Noah
Noah | |
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Major shrine | on a hill at Karak, Lebanon |
Noah[a] (/ˈnoʊ.ə/)[3] 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. Noah is referenced in various other books of the Bible, including the New Testament, and in associated deuterocanonical books.
The
Biblical narrative
Tenth and final of the pre-Flood (
Genesis flood narrative
The Genesis flood narrative is encompassed within chapters 6–9 in the
After the flood
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.[5]
"And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth".
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.[5] The maximum human lifespan, as depicted by the Bible, gradually diminishes thereafter, from almost 1,000 years to the 120 years of Moses.[11][12]
Noah's drunkenness
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.[10]
As early as the
In the context of Noah's drunkenness,[18] 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".[19][20]
Because of its brevity and textual inconsistencies, it has been suggested that this narrative is a "splinter from a more substantial tale".[21][22] 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[23] and Lamentations 4:21.[24][19]
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[25] and 20.[26] From this interpretation comes the speculation that Ham was guilty of engaging in incest and raping Noah[27] or his own mother. The latter interpretation would clarify why Canaan, as the product of this illicit union, was cursed by Noah.[20] 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.[28]
Table of nations
Genesis 10 (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.[30]
Family tree
Genesis 5:1–32 transmits a genealogy of the Sethites down to Noah, which is taken from the priestly tradition.[31] A genealogy of the Canites from the Jawhistic tradition is found in Genesis 4:17–26.[32] Biblical scholars see these as variants on one and the same list.[33] 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.
- Ancient Greek: Νῶε Nôe
- ^ a b c Genesis 4:1
- ^ Genesis 4:2
- ^ Genesis 4:25; 5:3
- ^ Genesis 4:17
- ^ Genesis 4:26; 5:6–7
- ^ a b c d Genesis 4:18
- ^ Genesis 5:9–10
- ^ Genesis 5:12–13
- ^ Genesis 5:15–16
- ^ a b Genesis 4:19
- ^ Genesis 5:18–19
- ^ Genesis 4:20
- ^ Genesis 4:21
- ^ a b Genesis 4:22
- ^ Genesis 5:21–22
- ^ Genesis 5:25–26
- ^ Genesis 5:28–30
- ^ a b c Genesis 5:32
Narrative analysis
According to the
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".[36]
Other accounts
In addition to the main story in Genesis, the
Noah became the subject of much elaboration in the literature of later Abrahamic religions, including
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".[39]
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".[40]
Dead Sea scrolls
There are 20 or so fragments of the
Religious views
Judaism
The righteousness of Noah is the subject of much discussion among rabbis.[10] 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.[44] 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",[45] by saying Noah heralded a new era of prosperity, when there was easing (in Hebrew – naħah – 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.[46]
According to the
The
Mandaeism
In
Christianity
2 Peter 2:5 refers to Noah as a "preacher of righteousness".
The
In
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.[55]
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."[56]
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.[57] He is considered an important prophet of God among Druze, being among the seven prophets who appeared in different periods of history.[1][2]
Islam
Noah is a highly important figure in
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).[47][58]
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 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).
Also, Islamic beliefs deny the idea of Noah being the first person to drink wine and experience the aftereffects of doing so.[47][58]
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.
Baháʼí Faith
The Baháʼí Faith regards the Ark and the Flood as symbolic.[59] In Baháʼí belief, only Noah's followers were spiritually alive, preserved in the ark of his teachings, as others were spiritually dead.[60][61] 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.[62]
Ahmadiyya
According to the
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.[64]
Mesopotamian
The Noah story of the Pentateuch is quite similar to a flood story contained in the Mesopotamian
The earliest written
However, Yi Samuel Chen writes that the oldest versions of the
Gilgamesh's historical reign is believed to have been approximately 2700 BC,[69] 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.[70]
The earliest
Yi Samuel Chen analyzes various texts from the
Ancient Greek
Noah has often been compared to Deucalion, the son of Prometheus and Pronoia 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.[75][76] Deucalion, in some versions of the myth, also becomes the inventor of wine, like Noah.[77] Philo[78] 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.[79][80]
The motif of a
See also
- Bergelmir, a jötunn in Norse mythology who survives the worldwide flood in a floating container
- Cessair, Noah's daughter in the Lebor Gabála Érenn who travels to Ireland with a fleet as instructed by Noah to try to escape the flood.
- Jamshid, character of the Shahnameh that has similarities with the story of Noah
- Manu, the central character in the Hindu flood myth, and Vishnu.
- Noah's wine, a term that refers to an alcoholic beverage.
- Noah's pudding
- Nu'u, a mythological Hawaiian character who built an ark and escaped a Great Flood.
- Patriarchal age
- Searches for Noah's Ark, sometimes referred to as arkeology.
- Seven Laws of Noah
- Sumerian flood myth (Eridu Genesis)
- Tomb of Noah
- Thamanin
- Ziusudra
- Utnapishtim
Citations
- ^ ISBN 9781465546623.
- ^ ISBN 9781903900369.
- ISBN 9781405881180.
- ^ Fullom, S.W. (1855). The History of Woman, and Her Connexion with Religion, Civilization, & Domestic Manners, from the Earliest Period. p.10
- ^ a b c This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Bechtel, Florentine Stanislaus (1911). "Noe". In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 11. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
- ^ Silverman, Jason (2013). Opening Heaven's Floodgates: The Genesis Flood Narrative, Its Context, and Reception. Gorgias Press.
- ISBN 978-0-495-39105-0.
- ^ Cotter 2003, pp. 49, 50.
- ^ Genesis 9:1
- ^ a b c d e "NOAH - JewishEncyclopedia.com". jewishencyclopedia.com.
- ^ Genesis 6:3
- ^ Deuteronomy 31:22, 34:37
- ^ Genesis 9:20–21
- ISBN 978-0-275-98348-2.
- ^ Hamilton 1990, pp. 202–203.
- ^ Philo, 1971, p. 160
- ^ Gen. Rabbah 36:3
- ^ Genesis 9:18–27
- ^ a b Rashkow 2004, p. 53.
- ^ a b John Sietze Bergsma/Scott Walker Hahn. 2005. "Noah's Nakedness and the Curse on Canaan". Journal Biblical Literature 124/1 (2005), p. 25-40.
- ^ Speiser 1964, p. 62.
- ISBN 978-1-56338-411-0), p. 136
- ^ Habakkuk 2:15
- ^ Lamentations 4:21
- ^ Leviticus 18:7–8
- ^ Leviticus 20:11
- ^ Levenson 2004, p. 26.
- ^ Kugel 1998, p. 223 .
- ^ Genesis 10
- ISBN 978-0495391050
- ^ von Rad, Gerhard (1961). Genesis: A Commentary. London: SCM Press. pp. 67–73.
- ^ von Rad, Gerhard (1961). Genesis: A Commentary. London: SCM Press. pp. 109–113.
- ^ von Rad, Gerhard (1961). Genesis: A Commentary. London: SCM Press. p. 71.
- ISBN 0-8006-2991-4.
- ISBN 0-06-063035-3.
- ^ The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Books of the Bible, Oxford University Press, 2011, p. 318.
- ^ "The Kitáb-i-Íqán | Bahá'í Reference Library". www.bahai.org. Retrieved 2022-01-31.
- ^ "Gems of Divine Mysteries | Bahá'í Reference Library". www.bahai.org. Retrieved 2022-01-31.
- ^ Lewis, Jack Pearl, A Study of the Interpretation of Noah and the Flood in Jewish and Christian Literature, BRILL, 1968, p. 14.
- ^ Robert H. Charles. London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. 1917.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: others (link) . The Book of Enoch. translated by - ^ Peters, DM., Noah Traditions in the Dead Sea Scrolls: Conversations and Controversies of Antiquity, Society of Biblical Lit, 2008, pp. 15–17.
- ^ Schiffman, LH., Encyclopedia of the Dead Sea Scrolls, Volume 2[permanent dead link], Granite Hill Publishers, 2000, pp. 613–614.
- ^ Lewis, Jack Pearl, A Study of the Interpretation of Noah and the Flood in Jewish and Christian Literature, BRILL, 1968, p. 11. "the offspring of the Watchers"
- ^ Mamet, D., Kushner, L., Five Cities of Refuge: Weekly Reflections on Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, Schocken Books, 2003, p. 1.
- ^ Genesis 5:29
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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."
- ISBN 9780958034630.
- ^ Lidzbarski, Mark (1925). Ginza: Der Schatz oder Das große Buch der Mandäer. Göttingen: Vandenhoek & Ruprecht.
- ^ 2 Peter 2:5 (New American Standard Bible)
- ^ Matthew 24:38
- ^ Luke 17:26
- ^ Peters, DM., Noah Traditions in the Dead Sea Scrolls: Conversations and Controversies of Antiquity, Society of Biblical Lit, 2008, pp. 15–17.
- ^ Jackson, JP., Weidman, NM., Race, Racism, and Science: Social Impact and Interaction, ABC-CLIO, 2004, p. 4.
- ISBN 9780792357445– via Google Books
- ISBN 978-1-78022-670-5.
- ^ Swayd 2009, p. 3.
- ^ ISBN 9789004098343.
- ^ 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
- ^ Poirier, Brent. "The Kitab-i-Iqan: The key to unsealing the mysteries of the Holy Bible". Retrieved 2007-06-25.
- ISBN 0-87743-036-5.
- ^ From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, November 25, 1950. Published in Compilation 1983, p. 494
- ISBN 1-85372-758-X.
- ^ Frazer, JG., in Dundes, A (ed.), The Flood Myth, University of California Press, 1988, pp. 121–122.
- ISBN 978-0-19-927841-1. Retrieved 8 November 2012 – via Google Books.
- ^ 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
- ^ Noah at the Encyclopædia Britannica
- ^ a b c Chen, Yi Samuel. The Primeval Flood Catastrophe: Origins and Early Development in Mesopotamian Traditions. Oxford University Press, 2013.
- George Allen & Unwin. pp. 123, 502.
- ^ Dalley, Stephanie, Myths from Mesopotamia, Oxford University Press (1989), p. 40–41
- ^ George 2003, p. xix.
- ^ "The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature". etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk.
- ^ 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."
- ^ George 2003, pp. xxiv–xxv.
- ^ 'Deucalion at the Encyclopædia Britannica
- ^ Wajdenbaum, P., Argonauts of the Desert: Structural Analysis of the Hebrew Bible, Routledge, 2014, pp. 104–108.
- ^ Anderson, G., Greek and Roman Folklore: A Handbook, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2006. pp. 129–130.
- ^ Lewis, JP.; Lewis, JP., A Study of the Interpretation of Noah and the Flood in Jewish and Christian Literature, BRILL, 1968, p. 47.
- ^ Peters, DM., Noah Traditions in the Dead Sea Scrolls: Conversations and Controversies of Antiquity, Society of Biblical Lit, 2008, p. 4.
- ^ Feldman, LH., Josephus's Interpretation of the Bible, University of California Press, 1998, p. 133.
- ^ West, S. (1994). Prometheus Orientalized. Museum Helveticum, 51(3), 129–149.
General and cited references
- ISBN 978-0-393-33393-0.
- Brett, Mark G. (2000). Genesis: Procreation and the Politics of Identity. Routledge. ISBN 978-0203992029.
- Compilation (1983), Hornby, Helen (ed.), Lights of Guidance: A Baháʼí Reference File, Baháʼí Publishing Trust, New Delhi, India, ISBN 81-85091-46-3
- Dimant, Devorah (2001). "Noah in early Jewish literature". In Michael E. Stone; Theodore E. Bergren (eds.). Biblical Figures Outside the Bible. Trinity Press. ISBN 9781563384110.
- Freedman, Paul H. (1999). Images of the Medieval Peasant. Stanford University Press. ISBN 9780804733731.
- Goldenberg, David M. (2005). "What did Ham do to Noah?". In Stemberger, Günter; Perani, Mauro (eds.). The Words of a Wise Man's Mouth Are Gracious. Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 9783110188493.
- Goldenberg, David M. (2003). The Curse of Ham: Race and Slavery in Early Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Princeton University Press. ]
- Goldenberg, David M. (1997). "The Curse of Ham: A Case of Rabbinic Racism?". In Salzman, Jack; West, Cornel (eds.). Struggles in the Promised Land: Toward a History of Black-Jewish Relations. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780198024927.
- Goldenberg, David M. (2009). The Curse of Ham: Race and Slavery in Early Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Princeton University Press. ISBN 9781400828548.
- Graves, Robert; Patai, Raphael (1964). Hebrew Myths: The Book of Genesis. Princeton University Press, Cassel.
- Ham, Ken; Sarfati, Jonathan; Wieland, Carl (2001). Batten, Don (ed.). "Are Black People the Result of a Curse on Ham". ChristianAnswers.net. Retrieved 28 September 2013.
- Keil, Carl; Delitzsch, Franz (1885). Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament. Vol. 1. Trans. James Martin. Edinburgh: T&T Clark.
- Kissling, Paul (2004). Genesis. Vol. 1. College Press. ISBN 9780899008752.
- Kugle, James L. (1998). Traditions of the Bible. Harvard University Press. ISBN 9780674791510.
- Levenson, Jon D. (2004). "Genesis: Introduction and Annotations". In Berlin, Adele; Brettler, Marc Zvi (eds.). The Jewish Study Bible. Oxford University Press. p. 26. ).
- Lulat, G (2005). A History of African Higher Education from Antiquity to the Present: A Critical Synthesis. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO. pp. 85, 86. ISBN 9780313068669.
an ideologically driven misnomer...
- Metcalf, Alida C. (2005). Go-betweens and the Colonization of Brazil, 1500–1600 (1st ed.). Austin: ISBN 978-0292712768.
- ISBN 978-0-19-975407-6.
- Robertson, John M. (1910). Christianity and Mythology. Kessinger Publishing (2004 reprint). p. 496. ISBN 978-0-7661-8768-9.
- Sadler, R.S. (2005). Can a Cushite Change his Skin?. T&T Clark. ISBN 9780567029607.
- ISBN 978-0-520-09637-0.
- Trost, Travis D. (2010). Who should be king in Israel?. Peter Lang Publishing. ISBN 9781433111518.
- Van Seters, John (2000). "Geography as an evaluative tool". In VanderKam, James (ed.). From Revelation to Canon: Studies in the Hebrew Bible and Second Temple Literature. Brill. ISBN 0391041363.
- Whitford, David M. (2009). The curse of Ham in the Early Modern Era. Ashgate Publishing. ISBN 9780754666257.
- Swayd, Samy S. (2009). The a to Z of the Druzes. ISBN 9780810868366.
External links
- "Noah" from the 1901–1906 Jewish Encyclopedia
- "Nuh"—MuslimWiki
- Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 19 (11th ed.). 1911. p. 722. .