|
||
Profile:
Noah, ninth in descent from Adam, is one of the most important figures of the Old Testament
and Jewish sacred history. His is the famous story of a righeous man who was saved from
death, along with his family, because he was warned in advance that God was planning a
global flood to wipe out all other life. Noah constructed an ark to house not only his
closests family members, but also two of each animal on the planet (seven pairs of animals
used for sacrifices) for the purpose of repopulation.
Theology
More important than the actual story itself are the various ways in which it is used for
different theological purposes. For one thing, he is portrayed as a perfectly righteous
and blameless man - so righteous that God was willing to save him out of all the rest
of humanity. He is used in this manner by other figures in the Old Testament, like
Ezekiel, as well Jesus in the New Testament.
After surviving the flood, Noah prepared an altar and sacrifice for God, who promised never to curse the earth again because of the actions of humans. This pact between God and man was often treated as a model for the pact between Abraham and God, between Israel and God, and between all of humanity and God.
Because Noah travelled from an old life surrounded by sinners to a new, idyllic life without sin through the terrible waters of a storm, Noah's experiences are sometimes used as a prototype of the act of baptism, where water is used to symbolically cleanse away the sins of a person.
Noah is also portrayed as the "father" of agriculture because of his actions to establish new crops after the flood. He is also, in particular, portrayed as the father of vineyards and wine making in Genesis 9:22.
Finally, Noah's sons play an important role in explaining the nature of future societies as the ancestors of the three primary races of the time. Ham is especially important because he is disrespectful in the face of his father's drunkenness, causing him and his descendants to be cursed. They become the Canaanites, thus providing a theological justification for the conquest and subjugation of the Canaanites by the Israelites.
History
Noah's story is comprised of several pre-Biblical traditions, especially where it concerns
the story of the flood. There is an important Babylonian tradition about an apocalyptic
flood where Utnapishtim is saved after listening to divine warnings. This story also includes
important elements like the building of an ark and both the rise and fall of the flood waters.
Also Known As: none
Alternate Spellings: Nebuchadnezzar
Common Misspellings: none
Related Resources:
What is Theism?
What is the difference between monotheism and monolatry? Between pantheism and panentheism? How about between animism and shamanism? Or theism and deism? What the heck is henotheism? For that matter, what is and is not a religion?What is Religion?
A system of human beliefs, ideals and practices which is harder to define than it may at first appear.
