In some ways, the biblical story of Noah and his ark has been a focus over centuries for debates about the trustworthiness of the Bible. The account has captured the imagination of archaeologists and historians, some of whom have spent years trying to find evidence of a world-wide flood or a giant wooden boat … with no luck.
Then there are discoveries of modern science, as well as an explosion of new knowledge about the ancient world of the Bible, and these have challenged whether a concrete-reading of the story is plausible.
But if it’s not straightforward history, what on earth is it? And what does that say about the Bible itself?
Meet our guests
John Walton is one of the best known Old Testament scholars in the world. He is Professor of Old Testament in the Graduate School at Wheaton College, Illinois.
He’s the author or senior editor of more than 30 books, mainly focused on the Old Testament in its ancient Near Eastern context. The book relevant to today’s episode is one he wrote with another OT scholar and theologian Tremper Longman. It’s called The Lost World of the Flood: Mythology, Theology and the Deluge Debate.
Links
Download a transcript of this episode here
This episode of Undeceptions is sponsored by Zondervan’s new book Global Christianity: A Guide to the World’s Largest Religion from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe by Gina Zurlo.
Read List
- Read the full account of Noah and the flood from The Bible, Genesis 6-9.
- Noah’s Ark: The Facts Behind the Flood by Irving Finkel (2014), The Telegraph
- More on Eridu Genesis.
- More on the myth of Atrahasis.
- More on the Epic of Gilgamesh.
- Experts ‘face-off’ on Noah’s flood, (2001), New York Times – on the ancient flooding of the Black Sea.
Watch List
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