Illustration created for this project.
Noah — builder of the ark
A righteous man in a corrupt age, who built the ark at God's command and survived the flood with his family; father of Shem, Ham and Japheth.
What we know — and how we know it
Bible — stated in scripture (with verse) · 1
Archaeology — physical evidence · 1
Scholarly — supported scholarly belief · 1
Life, role & deeds
BibleAt God's command he built the ark and, with his family, survived the flood.
Genesis 6:9; 7:7
Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net). — CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
ArchaeologyThe Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh (Tablet XI) preserves a strikingly similar flood account — evidence of a widespread ancient Near Eastern flood tradition.
Epic of Gilgamesh, Tablet XI (flood narrative), Neo-Assyrian recension from Ashurbanipal's library at Nineveh/Kuyunjik; British Museum, K.3375; identified and translated by George Smith, 'The Chaldean Account of the Deluge' (1873)
Death & legacy
ScholarlyWhere the ark came to rest ('the mountains of Ararat') and the flood's scale are much debated.
Genesis 8:4; scholarly discussion
Where in scripture
GenesisFamily
In their own words — 1 recorded saying
“Cursed be Canaan; let him be a servant of servants to his brothers. And he said, Praise to the Lord, the God of Shem; let Canaan be his servant. May God make Japheth great, and let his living-place be in the tents of Shem, and let Canaan be his servant.” — Genesis 9:25-27
Speaker attribution: Clear Bible MACULA (CC BY 4.0). Wording: Bible in Basic English (public domain).
Events
In art
