Noah and the Ark: The Stories Behind the Story
Sermon, November 4, 2005
Rabbi Bruce Kadden
Every few years or so, we read about someone who is setting out on an
expedition in search of Noah’s ark. They head to what they believe is Mount
Ararat, in southeastern Turkey, and, on occasion, one hears reports of pieces of
wood or other remnants that the explorers claim may have been part of this
ancient vessel.
But if people really want to understand the story of Noah’s ark, if they want
to get insights into its meaning and significance, then they should not be
wandering off to some remote area of the world, but should, instead, head to the
library and read some of the texts that have been discovered in archeological
digs in the ancient Near East. These texts are the stories behind the story of
Noah’s ark.
A number of flood stories have been discovered in a variety of places. There
is, for example, the story of Berossus, which was first known through the work
of Greek historians, but has been more completely understood because of
archeological discoveries. There is also a story known as the Epic of Atrahasis,
which speaks of a great flood as one of the gods’ punishments upon the people.
But the most significant and well-known ancient flood story is the Gilgamesh
Epic, discovered in mid-19th century excavations at Nineveh.
According to the biblical scholar Nahum Sarna, “The Epic of Gilgamesh
constitutes one of the major literary achievements of the ancient world.” More
than 3000 years ago it had already been translated into a number of languages
and spread beyond Mesopotamia. Only one small part of this great Epic deals
with the flood, but the parallels between it and the biblical account are
striking.
In both stories, the flood is a result of Divine intervention, the hero is
told to build a boat to precise specifications, to take every type of living
thing onto the boat, and to use pitch as insulation. In fact, the Hebrew word
kofer –which is used nowhere else in the Bible—is the same word used in
the Gilgamesh account.
In both accounts, the flood wipes out all human beings and animals and the
ark comes to rest on a mountain. Then birds are released to determine if the
water had receded and it was possible to leave the ark. In the Gilgamesh
account, first a dove and then a swallow were set forth, but both returned;
finally, a raven is set forth, and finding food, did not return. In Genesis,
Noah first sends out a raven and then a dove, neither of which find a resting
place. Seven days later, he again sends forth a dove, which returns with an
olive leaf; Noah again sends forth the dove, which does not return. And, after
leaving the ark, both heroes offer a sacrifice.
These similarities demonstrate beyond any doubt that the author of the story
of Noah and the ark was familiar with Gilgamesh Epic. This story may have been
among the tales that Abram and his family brought with them when they migrated
from Mesopotamia to the land of Canaan. Of it could have been first brought by
others and heard by the Israelites in their encounters with others.
Rabbi Mark Levin, in this week’s Torat Chayim, points to the explanation of
the modern traditional commentator Umberto Cassuto, who holds the view that the
Torah is of Divine authorship. Cassuto argues that because the people were
already familiar with basic themes of Epic of Gilgamesh, God used this
narrative, but made significant changes to teach the people certain lessons.
As Cassuto writes, “The Torah could not very well pass over in silence the
ancient poetic tradition regarding the Flood, which was already widely current
among the Israelites…. Hence the Torah accepted the traditional story, purified
and refined it, and harmonized it in all its aspects with its own doctrine.”
Indeed, whether one accepts Cassuto’s view that the Torah is of Divine
origin, or believes that the Torah developed as oral traditions that were passed
from generation to generation and eventually written down, what is most
important is not its similarities to the Gilgamesh Epic, but its differences.
Sarna points out that in the Gilgamesh Epic, the gods are subservient to
nature and their freedom to act is circumscribed. “In direct contrast is the
absolute, transcendent character of God in the biblical narrative,” he writes.
God “is completely independent of nature” and God’s “will is sovereign.”
Furthermore, the story of Gilgamesh offers no reason for the flood. In
contrast, the biblical story is a tale of morality. God brings the flood
because the people have acted immorally and “the earth became corrupt.” Noah is
chosen to be saved because he was righteous. When the Bible tells a story it is
not just for the sake of telling a story, but for the sake of teaching a
lesson. Biblical stories offer moral lessons which teach us right from wrong.
That is what differentiates the Bible from many other ancient texts. And that
is why we continue to go back to it as a source of knowledge and inspiration.
At the end of the biblical account, God sets a rainbow in the heaven. God
makes a covenant with Noah and his family, promising never again to bring
floodwaters to destroy the earth. Now, the bow is a symbol often used in the
ancient Near East. However, in every other tradition, the bow is a weapon of
war; only in this story is the bow a rainbow and a symbol of peace and
reconciliation between God and human beings.
As Sarna concludes, “The story of the Flood…is of profound importance as a
landmark in the history of religion. The idea that human sinfulness finds its
expression in the state of society, and that God holds men and society
accountable for their misdeeds, is revolutionary in the ancient world.”
So, as we read the story of Noah’s ark, let us be aware of the stories behind
this story, of the Epic of Gilgamesh and other stories which provide the
background, context, and certain details of the biblical account. But let us
also recognize the significant difference of the biblical account, which retells
the story with a moral dimension, offering us important lessons of right and
wrong. May these lessons continue to inspire us.
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