Noah And The Deluge Chronological Historical And Archaeological Evidence

Historians consider the biblical account of Noah and the Deluge as a myth. However, this famous event occurred at the earliest times of recorded history (Sumerian King List). Today scientists believe in the last ice age called Pleistocene ending in 10,000 BCE, but there is no witness of this planetary cataclysmic event and its existence is based solely on the controversial interpretation of its consequences and their dating. The existence of erratic blocks and the disappearance of mammoths are presented as evidence of the last glaciation. However, despite dating obtained by 14C (calibrated by dendrochronology) is considered absolute by most experts its confrontation with the Egyptian chronology, in which some dates are fixed by astronomy, reverses this widespread belief and shows that dates obtained by 14C increase exponentially before -2200. Thus the rate of 14C tends gradually to 0 around -3500, which implies an important consequence: before -3500, 14C dating is no longer possible.

The book is a thoroughgoing examination of history and archaeology and the assumptions lying at the basis of historical sciences such as geology, biology, cosmology, anthropology, climatology, linguistics, and the higher criticism of the Bible. It concludes with a discussion of the meaning of Noah's Flood for today's world. --from publisher description.

The author was completing his twenty-year systematic investigation of the archaeological evidence of a worldwide flood when Hong Kong explorers announced their 2010 discovery on Mount Ararat in eastern Turkey. Pottery found in what appears to be the remains of Noah's Ark relate to a ceramic assemblage that archaeologists see originating on the plains of Ararat and from which the author traces a second worldwide dispersion of mankind. Using forensic analysis, Williams previously identified what are now understood as ancient religious burials resulting from a worldwide flood, radiocarbon dated to about 2400 BC. Should his findings withstand the intense scrutiny invited by the author, it will rewrite the history of the ancient world. Accordingly, the advancing edge of belief and learning must return to the biblical foundations that the West has rejected since the Enlightenment.

Despite the fact that the name of many characters mentioned in the Old Testament, like David, King of Israel, have been recently confirmed by archaeology as well as their epoch and the events in which they were involved, most archaeologists continue to deny the historicity of the Bible they view as pious fiction or a mythical account. They argue that the major events in the Bible such as the victory of Abraham against Chedorlaomer, an unknown king of Elam around 2000 BCE, the victory of Moses against an unknown Pharaoh around 1500 BCE or the victory of Esther, an unknown Persian Queen, against an unknown vizier of Xerxes, never existed because they left absolutely no evidence. They also explain that according to what we know today, these events could not have occurred. These logical arguments are impressive but a precise chronological analysis based on absolute dates, coupled with a rigorous historical investigation, shows that all those major events really took place at the dates and places indicated.

The story of Noah's flood is one of the best-loved and most often retold biblical tales, the inspiration for numerous children's books and toys, novels, and even films. Whether as allusion, archetype, or literal presence--the American landscape is peppered with "recreations" of the ark--the story of Noah's animals and the ark resonates throughout American culture and the world.While most think of Noah's ark as a dramatic myth, others are consumed by the quest for geological and archeological proof that the flood really occurred. Persistent rumors of a large vessel on the mountain of Ararat in Turkey, for instance, have led many pilgrims and explorers over the centuries to visit that fabled peak. Recent finds suggest that there may have been a catastrophic flood on the shores of the Black Sea some 7,600 years ago. Is this then the reality behind the ancient tale of Noah? More to the point, why does it matter?What does the story of the Flood mean to us and why does it so stir the collective imagination? When the Great Abyss Opened examines the history of our attempts to understand the Flood, from medieval Jewish and Christian speculation about the physical details of the ark to contemporary efforts to link it to scientific findings. Unraveling the mythical dimensions of the parallel Mesopotamian flood stories and their deeper social and psychological significance, J. David Pleins also considers the story's positive uses in theology and moral instruction. Noah's tale, however, has also been invoked as a means of justifying exclusion, racism, and anti-homosexual views. Pro-slavery advocates, for example, used the story of Noah's Curse on Ham's son Canaan to rationalize the enslavement of Africans.Throughout this expansive and lively book, Pleins sheds new light on our continuing attempts to understand this ancient primal myth. Noah's Flood, he contends, offers a unique case study that illuminates the timeless and timely question of how fact and faith relate.

Suiseki made its earliest Western debut in the 1960s, traveling as sidekicks of immensely popular Japanese bonsai trees. By the 1980s, Suiseki had emerged as an independent art form reigning supreme until year 2000 when stunning gongshi or scholar's rocks from China and intriguing suseok from Korea began to arrive and share its stage. Beyond Suiseki looks at these developments and presents a gallery of fifty beautiful photographs of a diverse Western collection of viewing stones complimented by thought-provoking quotations.

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

Stories of major floods are preserved in the Bible and in the epic of Gilgamesh. But did they actually occur? This book details archaeological, genetic, linguistic and scientific evidence in attempting to answer this question. Archaeologists and oceanographers provide evidence that the sea once broke through the Strait of Gibraltar and flooded what was a fresh water Mediterranean basin. The repercussions of such an event are discussed.

For thousands of years, the story of Noah has been one of the greatest epics ever wrote. This compelling book looks into the Biblical story from an historical standpoint. It looks at what the ark would have looked like, what society looked like, and the several archaeological quests to discover the ark. The book looks at the story from an unbiased viewpoint; it presents both sides (those who believe the story was true, and those who do not), and let’s the reader decide what they believe.

Over fifty years ago Henry Morris and John Whitcomb joined together to write a controversial book that sparked dialogue and debate on Darwin and Jesus, science and the Bible, evolution and creation -- culminating in what would later be called the birth of the modern creation science movement. Now, fifty years, forty-nine printings, and 300,000 copies after the initial publication of The Genesis Flood, P & R Publishing has produced a fiftieth anniversary edition of this modern classic. - Back cover.