Gen 6:1-4

1
Gen 61-4

• 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 dont live forever
• Moral deterioration before flood

2
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.

3
Gilgamesh Epic The Quest for Life

• Gilgamesh, oppressive king of Uruk
• Enkidus death The quest for everlasting life
• Utnapishtim and Ms. Utnapishtim
• Clamor role of Ea
• Flood

4
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

5
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

6
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

7
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

8
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

9
Noahide Laws

• Do not worship idols
• Dont blaspheme
• Establish courts of justice
• Do not kill
• Do not commit adultery
• Dont steal
• Dont eat flesh cut from a living animal

10
The Curse ofCanaan 920-27

• The sin of Ham (the father of Canaan)
• Cursed be Canaanthe 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

11
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

12
Table of Nations

• An example of being fruitful and multiplying
• 70 Nations (Deuteronomy 328)
• 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