Introduction
To estimate when Noah lived based on Genesis, we have to use the timeline of the Tanakh. Biblical scholars used this timeline to estimate the age of the Earth based on the Masoretic tradition. We know the Year of Creation as Anno Mundi (AM) in Latin. Therefore, Adam lived at 1 AM.
Using Anno Mundi, Byzantium Calendar, also similar to the Julian Calendar, put the Year of Creation at around 5509 BC. Hebrew Calendar using Rabbinic calculation since the Middle Age put the Year of Creation at 3761 BC.
Therefore, based on the religious scripture of the Jews and Christian, scholars calculated Noah lived around 2400BC. Noah begot Shem, Ham, and Japheth when Noah was 500 years old. Noah died 350 years after the Great Flood.
Is Noah a historical or mythical figure?
No conclusive evidence
It is challenging to prove Noah’s existence because of the lack of archeological evidence. The only reason we know about Noah is because of his stories appearing in the Bible and the Quran.
Unlike Adam, where genetic scientists could pinpoint humanity’s link to him through DNA and the Y chromosome, thus making Adam our super-ancestor, Noah didn’t have the privileges to leave any genetic footprints to show he ever existed. The only things we could associate with Noah will be his Ark and the Great Flood.
In search of the Ark
Since the time of Eusebius, men continued to search for Noah’s Ark. Many searches have been made for the Ark, but researchers never found physical proof of the ship. There is no scientific evidence that Noah’s Ark existed, as described in the Bible.
The Great Flood
There is also no evidence of a global flood, and most scientists agree it would be impossible. However, many scientists consider the Great Flood was plausible if the flood is localized. One such location is the Black Sea.
The other proof we could associate with Noah other than from the Bible and the Quran are the numerous mythologies about the Great Flood passed down by the ancient civilizations through their oral traditions preserved in their writings.
Both the Bible and Quran versions began with God’s anger with people. In the Bible, God is angry with the people because of their wickedness, while in the Quran, He is angry because the people turn away from Him to worship idols. Noah didn’t reveal God’s message to the people in the Bible, but in the Quran, Noah spoke with great length to remind his people of impending doom.
Noah, according to the Bible
According to the Bible, Noah was the last of the pre-flood patriarchs, and the Genesis Flood narrative is among the best-known stories. The scripture also portrayed Noah as a “tiller of the soil” and as a drinker of wine.
According to the Genesis account, Noah labored faithfully to build the Ark of God, ultimately saving not only his own family but humankind itself and all land animals from extinction during the Flood. God also made a covenant with Noah and promised never to destroy all the Earth’s creatures with a flood.
Noah, according to the Quran
Noah’s narratives primarily cover his preaching, as well as the story of the deluge. Noah’s narrative also 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.
The Quran focuses on several instances from Noah’s life more than others, and one of the most significant events is the Flood. God then makes a covenant with Noah after the Flood. His people later reviled Noah and criticized him for being a mere human messenger and not an angel.
The people mock Noah’s words and call him a liar, and they even suggest a devil possesses Noah. Only the lowest in the community join Noah in believing in God’s message, preaching in private and public.
The Quran narrates Noah received a revelation to build an ark after his people refused to believe in his message and hear the warning. The narrative describes that waters poured forth from the Heavens, destroying all the sinners. Even one of his sons disbelieved him, stayed behind, and drowned.
The Great Flood, according to myth and legends of the ancients
In the Epic of Gilgamesh, composed in 1800BC, the Mesopotamian gods decide to send a great flood to destroy humanity.
In Greek mythology, researchers often compared Noah to Deucalion, son of Prometheus. Deucalion built an ark and staffs it with creatures after receiving a warning from Zeus.
In Zoroastrian mythology, Ahura Mazda warns Yima of harsh weather. Ahura Mazda advised Yima to construct an ark and filled it with men, women, and animals.
Lord Vishnu ordered King Manu to construct a colossal boat in Hindu mythology and filled it with animals and plants to escape the Great Deluge.
Conclusion
Finding the evidence
Bible narratives, once thought to be myths, had been proven correct when many archeological sites mentioned in the scripture had been uncovered throughout the Fertile Crescent and the Levant. Maybe the time to discover Noah’s Ark will one day be a reality, but as of this moment, scholars can only rely on evidence found in holy books and ancient literatures.
Timeline Anno Mundi is impossible
If we accept Noah existed in 2400BC and Adam only roamed the Earth in 5500BC, the world must be very young! Yet we all know scientifically that’s impossible because the world is 4.5 billion years old, and life existed on this planet about 3 billion years ago.
As mentioned in my previous blog, evidence showed our human ancestors existed 3.5 million years ago, and by 1.8 million years, hominids walked upright. By 500,000 years ago, Homo sapiens used fire and simple tools, and 60,000 years ago, they understood art and language.
In 5500BC, civilizations sprang up in Mesopotamia, Egypt, China, India, and the Levant. The people must have heard about the Great Flood and then orally transmit the stories to their younger generations, and thus, recorded in ancient myths and legends.
Noah existed much earlier!
Therefore, Noah and the Great Flood event are feasible, happening much earlier than 5500BC. Noah must have lived within the period between the emergence of Adam 60,000 years ago and the beginning of human civilization. The period Noah lived in must be a lynchpin that propelled the Homo sapiens living as primitive hunter-gatherers to people dwelling permanently in cities. The period best describe is the NEOLITHIC PERIOD!
“I asked from you no wages. I am just reminding you that you have abandoned what our forefather Adam taught us. That we serve only One God and don’t associate partners onto him!”
“We refuse to listen to you anymore, Noah!” Barb gave a warning.
“There is a knowledge I wish to impart to you. If you follow me and serve God, this knowledge will be beneficial for you. It’s a knowledge I gained from my Lord, who gave it to one of his servants. Please, for once, listen to me!”
The Viceroys of God: Chapter 6, Page 58
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