The Scroll - Topical Viewer - Objects

The Ark

Definition
God commanded Noah to build an ark to deliver Noah, his immediate family and every kind of animal from a universal flood which destroyed every living creature which lived upon the earth because of mans wickedness. Genesis 6 The word in Hebrew means chest, box or boat and is the same word used of the basket which Moses was placed in on the Nile river. Exodus 2:3.

Construction
Noahs Ark
The Ark was constructed of Gopher wood and has been related to Cyprus wood which like cedar has a natural preservative. The Measurement of the Ark are given as 300 x 50 x 30 cubits. The exact measurement of a cubit was unknown but has been generally been assigned the length of 18 inches. This standard would make the Ark 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. The capacity of the Ark would figure at 1,518,750 cubic feet or approximately 20,000 tons. That would be the equivalent of about 569 railway cars. These measurements are certainly sufficient to accommodate all of the animals, however it may have been the long cubit of 22.5 inches which would provide as much as 43,000 tons. Model reconstruction's of the Ark have shown that it is stable and functional as a transportation barge for which it was designed.

The Ark was divided into three stories with numerous compartments throughout to house all the different kinds of animals and Noah's family. The Ark was made waterproof by Noah covering the inside as well as outside with pitch, a natural tar substance. There was a door which was large enough to allow the animals to enter, and windows which have traditionally been place around the top of the ark just below the roof. The Ark was a most fitting vessel for the purpose which God intended it to serve.

Cargo
It has been calculated that all the animals mentioned in Genesis 6 and 7 could fit in just nine tenths of the size of the ark. Some have mocked the biblical account by pointing out that there are millions and millions of species. But the Bible uses the word kind and if this is equivalent with the modern classification of family that would leave about seven hundred kinds of animal. And even if the word refers to species it would still not be beyond the capacity of the ark. There are over 1 million species but many of these would not be on the ark. The fish, truncates, echinoderms, molluscs, coelenterates, sponges, protozoa's, and most arthropods and worms would not have been on the ark. Removing these from the number it would leave about 35,000 species or 70,000 pairs of animals. It also needs to be remembered that not all of the animals were the size of elephants. Most animals are the size of sheep, or deer. Given all of the variables and flexibility in the calculations it is well within reason to place the animals God required in the Ark He specified to hold them.

Ancient Accounts
The story of the flood is not just confined to the Biblical record but is universally recorded by many different civilisations. There is an account in the Babylonian story of Utnapishtim. The Egyptians also had an ancient account of the flood.

In the mid-nineteenth century a British team of archaeologist uncovered about 20,000 tablets in the ancient city of Nineveh. George Smith was given the task to translate them and during this project came upon the words, The mountain of Nisir stopped the ship. I sent forth a dove and it left. The dove went and turned, and a resting place it did not find, and it returned. As he translated on he found more and more similarities with the biblical account. This document is now known as the Gilgamesh Epic.

There have also been account from tribes in Papua, New Guinea with very little contact with the outside world of a universal flood. There are accounts among North American Indians of different backgrounds but all with a similar account of a flood and a large boat. Flood accounts have come from every corner of the globe. There have been 213 accounts from virtually every continent of the world. These accounts are not vague descriptions of a flood but also mention a saved family, a large boat, human wickedness, a chosen mountain, and in many cases birds are sent out of the boat to look for dry land.

The further the accounts have moved away from the Ancient East the more the details are blurred showing that they have had a common source - the flood of the Bible.

Modern Quest
Mt. Ararat
Greater Mt. Ararat
The quest for the ark has led many explorers to the site of the modern day Mt. Ararat. It is situated on the border of Turkey and Russia making it difficult to gain access. There have been reported sightings of wood sticking out of the glaciers on top of the mountain and also pieced of ancient word recovered from it peek.

An Armenian man by the name of Haji Yearam reported visiting the Ark in 1856 with his father and three scientist who set out to prove the ark a hoax. When they found the Ark the Armenian recounts they were so enraged that they swore never to speak of it again. One man is recorded as making a deathbed confession years later which agreed with the Armenian's story.

A Russian pilot by the name of Vladimir Roskovitsky reported seeing the ark on one of their test flights. It is reported that photographs were taken but shortly after his return the Russian government was overthrown and the pictures vanished.

A British statesman by the name of Viscount James Bryce climbed Mt. Ararat in 1876 and reported finding a large piece of lumber which was tooled out by hand at the 13,000 foot level.

There are other numerous accounts of six Turkish soldiers, British Archaeologist by the name of Hardwicke Knight, American war planes sightings during the second world war, French industrialist by the name of Fernand Navarra, and a pipeline geologist by the name of George Greene who photographed the Ark from a helicopter in the summer of 1953. He was killed in 1962 in British Guinea and his photographs perished with him.

Whether these story are true or not is unverifiable but it has caused many to begin the quest for the Ark. What needs to be remembered is that God has given mankind a totally reliable account found in God's word and eye witnesses in modern times do not make the Word of God more true.

New Testament Usage
In the New Testament the Ark is used on numerous occasions to picture the salvation of God from judgment. Jesus spoke of the Ark and flood as examples of His future judgment and salvation of a remnant. Matthew 24:38; Luke 17:27 In Hebrews it is used as an example of Faith. Hebrews 11:7 and finally peter points to the long-suffering nature of God. 1 Peter 3:20.