What is Noah's Ark?According to the biblical narrative, it is a big ship, built by the patriarch Noah, on orders from above.The history tells how God was angry with mankind for extreme depravity and wickedness.As punishment Gd determined to destroy all life on Earth and start the story again.For this, he ordered the only righteous Noah to build a ship in a special way.At the same time, God gave his chosen all the necessary instruction and guidance.On this ship survived the flood narrative hero himself and his family, as well as all kinds of animals raised to God in the amount of one or seven pairs.
When the water of the flood came down and struck the land, a new landscaped greenery, the inhabitants of the Ark after months of imprisonment came to the earth, giving rise to a new civilization.The final stop, and accordingly, the place to be searching for the ark, the Bible is localized on the slopes of Mount Ararat.
theology the term "Ark»
very meaning of the word "ark" - a box that serves as a repository for anything.Synonymous series this term includes concepts such as the chest, wardrobe and so on. N. Name of this means is not just a ship, but a sacred vessel, the temple, designed to save the seed of a new life - Noah, his family and all kinds of flora and fauna.
origin of the legend of the flood
itself a legend of the Deluge dobibleyskogo origin, and was received with pre-adaptation of the pagan world.It is the primary source of oriental myth of the flood, and stored in the Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh, the tradition of the Akkadian Atra-Hasis and a number of other legends.In addition, more or less similar legends about the flood grand prehistoric peoples present in any and all of the continents.
religious significance of Noah's Ark
What is an ark for orthodox Jews or Christians - followers of the biblical tradition?Firstly, it is a historical monument, testifies to the truth and historicity of Scripture, power and glory of the Creator.Second, to understand what the ark, you need to turn to allegory.Then it becomes clear that it is an important symbol of hope for the salvation of God.According to the Bible, after the flood, God placed a rainbow in the sky - as a sign that in the future the total destruction of all living things will never happen.So the ark of the Judeo-Christian tradition is an important shrine, not only have the archaeological and historical value, but also endowed with sacred meaning and purpose.
Question tonnage
Many skeptics wondered how could one ship, even rather big, accommodate representatives of all the species of life on Earth to provide them later reproduction and dispersal.After all, the population of even a few tens of individuals considered to be unsustainable, and after the flood, the earth was filled with everything from a pair of each species.Another problem - they could be placed inside the ship that left plenty of room for food?Who and how would be able to follow the daily cleaning of the vessel, cleaned stalls and cells of all animals and feed them?While scientists ask questions and doubt, believers inventing various theories.For example, according to one of them within the space of the Ark mysteriously expanded, and space enough for all the excess.And for cleaning and food followed Noah himself with his sons.
theories about the date and the time frame of the flood
answer the question, what is the ark, helps the presumed date of the flood.Jewish tradition, based on the data of the Torah, issued in 2104 BC.e.as the beginning of the year and the flood in 2103 BC.e.as the year of his graduation.However, a number of scientific studies give different results.However, scientific hypotheses very different from each other, as are repelled from the different views about the nature of the flood.For example, the Black Sea theory, it is spilling the Black Sea and the raising of the level of water in it for a few tens of meters, it refers to the flood period of about 5500 years.Other scientists are inclined to melting glaciers, suggest that the fact that the flood of global scale was about 8-10 thousand years ago.
Research
is not surprising that in the search for the ark expeditions dispatched many enthusiasts and researchers.Many of them have failed, some are not fortunate enough to come back.However, there were those who claimed that succeeded and revealed the whereabouts of Noah's vessel.As tangible evidence of his success, some even provide some wood particles.
Quest Ark
What is the ark, and where to look for him, trying to understand the many.Recently, the success of his mission, said two Chinese Protestants - Andrew Lee Yuan and Boaz.They were preceded by a whole constellation of secular and religious scholars.For example, claims to knowledge of the location of the ark expressed in 1893 Nestorian priest named Nourrit.Ark searched for the climbers and aviators.The latter even made a number of interesting pictures, which, at a certain share of optimism, we can identify something resembling the outline of a ship.
Nonetheless, direct, clear and perfect proof of the detection and the existence of the ark on Ararat still there, though hypothetically it is quite possible - scientists have found that in the distant past, this area was exposed to very severe flooding, and perhaps evena number of such disasters.
Conclusion
Lost Ark is still waiting for its official discoverer, although there is a prophecy that God hide the ark from the eyes of people, and it is not found.
