Most academics and even many theologians dismiss the biblical account of Noah and the catastrophic
global flood as a myth. But is this so? If you are interested in investigating the past,
let’s take a look at a number of different historical accounts to determine whether or
not there is historical evidence for the flood and Noah’s ark.
Writing in the first century AD, Flavius Josephus was a Romano-Jewish historian. His book the
‘Antiquities of the Jews’ aligns itself with the Bible but in doing so it also relies
upon numerous secular sources, some of which are no longer available to us today. His writings
were intended for a predominantly Greek and Roman audience and provides a valuable source
of historical records for us today. In Book 1 and chapter 3 he wrote the following:
Josephus was a credible historian of his time, he was very close to Emperor Vespasian and
his family, hence adopting the name Flavius. His reputation would have been greatly diminished
or even ruined, if his claim that the remains of the ark were still visible was a fallacy.
He doesn’t stop there, however, if we read on he states:
These are intriguing claims and lead us to the next historian who Josephus mentions:
The Chaldean historian was a third-century BC historian and a Babylonian priest for Bel-Marduk.
You can watch our Viewpoint titled From Babylon to A United Europe for more information on this subject.
Unfortunately only fragments and references to his manuscripts have survived.
However, what can be asserted is that he was considered an historian by later uses of his
work although undoubtedly his manuscript Babyloniaca or History of Babylonia contains a significant
degree of hyperbole and distortion of actual events. This is clear when we consider the
Epic of Gilgamesh, which I will get to in a minute. However, the quote I want to bring
to your attention, which Josephus referenced, is not a historical claim. Berosus was writing
about the Ark, which he said was found in the land of the Cordeans at the time of his
writing. If this was simply false, his audience would know this! We have two historians, with
Josephus writing almost four hundred years later, and Berosus making the same claim that
the remains of the ark can be found in this region. What's important to note, is that it's not near
what we call today Mt. Ararat but as the Bible states, “…the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat.”
The region has been identified by scholars and historians as being in southeastern Turkey.
Dutch historian, Jona Lendering more recently wrote:
As I previously mentioned, Berosus wrote his account of Babylonian history and included
many fantastical tales much like the Epic of Gilgamesh. This cuneiform tablet story
is used by some to dismiss the Biblical account as myth because it predates the Old Testament
writings. However, just because the story predates the Bible, this does not render corroborating
events as a myth; we should never throw the baby out with the bathwater, even in the case
of a deluge. Besides, there are many striking similarities to the Flood found in Genesis.
Mankind was to be wiped out due to the sin and corruption that had spread throughout
civilisation, all except one man and his family; the construction of a huge wooden boat covered
in pitch; the sending out of birds to see if the waters had receded. The similarities
go on, rather than talk of another mythical flood event, the Epic of Gilgamesh serves
more to support the story of the flood occurring than to tear it down, albeit an account that
may otherwise tell a fictional story.
All these accounts sit as secular records which support an event of biblical proportions
having taken place. A catastrophic global flood that wiped out almost all of mankind
has undoubtedly left its mark on written accounts down through history. The known existence
of the ark, even as late as AD 100, supports the so-called myth of the flood as having
actually taken place. Rather than dismiss something out-of-hand, we should be more willing
to investigate the evidence that is found in these records and many others that time
does not permit us to consider.
If God destroyed mankind for its egregious conduct, and evidence exists to support this,
then we should now be considering how our behaviour might result in other prophetic
events, found in the Bible, soon occurring.
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