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Where did all that water come from and then where did it go?
What would happen if you filled in all the trenches in the oceans? Where would one get the dirt? Imagine cutting the mountains off and dropping them into the sea. Think that would do it?
At one point the topography was probably a LOT less mountainous. When the flood happened God opened up the earth and water came out. As the waters receded, mountains were raised up, trenches deepened.
I agree. The "world" was only as far as the ancients knew it to be. There seems to be enough historical evidence of some catastrophic flood. It's Noah's role that I am curious about.
He might not have existed. Not everything in the Bible can be taken at face value or as being factual.
Scroll down to #7 The Floods in Mesopotamia, and yes he was real.
The Biblical story of Noah, the ark, and the flood is an invention of the Hebrew priesthood during the Babylonian captivity.
Do you really think that, MQ? Then what do you do with the other OT figures? All mythological?
What about Job? I think somewhere Jesus mentions Job and Noah, so....?
I am not sure why people think that just because Jesus mentions a biblical figure, why he MUST have been real! Not just picking on you, S&S, but it's far from the first time this sort of thing has popped up.
Jesus was a Jew, and these characters were known to all Jews. Most of them likely did believe they were real people (although as I mentioned recently, I was surprised to find that so many Christians think Job was a real person, because I thought that at least was one book that most people realized was written to make a point, not to tell a story about a real person, and I found I was wrong about that.) But I'm pretty sure that other Jews didn't believe they were real people. Even in the first century, there were people smart enough to realize that the Deluge couldn't possibly have happened.
It doesn't matter that they weren't real. The point is to get to the truths behind the stories. In his book On Writing, Stephen King says, "Above all else, you must tell the truth." You surely know what Stephen King writes about. Do you get what he means by that?
Our culture refers to our literature all the time. People can talk about a Scarlett O'Hara throwing love away for the pursuit of money and get the truth of that story while knowing Scarlett is a fictional character, for example.
Noah and Job and Adam didn't have to have existed for Jesus to make his points by evoking them and what they stood for.
I did a search on "Do Jews believe Noah was real?" and found this article, which is worth reading.
I am not sure why people think that just because Jesus mentions a biblical figure, why he MUST have been real! Not just picking on you, S&S, but it's far from the first time this sort of thing has popped up.
Jesus was a Jew, and these characters were known to all Jews. Most of them likely did believe they were real people (although as I mentioned recently, I was surprised to find that so many Christians think Job was a real person, because I thought that at least was one book that most people realized was written to make a point, not to tell a story about a real person, and I found I was wrong about that.) But I'm pretty sure that other Jews didn't believe they were real people. Even in the first century, there were people smart enough to realize that the Deluge couldn't possibly have happened.
It doesn't matter that they weren't real. The point is to get to the truths behind the stories. In his book On Writing, Stephen King says, "Above all else, you must tell the truth." You surely know what Stephen King writes about. Do you get what he means by that?
Our culture refers to our literature all the time. People can talk about a Scarlett O'Hara throwing love away for the pursuit of money and get the truth of that story while knowing Scarlett is a fictional character, for example.
Noah and Job and Adam didn't have to have existed for Jesus to make his points by evoking them and what they stood for.
I did a search on "Do Jews believe Noah was real?" and found this article, which is worth reading.
You make good points, as usual, MQ. Our culture does refer to mythological people and events that are universally understood. I guess it never occurred to me that Jesus could do the same. I guess I was thinking about the way Noah, Job and Adam are listed in genealogies that SEEM meant to be literal.
I have to admit I do not know what Stephen King meant by telling the truth, considering his genre.
It really doesn't matter. What matters is here and now and daily life, hopefully along with Jesus' teachings and way of life. What are we missing now while we debate and fantasize over matters from long ago that can't be answered? Did Jesus ever say "Spend your time trying to figure out what happened long ago". Of course not. His focus was now and the future; matters we can affect and have some degree of control over. By ignoring his lead, we are basically saying we don't care what he tried to teach.
Last edited by Thoreau424; 11-19-2021 at 09:34 AM..
Will believing or not believing the Biblical account of the flood, have an impact on your salvation? What I do know is.... it's important to understand why the account is recorded in the Bible and the lesson.
It really doesn't matter. What matters is here and now and daily life, hopefully along with Jesus' teachings and way of life. What are we missing now while we debate and fantasize over matters from long ago that can't be answered? Did Jesus ever say "Spend your time trying to figure out what happened long ago". Of course not. His focus was now and the future; matters we can affect and have some degree of control over. By ignoring his lead, we are basically saying we don't care what he tried to teach.
I agree with you, as always, re the flood being regional. But is Noah real, that's my question. Since he seems to be mentioned throughout the Bible. If he's prior to Genesis chapter 12, is he a myth?
Yes, that was the article I was referring to.
There may have been a historical Noah, or there may not have been. He is a part of the primordial history of the Bible meaning that we can't be sure that he existed. We have only the Biblical story of Noah. I am leaning toward the idea that there was no historical Adam, and there may not have been a historical Noah either. I like MQ's post 25 on the matter.
The Bible consists of various genres and Noah need not be taken historically, though as I said they may have been a Noah who was inserted into the flood story.
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