Genesis

The Flood Narrative

Rabbinical Tradition in Judaism

Questions, Details: Sins, Food , Animals, Continence, Names of God: YHWH - Mercy; Elohim - Justice Noah - in the hierarchy of Justice with Moses and Abraham

Genesis

Philo of Alexandria Contemporary of Jesus, influenced by Greek philosophy Three Senses of Scripture:

--Historical: event, what happened

--Moral Sense: Acting, How to act

--Allegorical Sense: Alexandrian Allegory - Spiritual Realities Flood = flood of human passions, the purification of the soul. Going out of the Ark = escape from the body and its passions to be free Philosophy of body/soul -- Biblical text as image of this Meaning: Philosophy, Ideas--Bible dresses this in narrative form.

Genesis

Fathers of the Church: Origen, Ambrose, Augustine and others

• Allegory that is Christological, Soteriological, Ecclesiological

Christ Salvation of Soul Church• Noah as symbol of Christ; New Adam• Christ was just; Ark of death leads to life• Other historical events: Life, Death, Resurrection of Jesus• Ark as grave, sepulchre of the soul and of Christ• Flood as passage through death• Ark as image of the Church (Cyprian) - whoever is in the ark is

saved.• Flood as judgment. Extra ecclesia, nulla salus. -- Appeal to enter

the ark.• Wood of the ark compared to wood of the Cross.

Genesis

The Dove - symbol of the Holy Spirit (Baptism of Christ) Christ sends His Spirit after Resurrection - Pentecost. Going out of the Ark: Resurrection Raven that doesn’t return: evil, sin expelled from the soul. Sinners expelled, excommunicated from the Church. Details allegorically interpreted as figures of other things. O.T. text understood in view of faith in Christ.

Genesis

Critical Exegesis

Names for God: YHWH/Elohim - parallel stories

Problems discussed today1. Relationship of the Sources

2. Possibility of a Synchronic reading

3. Link between the Biblical Story and other Flood accounts

Genesis

P & J Compared P - more complete than J J - lacks construction of the Ark lacks going out of the Ark other elements fragmentary J - considered more ancient than P

Genesis

Various positions:

1. Independent - no relation between sources

Some elements of P from other sources, e.g. Mesopotamian mythsa. Tebah - Ark

b. Mabbul - Flood

c. P has covenant of God with all animals

d. Mount Ararat only in P (8:1-2)

e. Rainbow

f. Flood as end of a Golden Age

2. P depends on J

P knows J and changes certain elements

3. P more ancient than J and J represents a later addition to P

J is editor of the P story, adding elements from Mesopotamia

Genesis

Parallels in Mesopotamian Literature

Atrahasis Gilgamesh (11th Tablet) Sumerian Flood - Eridu Berossos - Babylonian priest

Genesis

Points of Contact

Decision to Send the Flood: noise of humanity A god who helps a hero Flood Sacrifice Decision not to send a Flood again

Genesis

Synchronic vs. Diachronic reading

Synchronic: text as a whole, without history of text sources Diachronic: take history of text into consideration Suggestion: Palistrophic symbol - candelabra Tensions within the text: e.g. Number of animals - one pair of all vs. 7 pairs of clean/one pair of unclean Stylistic Study - research to find structure. Exegesis: aim is to understand the text, to see how it functions, what are the elements of its dynamics, logic of the text itself?

Genesis

The Flood Narrative

Text of the Flood

Where does it begin? 6:1, 6:5 or 6:9 Where does it end? 8:22, 9:17, 9:19 or 9:29

Genesis

The Flood Narrative

5:28 Birth of Noah 5:32 Birth of Noah’s three sons 6:1-4 Union of sons of God, daughters of men - cause of the

flood? 6:5-8 First decision of God - suppress all living things 6:8 Noah finds favor in God’s eyes 6:9 Formula: generations of Noah

Most likely beginning: 6:5 Perception of God that begins the story. cf. Gen. 18:2; Gen. 19:16; Gen. 33:1

Most likely ending: 9:19 New beginning

Genesis

Elements of the Biblical Account 1. Preparation: 6:5-7:5 6:5-8 and 6:9-12 Two introductions 6:13-22 Discourse of God 7:1-5 Particulars

Genesis

2. The Flood as such: 7:6-8:22 7:6-16 Entrance into the Ark 7:17-24 Complete Destruction of the Universe 8:1-5 God enters 8:6-14 The birds 8:13-19 Exit from the Ark 8:20-22 Offering of sacrifice

Genesis

3. After the Flood: 9:1-19 9:1-7 Blessing 9:8-17 Covenant concluded 9:18-19 End of the story

Transformation: Initial situation--final situation Flood: new beginning One episode in the history of the universe