Gen 6:1-4

• Sons of God = members of the divine council (or Sethites)

• Offspring = Nephilim or giants

• History of Jewish interpretation (Life of Adam and Eve; Testament of Reuben; Jubilees; Enoch)

• Explains why humans don’t live forever

• Moral deterioration before flood

Mesopotamian Flood Stories

• Ziusudra, king of Shuruppak 1600

• Gilgamesh library of Ashurbanipal (7c)

• Atrahasis (also contains creation account) 1700

• Berossus (Babylonian priest writing in Greek) 3rd c.

Gilgamesh Epic: The Quest for Life

• Gilgamesh, oppressive king of Uruk

• Enkidu’s death The quest for everlasting life

• Utnapishtim and Ms. Utnapishtim

• Clamor; role of Ea

• Flood

Gilgamesh Epic (continued)

• Gods gathered like flies around sacrifice• Ea: How could you, unreasoning, bring the

flood?• Reward for Utnapishtim• Who will assemble gods for you, Gilgamesh?• Non-sleeping Contest• Snake and the plant of life

Bible vs. Mesopotamian Stories

• Warning, worldwide flood, size of boat noted, rests on a mountain, birds, acts of worship after flood, blessings on survivors

• Polytheism vs. monotheism

• Whim of the gods/unmeasured response vs. human violence as cause of flood

• Otherworldly salvation vs. this worldly salvation

Flood and history

• Mountains of Ararat (“arkeologists”); 16c

• Archeological evidence in Mesopotamian cities– not in same century (Shuruppak, Uruk, and

Kish = 2800; Ur and Nineveh = 3500)– not over whole city of Ur– Carbon 14 data on wood

Yahwist vs. Priestly Writer• Yahweh• 7 pairs unclean; 1 pair

clean animals• 40 + 21 days• man and his wife• sacrifice• Good news: no more

floods

• God• 1 pair of each kind of

animal• year-long flood• male and female• Noah perfect; promise

to establish covenant; be fruitful; God will remember

Covenant in P

• Everlasting covenant (“establish”; “give”; not “cut”)

• With the entire creation• Signs of covenant

– Bow as a reminder to God– Circumcision (Gen 17)– Sabbath (Exod 31)

• Unconditional

Noahide Laws

• Do not worship idols

• Don’t blaspheme

• Establish courts of justice

• Do not kill

• Do not commit adultery

• Don’t steal

• Don’t eat flesh cut from a living animal

The Curse of…Canaan 9:20-27

• The sin of Ham (the father of Canaan)

• Cursed be Canaan…the lowest of slaves!

• Blessed be Shem (Israel)

• Let Canaan be his slave

• May God make space for Japheth (Philistines); may he live in tents of Shem

The New Era after the Flood

• Image of God persists

• Human fear and dread on animals

• Meat permitted

• Sanctity of human life

• Capital punishment?

• Be fruitful and multiply

Table of Nations• An example of being fruitful and multiplying

• 70 Nations (Deuteronomy 32:8)

• Three “families”: Japheth (Europe); Ham (Africa); and Shem (Semites, east of Palestine)

• Composite list that reflects various geo-political realities

– Canaan = son of Ham = Canaan was considered part of Egyptian province