Noah's Ark. Ark of Salvation. What is an ark? Myths and reality in the history of the Flood Explain the meaning of the phraseological unit Noah's Ark

Did Noah's Ark Exist? For many years, Soviet people were taught that the flood and the story of Noah were just a myth that had nothing to do with science. But recently, secret materials of Soviet intelligence were revealed, which indicate that back in the 40s one of

Noah's Ark

Noah's Ark - You write that the main event of the 20th century is not the proletarian revolution, but the discovery of the non-European and his spiritual world... This implies that the great intellectual revolution, capable of perhaps even changing history, will not be Marxism, not

Noah's Ark- 1) according to the biblical legend: the vessel in which the righteous man Noah, during the Flood, took in pairs of people and animals, plant seeds to continue life on Earth; 2) a heterogeneous group of people and animals who find themselves in close proximity (book). (Explanatory dictionary of the Russian language (1992), N. Yu. Shvedova, “Ark”)

The ark- A dilapidated or strange-looking vessel, a ship, as well as an old cart, a sob. (Explanatory dictionary of the Russian language (1992), N. Yu. Shvedova)

The story of Noah's Ark is told in (chapters 6 - 8). God was angry at the sinful behavior of people and decided to send a global flood to the earth to destroy them. The only person on earth led a righteous lifestyle - Noah. God warned Noah about the upcoming Flood and told him to build an ark (ship). To preserve life on earth, God commanded that Noah's relatives, animals and plant seeds be taken on board.

The righteous life of Noah and Noah’s ark is described in:

8. Noah found grace in the sight of the Lord.
9. This is the life of Noah: Noah was a righteous man and blameless in his generation; Noah walked with God.
10. Noah gave birth to three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth.
11. But the earth was corrupted before the face of God, and the earth was filled with evil deeds.
12. And God looked upon the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had perverted its way on the earth.
13. And God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh is come before Me, for the earth is filled with evildoings from them; and behold, I will destroy them from the earth.
14. Make yourself an ark of gopher wood; make compartments in the ark and coat it with pitch inside and outside.
15. And thou shalt make it thus: The length of the ark is three hundred cubits; its breadth is fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits.
16. And thou shalt make a hole in the ark, and thou shalt bring it down into a cubit at the top, and thou shalt make a door into the ark at the side thereof; arrange lower, second and third housing in it.
17 And behold, I will bring a flood of water upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which is the spirit of life under the heavens; everything on earth will lose life.
18 But I will establish my covenant with you, and you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives will come into the ark with you.
19. Bring also into the ark two of every living creature, and of every flesh, so that they may remain alive with you; let them be male and female.
20. Of birds according to their kinds, and of cattle according to their kinds, and of every creeping thing that creeps on the earth according to its kind, twos of every one will come to you, so that you may live.
21. Take for yourself all the food that people eat, and gather it for you; and it will be food for you and for them.

And Noah's journey on Noah's Ark is described in chapters 7 and 8

What is Noah's Ark? According to the biblical narrative, this is a large ship built by the patriarch Noah according to instructions from above. The backstory tells how God became angry with humanity for its extreme levels of depravity and wickedness. As punishment, the Almighty determined to destroy all life on Earth and begin history anew. To do this, He instructed the only righteous man, Noah, to build a ship in a special way. At the same time, God provided his chosen one with all the necessary instructions and directions. On this ship, the hero of the story himself survived the flood with his family, as well as all kinds of animals attracted there by God in the amount of one or seven pairs.

When the water of the flood receded and dry land appeared, greened with new vegetation, the inhabitants of the ark, after many months of imprisonment, came to earth, laying the foundation for a new civilization. The final stop, and accordingly, the place of the supposed search for the ark, is localized by the Bible to the mountain slopes of Ararat.

Theology of the term "ark"

The very meaning of the word “ark” is a box that serves as a container for something. The synonymous series of this term includes concepts such as chest, wardrobe, etc. This name implies not just a ship, but a sacred vessel, a temple designed to preserve the seed of a new life - Noah, his family and all types of flora and fauna.

Origin of the Flood Legend

The legend itself is of pre-biblical origin, and was adopted with preliminary adaptation from the pagan world. Its primary source is the Eastern myth of the flood, also preserved in the Babylonian epic of Gilgamesh, the Akkadian legend of Atrahasis and a number of other legends. In addition, more or less similar legends about a huge flood in prehistoric times are present among the peoples of all continents without exception.

Religious significance of Noah's Ark

What is the ark for a devout Jew or Christian - adherents of the biblical tradition? Firstly, it is a historical monument, testifying to the truth and historicity of the power and glory of the Creator. Secondly, to understand what the ark is, you need to turn to allegory. Then it will become clear that he is an important symbol of hope for God's salvation. According to the Bible, after the flood, God placed a rainbow in the sky as a sign that in future there would never be a total destruction of all living things. Therefore, for the Judeo-Christian tradition, the ark is an important shrine, not only of archaeological and historical value, but also endowed with sacred significance and meaning.

The issue of vessel capacity

Many skeptics wondered how one ship, even a rather large one, could accommodate representatives of all types of life on Earth in order to ensure their reproduction and settlement. After all, a population of even several dozen individuals is considered unviable, and after the flood the earth should have been filled with just one pair of each species. Another problem is how could they be placed inside the ship with enough space left for food? Who and how would be able to monitor the cleaning of the ship every day, clean the stalls and cages of all the animals, and also feed them? While scientists are asking questions and doubting, believers are inventing various theories. For example, according to one of them, the space inside the ark mystically expanded, and there was enough space for everyone. And Noah himself and his sons supervised the cleaning and feeding.

Theories about the date and time frame of the flood

The estimated date of the flood helps answer the question of what the ark is. Jewish traditions, based on data from the Torah, give the year 2104 BC. e. as the year the flood began and 2103 BC. e. as the year of its end. However, a number of scientific studies give different results. However, scientific hypotheses differ greatly from each other, since they are based on different ideas about the nature of the flood. For example, the Black Sea theory, which assumes the flooding of the Black Sea and a rise in the water level in it by several tens of meters, places the flood at a period of about 5500. Other scientists leaning towards the version suggest that the fact of a flood on a planetary scale occurred about 8-10 thousand years ago.

Research

It is not surprising that many expeditions and enthusiastic researchers set off in search of the ark. Many of them failed, some were not lucky enough to return. However, there were those who claimed to have succeeded and discovered the location of Noah's ship. Some even provided some pieces of wood as material proof of their success.

Search for the Ark

Many people tried to understand what the ark was and where to look for it. Recently, two Chinese Protestants, Andrew Yuan and Boaz Li, announced the success of their mission. They were preceded by a whole galaxy of secular and religious researchers. For example, claims to know the location of the ark were made back in 1893 by a Nestorian cleric named Nurri. Climbers and aviators searched for the Ark. The latter even took a number of interesting photographs in which, with a certain amount of optimism, one can identify something resembling a ship in outline.

However, there is still no direct, clear and impeccable evidence of the discovery and existence of the ark on Ararat, although hypothetically this is quite possible - scientists have found that in the distant past this area was subject to a very serious flood, and perhaps even a number of such cataclysms .

Conclusion

The Lost Ark is still waiting for its official discoverer, although there is a prophecy that God will hide the ark from the sight of people and it will not be found.