Introduction
The story of the great
flood is worldwide known story or event which is mentioned in the various
sacred literatures of the world religions, as well as in the Bible. According
to the Christians’ perspective, the great Flood event is a true event
occurred in the ancient days of Noah, approximately 4000 BCE as a great
intervention of God in the form of judgement on the whole humanity for their
rebellious nature and sins against Him Gen 6:1- 7. The various researchers have
described over 100 flood epics some like around from the world. For instance, Europe,
Asia, Australia, East Indies, Americas, East Africa, and many other places. These
events could be accepted as a traditional epic only as individual as described
in the particular religious literature, but as far as rational being this
phenomenon puzzles the people. Because, how it can be possible that such event
named the great flood occurred once upon a time in the history, but it mentioned
in almost all religious sacred literatures. Therefore, the critics of the flood
narrative consider it either a myth, or a local flood story. The questions
which I assume that the Flood narration is belong to whom? Suppose, it is
belongs to a particular tribe, sect, or religion, then how it could spread in
the other religions? Or in other way, if it is belongs to the Bible then why it
is mentioned in the other religions? Answer would be simple; the emersion of the
multi sects and religions would had began as they migrated from the Babel
tower, where they were one people, had one language and history, and perhaps worshiped
only one true God. Thus they took their history along with them as well as the
great flood story. Therefore, the idea of the great Flood absolutely derived
from original event. Likewise the people of the every continent could have developed
their historical background and religious literature. Therefore, clearly we
read the story of great Flood in every sacred writhing. Let’s consider this
phenomenon as a hypothesis that the great Flood which we read in almost all
ancient sacred literature was global rather than local or myth. As the
phenomena of the great Flood covered the whole globe, in the same way the real
Flood of Noah had covered whole globe with water and so this event had been
spread out as oral tradition in every tribe, nation, and language from
generation to generation. If it is false phenomena, then logically it is
impossible to get inspiration of almost all same events to note down in the
every region of the religion, whereas the religions which we know today around
the world are totally different then each other in description, in people who
follow it, in languages, and in region, or if it could be possible in some way somewhere,
seems no reason that everybody write it down in the sacred literatures. In
other hand people were imposed to do that, why? Because they knew with the help
of oral tradition that it was true event. The Flood narration was very common
event in the ancient days; therefore, it is everywhere as we see today. The
differentiation in the narration came much later after the Flood when people
began to live in various part of the world. In this course paper we will see
the great Flood event in detail in the light of doctrine of creation along with
scientific discoveries which thoroughly assist with geographical and other
scientific evidence that there was a great Flood once upon a time and earth was
completely covered with water.
1.1
Floods in Context
Some scholars believe
that memories of real disasters, such as the violent and unpredictable floods
that occurred along Mesopotamia’s Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, underlie mythological
accounts of catastrophic rains and floods. These stories give meaning and
purpose to events in the natural world. In myths, floods become part of a cycle
of destruction and rebirth. Mythological floods are not local. They take place
on a grand scale, generally covering the whole world. Though the direct cause
of the rising waters may be
heavy rainfall, gods
or other supernatural
beings are responsible. Often the
flood is sent as punishment for the wrongdoings of humankind. In some traditions,
a flood reproduces the original mythological conditions of creation, the
formless, empty expanse out of which the world was created. The flood not only
destroys the old world but also sets the stage for a brand new one.
1.2 Floods in Art, Literature, and
Everyday Life
Of all the floods in
mythology, the flood described in the Bible has inspired more artists than any
other. Images of Noah and the Biblical deluge can be found throughout European
and American art, with famous examples by Michelangelo, Gustave Doré, Jacopo
Bassano, and Edward Hicks. Mythological floods have even appeared on film; the Disney
animated film Fantasia 2000 contains a sequence re-telling the myth of
Noah with Donald
Duck filling the
role, while the
2007 comedy Evan Almighty casts Steve Carell as a modern-day version of Noah.[1]
1.3 Flood Parallel
Native global flood
stories are documented as history or legend in almost every region on earth.
Old world missionaries reported their amazement at finding remote tribes already
possessing legends with tremendous similarities to the Bible's accounts of the
worldwide flood. Ancient civilizations such as (China, Babylonia, Wales, Russia,
India, America, Hawaii, Scandinavia, Sumatra, Peru, and Polynesia) all have
their own versions of a giant flood. These flood tales are frequently linked by
common elements that parallel the Biblical account including the warning of the
coming flood, the construction of a boat in advance, the storage of animals,
the inclusion of family, and the release of birds to determine if the water
level had subsided. The overwhelming consistency among flood legends found in
distant parts of the globe indicates they were derived from the same origin
(the Bible's record), but oral transcription has changed the details through
time. Perhaps the second most important historical account of a global flood
can be found in a Babylonian flood story in the Epic of Gilgamesh. When the
Biblical and Babylonian accounts are compared, a number of outstanding
similarities are found that leave no doubt these stories are rooted in the same
event or oral tradition.
1.4 Egyptian Flood
Account
People have become
rebellious. Atum said he will destroy all he made and return the earth to the
Primordial Water which was its original state. Atum will remain, in the form of
a serpent, with Osiris. [Faulkner, plate 30]
1.5 Babylonian Flood
Account
Three times (every 1200
years), the gods were distressed by the disturbance from human overpopulation.
The gods dealt with the problem first by plague, then by famine. Both times,
the god Enki advised men to bribe the god causing the problem. The third time, Enlil
advised the gods to destroy all humans with a flood, but Enki had Atrahasis
build an ark and so escape. Also on the boat were cattle, wild animals and
birds, and Atrahasis' family. When the storm came, Atrahasis sealed the door
with bitumen and cut the boat's rope. The storm god Adad raged, turning the day
black. After the seven day flood, the gods regretted their action. Atrahasis
made an offering to them, at which the gods gathered like flies, and Enki
established barren women and stillbirth to avoid the problem in the future.
[Dalley, pp. 2335]
1.6 Assyrian Flood
Account
The gods, led by Enlil,
agreed to cleanse the earth of an overpopulated humanity, but Utnapishtim was
warned by the god Ea in a dream. He and some craftsmen built a large boat (one
acre in area, seven decks) in a week. He then loaded it with his family, the craftsmen,
and "the seed of all living creatures." The waters of the abyss rose
up, and it stormed for six days. Even the gods were frightened by the flood's
fury. Upon seeing all the people killed, the gods repented and wept. The waters
covered everything but the top of the mountain Nisur, where the boat landed.
Seven days later, Utnapishtim released a dove, but it returned finding nowhere
else to land. He next returned a sparrow, which also returned, and then a
raven, which did not return. Thus he knew the waters had receded enough for the
people to emerge. Utnapishtim made a sacrifice to the gods. He and his wife
were given immortality and lived at the end of the earth. [Sandars, chpt. 5]
1.7 Persian Flood
Account
In early times, the
earth was full of malign creatures fashioned by the evil Ahriman. The angel
Tistar (the star Sirius) descended three times, in the form of man, horse, and
bull respectively, causing ten days and nights of rain each time. Each rain
drop became as big as a bowl, and the water rose the height of a man over the
whole earth. The first flood drowned the creatures, but the dead noxious
creatures went into holes in the earth. Before returning to cause the second
flood, Tistar, in the form of a white horse, battled the demon Apaosha, who
took the form of a black horse. Ormuzd blasted the demon with lightning, making
the demon give a cry which can still be heard in thunderstorms, and Tistar prevailed
and caused rivers to flow. The poison washed from the land by the second flood made
the seas salty. The waters were driven to the ends of the earth by a great wind
and became the sea Vourukasha ("Wide Gulfed"). [Carnoy, p. 270;
Vitaliano, pp. 161162; H.Miller, p. 288]
1.8 Asian Flood Account
Vogul: After seven
years of drought, the Great Woman said to the Great Man that rains had come elsewhere;
how should they save themselves. The Great Man counseled the other giants to make
boats from cut poplars, anchor them with ropes of willow roots 500 fathoms
long, and provide them with seven days of food and with pots of melted butter
to grease the ropes. Those who did not make all the preparations perished when
the waters came. After seven days, the waters sank. But all plants and animals
had perished, even the fish. The survivors, on the brink of starvation, prayed
to the great god Numitârom, who recreated living things. [Gaster, pp. 9394]
1.9 Chinese Flood
Account
The Chinese classic
called the Hihking tells about "the family of Fuhi," that was saved
from a great flood. This ancient story tells that the entire land was flooded;
the mountains and everything, however one family survived in a boat. The
Chinese consider this man the father of their civilization. This record
indicates that Fuhi, his wife, three sons, and three daughters were the only
people that escaped the great flood. It is claimed, that he and his family were
the only people alive on earth, and repopulated the world.
1.10 Indian Flood
Account
A long time ago lived a
man named Manu. Manu, while washing himself, saved a small fish from the jaws
of a large fish. The fish told Manu, "If you care for me until I am full
grown I will save you from terrible things to come". Manu asked what kind
of terrible things. The fish told Manu that a great flood would soon come and
destroy everything on the earth. The fish told Manu to put him in a clay jar
for protection. The fish grew and each time he outgrew the clay jar Manu gave
him a larger one. Finally the fish became a ghasha, one of the largest fish in
the world. The fish instructed Manu to build a large ship since the flood was
going to happen very soon. As the rains started Manu tied a rope from the ship
to the ghasha. The fish guided the ship as the waters rose. The whole earth was
covered by water. When the waters began sub siding the ghasha led Manu's ship
to a mountaintop.
1.11 Greece Flood
Account
A long time ago,
perhaps before the golden age was over, humans became proud. This bothered Zeus
as they kept getting worse. Finally Zeus decided that he would destroy all
humans. Before he did this Prometheus, the creator of humans, warned his human
son Deucalion and his wife Pyrrha. Prometheus then placed this couple in a
large wooden chest. The rains started and lasted nine days and nights until the
whole world was flooded. The only thing that was not flooded was the peaks of
Mount Parnassus and Mount Olympus. Mount Olympus is the home of the gods. The
wooden chest came to rest on Mount Parnassus. Deucalion and his wife Pyrrha got
out and saw that everything was flooded. They lived on provisions from the chest
until the waters subsided. At Zeus' instruction they repopulated the earth.
[1] [n. a.],
"Floods,” UXL Encyclopedia of World Mythology, Vols. 1-5, London: Gale
Cengage Learning, 2009. 387-393.
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