1. 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

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
Enkidu’s 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
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 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

10. 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

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 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