Noah's Ark and the Genesis 10 Patriarchs

Noah's Ark and the Genesis 10 Patriarchs, 1990

The following paper is an effort to detail the studies of Dr. John Pilkey and defend the truth of monogenesis as a viable alternative historical study of man's ancient past. beginning with his genealogical heritage. These studies primarily cover the genealogical aspects of Genesis 10-11 as mentioned in synoptic form in Dr. John Pilkey's books, correspondences, and lectures. Some historical and mythical-histories are given to carry the arguments for the following genealogical synthesis. This is not so much a ‘history’ of postdiluvian times, but a preliminary genealogical structural analysis and synthesis to establish the identities of the prehistoric progenitors of the human race - the Genesis 10 Patriarchs.

Within the general context of the so-called “Primeval History” of the world that makes up the first eleven chapters of Genesis, “the toledoth of the sons of Noah” recorded in chapter 10 is unique. After the grand universal scope of the first creation narrative (Gen 1:1–2:3) and the more “down-to-earth” second creation and Eden story (2:4–3:24), after the tale of social origins in chapter 4, the linear genealogy of chapter 5, and the elaborate and complex flood narrative of chapters 6–9 comes the no-less complex and elaborate genealogy of the descendants of Noah, often dubbed “The Table of the Nations.” This “table” presents all the peoples of the earth as an extended family group, a collection of mishpahot. The purpose of this paper, respectfully presented to my teacher Professor Aaron Skaist, is to offer some insight as to the background, genre, and purpose of this chapter within the preliminary chapters of the book of Genesis.

Collectanea Theologica, 2021

The similarities between Noah's ark and the saving boat in Mesopotamian flood accounts are widely known. Likewise known are the links between Noah's ark and the chest of Moses (Exod 2:3). However, the connections between the "chest" of Noah and the "chest" of the testimony have not hitherto drawn adequate scholarly attention. The article explores these connections on both the linguistic and the conceptual level. Moreover, it investigates their function in hypertextual links of the Genesis flood account to earlier Israelite literary works, especially the book of Deuteronomy and the book of Joshua.

The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Nag Hammadi Codices. Edited by Dylan Burns and Matthew Goff. NHMS 103. Leiden: Brill, 2022

Two Classic Gnostic texts from the Nag Hammadi collection, the Nature of the Rulers (NHC II,4) and the Apocalypse of Adam (NHC V,5), each narrate the story of Noah’s ark in a distinctive way. In Nature of the Rulers, Noah is given instruction regarding the construction of the ark that differs from that of Genesis and he rebuilds the ark after a woman named Norea destroys it with fire. In the Apocalypse of Adam, great angels descend on clouds to rescue additional survivors, which forces Noah to assert before the furious creator that he had nothing to do with their deliverance. These distinctive aspects that appear to be strange additions to the story of Noah’s ark, however, become intelligible when we acknowledge that the producers of these compositions have blended Noah’s ark with the ark of the covenant. The blending of these two arks occurs surprisingly often in ancient Jewish and Christian literature. We find examples of such blends in the Qumran and Nag Hammadi corpora, as well as other texts. To blend the arks, or to construe that the two arks are somehow the same ark, is a utilization of metaphorical language. Because of advances in cognitive sciences, today metaphors can be productively examined as a form of conceptual integration, which is also known as conceptual blending. To first outline the present essay, we will begin by examining key elements of the biblical stories of the two respective arks. We will then analyze several examples from ancient Jewish and early Christian texts in which the two arks have been linked and blended in various ways. This essay argues that the two arks are indeed blended in the Nag Hammadi texts mentioned above, the Nature of the Rulers and the Apocalypse of Adam.

2021

The similarities between Noah's ark and the saving boat in Mesopotamian flood accounts are widely known. Likewise known are the links between Noah's ark and the chest of Moses (Exod 2:3). However, the connections between the "chest" of Noah and the "chest" of the testimony have not hitherto drawn adequate scholarly attention. The article explores these connections on both the linguistic and the conceptual level. Moreover, it investigates their function in hypertextual links of the Genesis flood account to earlier Israelite literary works, especially the book of Deuteronomy and the book of Joshua.

2012

The figure of Noah—who appears in the biblical book of Genesis as well as this story‘s retelling in Jubilees and Pseudo-Philo—consists of a complex set of characteristics. A number of them are malleable, meaning that each work adapts Noah for their specific purpose: Genesis uses him as an axis of history; Jubilees, a priest; and Pseudo-Philo, a prophet. However, despite their diversity, several qualities remain constant in all three texts, regardless of their particularities. This thesis enumerates which qualities retain their stability and which ones change, as well as attempting to explain what about this character might have served the uses of this varied group of authors.

This article proposes that Genesis 1-11 recasts the myths of Israel's neighbours within a new theological historical framework to undermine the underlying world-view which makes myth-making possible. In order for the text to operate as intended the stories in Genesis 1-11 should first be treated as myths. Genesis 1-11, in contrast to the mythological world-view, draws a sharp distinction between God, the world and humanity. This results in the radical secularisation of the world. It exposes humanity as sinful but also creates the possibility for humanity to flourish by fully embracing what it means to be human and not divine. God is shown to be the creator of the universe and the one who is moved by compassion despite his anger at the evil which humans continue doing.

The Cambridge Companion to Genesis, 2022

Overview of the study of Genesis in its ancient Near Eastern context, as approached by biblical scholars.

Master thesis submitted to the Norwegian School of Theology and Religion and Society, 2019

The focal point of this thesis is recent discussions and views on the supposedly lost Book of Noah by three scholars namely Michael Edward Stone, Divorah Dimant and Richard Steiner. Thus, the project examines the scholarly debates or discourse, tensions and discussions that are ongoing among scholars in the field of Pseudepigrapha studies particularly regarding the Book of Noah. It explores the different key moments/turns in the history of the Book of Noah about how scholars at different time periods and contexts have imagined and argued for or against the existence of such entity, and what this discussion may tell us about the development of studies of Jewish Antiquity as a modern discipline. It employs meta-critical literary analysis and Book History as method and theory respectively. The thesis belongs to the discipline History of Religions.