocks Noah, Noah is covered, Canaan is cursed. Egerton Genesis.
See also: Curse of Ham

After the flood, the Bible says that Noah became a farmer and he planted a vineyard. He drank wine made from this vineyard, and got drunk; and lay "uncovered" within his tent. Noah's son Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father naked and told his brothers, which led to Ham's son Canaan being cursed by Noah.

As early as the Classical era, commentators on Genesis 9:20–21 have excused Noah's excessive drinking because he was considered to be the first wine drinker; the first person to discover the effects of wine. John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, and a Church Father, wrote in the 4th century that Noah's behavior is defensible: as the first human to taste wine, he would not know its effects: "Through ignorance and inexperience of the proper amount to drink, fell into a drunken stupor". Philo, a Hellenistic Jewish philosopher, also excused Noah by noting that one can drink in two different manners: (1) to drink wine in excess, a peculiar sin to the vicious evil man or (2) to partake of wine as the wise man, Noah being the latter. In Jewish tradition and rabbinic literature on Noah, rabbis blame Satan for the intoxicating properties of the wine.

Noah curses Ham by Gustave Doré

In the context of Noah's drunkenness, relates two facts: (1) Noah became drunken and "he was uncovered within his tent", and (2) Ham "saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without".

Because of its brevity and textual inconsistencies, it has been suggested that this narrative is a "splinter from a more substantial tale". A fuller account would explain what exactly Ham had done to his father, or why Noah directed a curse at Canaan for Ham's misdeed, or how Noah realised what had occurred. In the field of psychological biblical criticism, J. H. Ellens and W. G. Rollins have analysed the unconventional behavior that occurs between Noah and Ham as revolving around sexuality and the exposure of genitalia as compared with other Hebrew Bible texts, such as Habakkuk 2:15 and Lamentations 4:21.

Other commentaries mention that "uncovering someone's nakedness" could mean having sexual intercourse with that person or that person's spouse, as quoted in Leviticus 18:7–8 and 20. From this interpretation comes the speculation that Ham was guilty of engaging in incest and raping Noah or his own mother. The latter interpretation would clarify why Canaan, as the product of this illicit union, was cursed by Noah. Alternatively, Canaan could be the perpetrator himself as the Bible describes the illicit deed being committed by Noah's "youngest son", with Ham being consistently described as the middle son in other verses.

Table of nations

See also: Generations of Noah
The dispersion of the descendants of Shem, Ham, and Japheth (map from the 1854 Historical Textbook and Atlas of Biblical Geography)

Genesis 10 sets forth the descendants of Shem, Ham, and Japheth, from whom the nations branched out over the Earth after the flood. Among Japheth's descendants were the maritime nations (10:2–5). Ham's son Cush had a son named Nimrod, who became the first man of might on earth, a mighty hunter, king in Babylon and the land of Shinar (10:6–10). From there Ashur went and built Nineveh. (10:11–12) Canaan's descendants – Sidon, Heth, the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites – spread out from Sidon as far as Gerar, near Gaza, and as far as Sodom and Gomorrah (10:15–19). Among Shem's descendants was Eber (10:21).

These genealogies differ structurally from those set out in Genesis 5 and 11. It has a segmented or treelike structure, going from one father to many offspring. It is strange that the table, which assumes that the population is distributed about the Earth, precedes the account of the Tower of Babel, which says that all the population is in one place before it is dispersed.

Family tree

Genesis 5:1–32 transmits a genealogy of the Sethites down to Noah, which is taken from the priestly tradition. A genealogy of the Canites from the Jawhistic tradition is found in Genesis 4:17–26. Biblical scholars see these as variants on one and the same list. However, if we take the merged text of Genesis as a single account, we can construct the following family tree, which has come down in this form into the Jewish and Christian traditions.

AdamEve
CainAbelSeth
EnochEnos
IradKenan
MehujaelMahalalel
MethushaelJared
AdahLamechZillahEnoch
JabalJubalTubal-CainNaamahMethuselah
Lamech
Noah
ShemHamJapheth
  1. Hebrew: נֹחַ‎ Nōaḥ; Syriac: ܢܘܚ Nōḥ; Amharic: ኖህ, Noḥ; Arabic: نُوح Nūḥ; Ancient Greek: Νῶε Nôe
  2. ^ Genesis 4:1
  3. Genesis 4:2
  4. Genesis 4:25; 5:3
  5. Genesis 4:17
  6. Genesis 4:26; 5:6–7
  7. ^ Genesis 4:18
  8. Genesis 5:9–10
  9. Genesis 5:12–13
  10. Genesis 5:15–16
  11. ^ Genesis 4:19
  12. Genesis 5:18–19
  13. Genesis 4:20
  14. Genesis 4:21
  15. ^ Genesis 4:22
  16. Genesis 5:21–22
  17. Genesis 5:25–26
  18. Genesis 5:28–30
  19. ^ Genesis 5:32

Narrative analysis

According to the documentary hypothesis, the first five books of the Bible (Pentateuch/Torah), including Genesis, were collated during the 5th century BC from four main sources, which themselves date from no earlier than the 10th century BC. Two of these, the Jahwist, composed in the 10th century BC, and the Priestly source, from the late 7th century BC, make up the chapters of Genesis which concern Noah. The attempt by the 5th-century editor to accommodate two independent and sometimes conflicting sources accounts for the confusion over such matters as how many of each animal Noah took, and how long the flood lasted.

The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Books of the Bible notes that this story echoes parts of the Garden of Eden story: Noah is the first vintner, while Adam is the first farmer; both have problems with their produce; both stories involve nakedness; and both involve a division between brothers leading to a curse. However, after the flood, the stories differ. It is Noah, not God, who plants the vineyard and utters the curse, so "God is less involved".

Other accounts

In addition to the main story in Genesis, the Hebrew Bible (Christian Old Testament) also refers to Noah in the First Book of Chronicles, Isaiah and Ezekiel. References in the deuterocanonical books include the books of Tobit, Wisdom, Sirach, 2 Esdras and 4 Maccabees. New Testament references include the gospels of Matthew and Luke, and some of the epistles (Epistle to the Hebrews, 1 Peter and 2 Peter).

Noah became the subject of much elaboration in the literature of later Abrahamic religions, including Islam (Surahs 71, 7, 11, 54, and 21 of the Quran) and the Baháʼí Faith (Kitáb-i-Íqán and Gems of Divine Mysteries).

Pseudepigrapha

The Book of Jubilees refers to Noah and says that he was taught the arts of healing by an angel so that his children could overcome "the offspring of the Watchers".

In 10:1–3 of the Book of Enoch (which is part of the Orthodox Tewahedo biblical canon) and canonical for Beta Israel, Uriel was dispatched by "the Most High" to inform Noah of the approaching "deluge".

Dead Sea scrolls

Genesis Apocryphon, a portion of the Dead Sea Scrolls that features Noah

There are 20 or so fragments of the Dead Sea scrolls that appear to refer to Noah. Lawrence Schiffman writes, "Among the Dead Sea Scrolls at least three different versions of this legend are preserved." In particular, "The Genesis Apocryphon devotes considerable space to Noah." However, "The material seems to have little in common with Genesis 5 which reports the birth of Noah." Also, Noah's father is reported as worrying that his son was actually fathered by one of the Watchers.

Religious views

Judaism

See also: Noah in rabbinic literature and Noach (parsha)
A Jewish depiction of Noah

The righteousness of Noah is the subject of much discussion among rabbis. The description of Noah as "righteous in his generation" implied to some that his perfection was only relative: In his generation of wicked people, he could be considered righteous, but in the generation of a tzadik like Abraham, he would not be considered so righteous. They point out that Noah did not pray to God on behalf of those about to be destroyed, as Abraham prayed for the wicked of Sodom and Gomorrah. In fact, Noah is never seen to speak; he simply listens to God and acts on his orders. This led some commentators to offer the figure of Noah as "the righteous man in a fur coat," who ensured his own comfort while ignoring his neighbour. Others, such as the medieval commentator Rashi, held on the contrary that the building of the Ark was stretched over 120 years, deliberately in order to give sinners time to repent. Rashi interprets his father's statement of the naming of Noah (in Hebrew – Noaħ נֹחַ). "This one will comfort us (in Hebrew– yeNaĦamenu יְנַחֲמֵנו) in our work and in the toil of our hands, which come from the ground that the Lord had cursed" Some interpret this as meaning Noah heralded a new era of prosperity, when there was an easing (in Hebrew, naħah נחה) of the curse from Adam's time, when the Earth produced thorns and thistles even where men sowed wheat. It is said that Noah introduced the plow, symbolizing this relief.

According to the Jewish Encyclopedia, "The Book of Genesis contains two accounts of Noah." In the first, Noah is the hero of the flood, and in the second, he is the father of mankind and a husbandman who planted the first vineyard. "The disparity of character between these two narratives has caused some critics to insist that the subject of the latter account was not the same as the subject of the former."

The Encyclopedia Judaica notes that Noah's drunkenness is not presented as reprehensible behavior. Rather, "It is clear that ... Noah’s venture into viticulture provides the setting for the castigation of Israel’s Canaanite neighbors." It was Ham who committed an offense when he viewed his father's nakedness. Yet, "Noah’s curse, ... is strangely aimed at Canaan rather than the disrespectful Ham."

Mandaeism

In Mandaeism, Noah (Classical Mandaic: ࡍࡅ, romanized: Nu) is mentioned in Book 18 of the Right Ginza. In the text, Noah's wife is named as Nuraita (Classical Mandaic: ࡍࡅࡓࡀࡉࡕࡀ), while his son is named as Shum (i.e., Shem; Classical Mandaic: ࡔࡅࡌ, romanized: Šum).

Christianity

An early Christian depiction showing Noah giving the gesture of orant as the dove returns

2 Peter 2:5 refers to Noah as a "preacher of righteousness". In the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke, Jesus compares Noah's flood with the coming Day of Judgement: "Just as it was in the days of Noah, so too it will be in the days of the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man."

The First Epistle of Peter compares the power of baptism with the Ark saving those who were in it. In later Christian thought, the Ark came to be compared to the Church: salvation was to be found only within Christ and his Lordship, as in Noah's time it had been found only within the Ark. St Augustine of Hippo (354–430), demonstrated in The City of God that the dimensions of the Ark corresponded to the dimensions of the human body, which corresponds to the body of Christ; the equation of Ark and Church is still found in the Anglican rite of baptism, which asks God, "who of thy great mercy didst save Noah," to receive into the Church the infant about to be baptised.

In medieval Christianity, Noah's three sons were generally considered as the founders of the populations of the three known continents, Japheth/Europe, Shem/Asia, and Ham/Africa, although a rarer variation held that they represented the three classes of medieval society – the priests (Shem), the warriors (Japheth), and the peasants (Ham). In medieval Christian thought, Ham was considered to be the ancestor of the people of black Africa. So, in racialist arguments, the curse of Ham became a justification for the slavery of the black races.

Isaac Newton, in his religious works on the development of religion, wrote about Noah and his offspring. In Newton's view, while Noah was a monotheist, the gods of pagan antiquity are identified with Noah and his descendants.

Gnosticism

An important Gnostic text, the Apocryphon of John, reports that the chief archon caused the flood because he desired to destroy the world he had made, but the First Thought informed Noah of the chief archon's plans, and Noah informed the remainder of humanity. Unlike the account of Genesis, not only are Noah's family saved, but many others also heed Noah's call. There is no ark in this account. According to Elaine Pagels, "Rather, they hid in a particular place, not only Noah, but also many other people from the unshakable race. They entered that place and hid in a bright cloud."

Druze faith

The Druze regard Noah as the second spokesman (natiq) after Adam, who helped transmit the foundational teachings of monotheism (tawhid) intended for the larger audience. He is considered an important prophet of God among Druze, being among the seven prophets who appeared in different periods of history.

Islam

Main article: Noah in Islam
An Islamic depiction of Noah and the ark in a 16th-century Mughal miniature

Noah is a highly important figure in Islam and he is seen as one of the most significant of all prophets. The Quran contains 43 references to Noah, or Nuḥ, in 28 chapters, and the seventy-first chapter, Sūrah Nūḥ (Arabic: سورة نوح), is named after him. His life is also spoken of in the commentaries and in Islamic legends.

Noah's narratives largely cover his preaching as well the story of the Deluge. Noah's narrative sets the prototype for many of the subsequent prophetic stories, which begin with the prophet warning his people and then the community rejecting the message and facing a punishment.

Noah has several titles in Islam, based primarily on praise for him in the Quran, including "Trustworthy Messenger of God" (26:107) and "Grateful Servant of God" (17:3).

The Quran focuses on several instances from Noah's life more than others, and one of the most significant events is the Flood. God makes a covenant with Noah just as he did with Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad later on (33:7). Noah is later reviled by his people and reproached by them for being a mere human messenger and not an angel (10:72-74). Moreover, the people mock Noah's words and call him a liar (7:62), and they even suggest that Noah is possessed by a devil when the prophet ceases to preach (54:9). Only the lowest of classes in the community join Noah in believing in God's message (11:29), and Noah's narrative further describes him preaching both in private and public. The Quran narrates that Noah received a revelation to build an Ark, after his people refused to believe in his message and hear the warning. The narrative goes on to describe that waters poured forth from both the earth and the Heavens, destroying all the sinners. Even one of his sons disbelieved him, stayed behind, and was drowned. After the Flood ended, the Ark rested atop Mount Judi (Quran 11:44).

Ottoman depiction of Noah's ark and the deluge from Zubdat-al Tawarikh, 1583

Also, Islamic beliefs deny the idea of Noah being the first person to drink wine and experience the aftereffects of doing so.

Quran 29:14 states that Noah had been living among the people who he was sent to for 950 years when the flood started.

Indeed, We sent Noah to his people, and he remained among them for a thousand years, less fifty. Then the Flood overtook them, while they persisted in wrongdoing.

— Surah Al-Ankabut 29:14

Baháʼí Faith

The Baháʼí Faith regards the Ark and the Flood as symbolic. In Baháʼí belief, only Noah's followers were spiritually alive, preserved in the ark of his teachings, as others were spiritually dead. The Baháʼí scripture Kitáb-i-Íqán endorses the Islamic belief that Noah had a large number of companions, either 40 or 72, besides his family on the Ark, and that he taught for 950 (symbolic) years before the flood.

Ahmadiyya

According to the Ahmadiyya understanding of the Quran, the period described in the Quran is the age of his dispensation, which extended until the time of Ibrahim (Abraham, 950 years). The first 50 years were the years of spiritual progress, which were followed by 900 years of spiritual deterioration of the people of Noah.

Comparative mythology

Main article: Flood myth See also: Comparative Mythology

Indian and Greek flood-myths also exist, although there is little evidence that they were derived from the Mesopotamian flood-myth that underlies the biblical account.

Mesopotamian

George Smith, who transliterated and read the so-called "Babylonian Flood Story" of Tablet XI of the Epic of Gilgamesh

The Noah story of the Pentateuch is quite similar to a flood story contained in the Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh, composed c. 1800 BCE. In the Gilgamesh version, the Mesopotamian gods decide to send a great flood to destroy mankind. Various correlations between the stories of Noah and Gilgamesh (the flood, the construction of the ark, the salvation of animals, and the release of birds following the flood) have led to this story being seen as the source for the story of Noah. The few variations include the number of days of the deluge, the order of the birds, and the name of the mountain on which the ark rests. The flood story in Genesis 6–8 matches the Gilgamesh flood myth so closely that "few doubt that derives from a Mesopotamian account." What is particularly noticeable is the way the Genesis flood story follows the Gilgamesh flood tale "point by point and in the same order", even when the story permits other alternatives.

The earliest written flood myth is found in the Mesopotamian Epic of Atrahasis and Epic of Gilgamesh texts. The Encyclopædia Britannica says "These mythologies are the source of such features of the biblical Flood story as the building and provisioning of the ark, its flotation, and the subsidence of the waters, as well as the part played by the human protagonist." The Encyclopedia Judaica adds that there is a strong suggestion that "an intermediate agent was active. The people most likely to have fulfilled this role are the Hurrians, whose territory included the city of Harran, where the Patriarch Abraham had his roots. The Hurrians inherited the Flood story from Babylonia". The encyclopedia mentions another similarity between the stories: Noah is the tenth patriarch and Berossus notes that "the hero of the great flood was Babylonia's tenth antediluvian king." However, there is a discrepancy in the ages of the heroes. For the Mesopotamian antecedents, "the reigns of the antediluvian kings range from 18,600 to nearly 65,000 years." In the Bible, the lifespans "fall far short of the briefest reign mentioned in the related Mesopotamian texts." Also, the name of the hero differs between the traditions: "The earliest Mesopotamian flood account, written in the Sumerian language, calls the deluge hero Ziusudra."

However, Yi Samuel Chen writes that the oldest versions of the Epic of Gilgamesh never mentioned the flood, just mentioning that he went to talk to Utnapishtim to find the secret of immortality. Starting with the Old Babylonian Period, there were attempts to syncretize Utnapishtim with Ziusudra, even though they were previously seen as different figures. Gilgamesh meeting the flood hero was first alluded to in the Old Babylonian Period in "The Death of Gilgamesh" and eventually was imported and standardized in the Epic of Gilgamesh probably in the Middle Babylonian Period.

Gilgamesh's historical reign is believed to have been approximately 2700 BC, shortly before the earliest known written stories. The discovery of artifacts associated with Aga and Enmebaragesi of Kish, two other kings named in the stories, has lent credibility to the historical existence of Gilgamesh.

The earliest Sumerian Gilgamesh poems date from as early as the Third dynasty of Ur (2100–2000 BC). One of these poems mentions Gilgamesh's journey to meet the flood hero, as well as a short version of the flood story, although Chen writes that his was included in texts written during the Old Babylonian Period. The earliest Akkadian versions of the unified epic are dated to c. 2000–1700 BC. Due to the fragmentary nature of these Old Babylonian versions, it is unclear whether they included an expanded account of the flood myth; although one fragment definitely includes the story of Gilgamesh's journey to meet Utnapishtim. The "standard" Akkadian version included a long version of the flood story and was edited by Sin-liqe-unninni sometime between 1300 and 1000 BC.

Yi Samuel Chen, analyzing various texts from the Early Dynastic III Period to the Old Babylonian Period, argues that the flood narrative was only added in texts written during the latter Old Babylonian Period. Observations by experts indicate that the portions of the Sumerian King List which mention the time before the flood are stylistically different from the King List Proper. Chen writes that Old Babylonian copies tend to show a separate pre-flood tradition which is apart from the King List. Further, the Ur III copy of the King List as well as similar documents indicate that the King List Proper once existed independent of a flood narrative or a pre-flood tradition. Chen provides evidence that the sections of the Sumerian King List that mention references to the flood were all later additions added during the Old Babylonian Period through later updates and edits. The Flood as a watershed in early history of the world was probably a new historiographical concept emerging in the Mesopotamian literary traditions during the Old Babylonian Period, as evident by the fact that the flood motif didn't show up in the Ur III copy and that the earliest chronographical sources related to the flood show up in the Old Babylonian Period. Chen concludes that the name of Ziusudra as a flood hero, as well as any hinted references of a flood, in the Old Babylonian Version of the Instructions of Shuruppak were later developments during the Old Babylonian Period, originating from updated information added to the text from the burgeoning Antediluvian Tradition.

Ancient Greek

Noah has often been compared to Deucalion, the son of Prometheus and Hesinoe in Greek mythology. Like Noah, Deucalion is warned of the flood (by Zeus and Poseidon); he builds an ark and staffs it with creatures – and when he completes his voyage, gives thanks and takes advice from the gods on how to repopulate the Earth. Deucalion also sends a pigeon to find out about the situation of the world and the bird returns with an olive branch. Deucalion, in some versions of the myth, also becomes the inventor of wine, like Noah. Philo and Justin equate Deucalion with Noah, and Josephus used the story of Deucalion as evidence that the flood actually occurred and that, therefore, Noah existed.

The motif of a weather deity who headed the pantheon causing the great flood and then the trickster who created men from clay saving man is also present in Sumerian Mythology, as Enlil, instead of Zeus, causes the flood, and Enki, rather than Prometheus, saves man. Stephanie West has written that this is perhaps due to the Greeks borrowing stories from the Near East.

See also

Citations

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  2. ^ Dana, Nissim (2008). The Druze in the Middle East: Their Faith, Leadership, Identity and Status. Michigan University press. p. 17. ISBN 9781903900369.
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  4. Fullom, S.W. (1855). The History of Woman, and Her Connexion with Religion, Civilization, & Domestic Manners, from the Earliest Period. p.10
  5. ^  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domainBechtel, Florentine Stanislaus (1911). "Noe". In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 11. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
  6. Silverman, Jason (2013). Opening Heaven's Floodgates: The Genesis Flood Narrative, Its Context, and Reception. Gorgias Press.
  7. Barry L. Bandstra (2008). Reading the Old Testament: Introduction to the Hebrew Bible. Cengage Learning. p. 61. ISBN 978-0-495-39105-0.
  8. Cotter 2003, pp. 49, 50. sfn error: no target: CITEREFCotter2003 (help)
  9. Genesis 9:1
  10. ^ "NOAH - JewishEncyclopedia.com". jewishencyclopedia.com.
  11. Genesis 6:3
  12. Deuteronomy 31:22, 34:37
  13. Genesis 9:20–21
  14. Rashkow, Ilona (2004). "Sexuality in the Hebrew Bible: Freud's lens". In Ellens, J. Harold; Rollins, Wayne G. (eds.). Psychology and the Bible: From Feud to Kohut. Psychology and the Bible: A New Way to Read the Scriptures. Vol. 1. Westport, Connecticut: Praeger Publishers. p. 52. ISBN 978-0-275-98348-2.
  15. Hamilton 1990, pp. 202–203. sfn error: no target: CITEREFHamilton1990 (help)
  16. Philo, 1971, p. 160
  17. Gen. Rabbah 36:3
  18. Genesis 9:18–27
  19. ^ Rashkow 2004, p. 53.
  20. ^ John Sietze Bergsma/Scott Walker Hahn. 2005. "Noah's Nakedness and the Curse on Canaan". Journal Biblical Literature 124/1 (2005), p. 25-40.
  21. Speiser 1964, p. 62. sfn error: no target: CITEREFSpeiser1964 (help)
  22. T. A. Bergren. Biblical Figures Outside the Bible, 2002, (ISBN 1563384116, ISBN 978-1-56338-411-0), p. 136
  23. Habakkuk 2:15
  24. Lamentations 4:21
  25. Leviticus 18:7–8
  26. Leviticus 20:11
  27. Levenson 2004, p. 26.
  28. Kugel 1998, p. 223 harvnb error: no target: CITEREFKugel1998 (help).
  29. Genesis 10
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  31. von Rad, Gerhard (1961). Genesis: A Commentary. London: SCM Press. pp. 67–73.
  32. von Rad, Gerhard (1961). Genesis: A Commentary. London: SCM Press. pp. 109–113.
  33. von Rad, Gerhard (1961). Genesis: A Commentary. London: SCM Press. p. 71.
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  38. "Gems of Divine Mysteries". Bahá'í Reference Library. Retrieved 2022-01-31.
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  41. Peters, DM., Noah Traditions in the Dead Sea Scrolls: Conversations and Controversies of Antiquity, Society of Biblical Lit, 2008, pp. 15–17.
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  44. Mamet, D., Kushner, L., Five Cities of Refuge: Weekly Reflections on Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, Schocken Books, 2003, p. 1.
  45. Genesis 5:29
  46. Frishman, J., Rompay, L. von, The Book of Genesis in Jewish and Oriental Christian Interpretation: A Collection of Essays, Peeters Publishers, 1997, pp. 62–65.
  47. ^ Young, Dwight (2007). "Noah". In Skolnik, Fred; Berenbaum, Michael; Thomson Gale (Firm) (eds.). Encyclopaedia Judaica. Vol. 15 (2nd ed.). pp. 287–291. ISBN 978-0-02-865943-5. OCLC 123527471. Retrieved 29 November 2019. The earliest Mesopotamian flood account, written in the Sumerian language, calls the deluge hero Ziusudra, which is thought to carry the connotation "he who laid hold on life of distant days."
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  50. 2 Peter 2:5 (New American Standard Bible)
  51. Matthew 24:38
  52. Luke 17:26
  53. Peters, DM., Noah Traditions in the Dead Sea Scrolls: Conversations and Controversies of Antiquity, Society of Biblical Lit, 2008, pp. 15–17.
  54. Jackson, JP., Weidman, NM., Race, Racism, and Science: Social Impact and Interaction, ABC-CLIO, 2004, p. 4.
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  59. From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, October 28, 1949: Baháʼí News, No. 228, February 1950, p. 4. Republished in Compilation 1983, p. 508
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  62. From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, November 25, 1950. Published in Compilation 1983, p. 494
  63. Rashid Ahmad Chaudhry (2005). Hadhrat Nuh (PDF). Islam International Publications. ISBN 1-85372-758-X.
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  66. Rendsburg, Gary. "The Biblical flood story in the light of the Gilgamesh flood account," in Gilgamesh and the world of Assyria, eds Azize, J & Weeks, N. Peters, 2007, p. 117
  67. Noah at the Encyclopædia Britannica
  68. ^ Chen, Yi Samuel. The Primeval Flood Catastrophe: Origins and Early Development in Mesopotamian Traditions. Oxford University Press, 2013.
  69. Roux, Georges (April 1964). Ancient Iraq. London: George Allen & Unwin. pp. 123, 502.
  70. Dalley, Stephanie, Myths from Mesopotamia, Oxford University Press (1989), p. 40–41
  71. George 2003, p. xix.
  72. "The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature". etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk.
  73. George 2003, p. 101: "The great list of kings of Sumer and Akkad was, in the form that we know it, compiled early in the second millennium, from sources already current, to legitimize the kings of Isin as the successors of the Ur III dynasty."
  74. George 2003, pp. xxiv–xxv.
  75. 'Deucalion at the Encyclopædia Britannica
  76. Wajdenbaum, P., Argonauts of the Desert: Structural Analysis of the Hebrew Bible, Routledge, 2014, pp. 104–108.
  77. Anderson, G., Greek and Roman Folklore: A Handbook, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2006. pp. 129–130.
  78. Lewis, JP.; Lewis, JP., A Study of the Interpretation of Noah and the Flood in Jewish and Christian Literature, BRILL, 1968, p. 47.
  79. Peters, DM., Noah Traditions in the Dead Sea Scrolls: Conversations and Controversies of Antiquity, Society of Biblical Lit, 2008, p. 4.
  80. Feldman, LH., Josephus's Interpretation of the Bible, University of California Press, 1998, p. 133.
  81. West, S. (1994). Prometheus Orientalized. Museum Helveticum, 51(3), 129–149.

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