Noah and the Flood
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Presentation Transcript
Noah and the Flood From Genesis
Background • By the time Genesis was assembled, Hebrew storytellers knew many different versions of the flood story. Those versions were put together to make one long narrative account • Story of a terrifying deluge that occurred in Mesopotamia
Literary Element -- Theme • The central insight about life revealed in a work of literature (A life lesson learned) • Example: A natural disaster can motivate ordinary people to perform heroic acts.
Reading Skill – Identify Theme • Sometimes the theme of a work is stated directly. • Sometimes the theme is a moral at the end of a story. • Most themes are implied (not directly stated) or the reader must determine the theme from details in the text.
The story. . . • The flood occurred because of human wickedness. • God made a vow to destroy all humanity, except Noah and his family. • Noah was a righteous man, followed God’s laws and ways. • God gave Noah instructions to build an ark, gather the animals, save his family
Rained 40 days/nights Ark rested on Mount Ararat Rainbow at the end was a sign of God’s covenant Noah was 480 when began to build 600 when the floods came Noah died at 950 All the Facts! • Took 120 years to build the ark • Made of gopher wood • 437 –512 feet long Ark facts
Other explanations • Shifting of the poles • Volcano eruption • Earthquake • Shifting of Earth’s crust
Who was on board? • Noah • His wife • Ham, Shem and Japheth • The wives of the three sons
Clean vs. Unclean • God instructed Noah to take seven pairs of every clean animal and one pair of the unclean. • Clean – animals which could be eaten according to Jewish law (chicken, cow) • Unclean – animals which couldn’t be eaten (hare, swine)