In a message dated 3/4/2006 11:36:33 AM Eastern Standard Time,
dickfischer@verizon.net writes:
The June issue of PSCF will contain 22 pages on the 2900 BC Mesopotamian
flood. If anybody doesn’t like the location or the time frame you will have a lot
more to argue against.
Hi, Dick.
I think I can basically accept your view of the Flood. I'm not completely
convinced that we must identify it with the 2900 BC flood, simply because there
were multiple floods in Mesopotamia and stories about them may have become
mixed together. If Ziusudra of Shuruppak had a cattle barge for commerce, and
his family was saved by it during the 2900 BC flood, but floated in the Persian
gulf and survived for a year before being blown to shore, then his new-found
fame may have become mixed into any pre-existing flood stories that were
originally about an earlier flood hero. By the time we meet him in the Gilgamesh
epic and in the earlier sumerian versions, he is already a mythical santa
clause figure. (He lives far away, like the north pole. He lives forever, like
santa. He gets to/from the rest of the world using magical creatures who propel
his craft, like flying reindeer.) Most of our present santa mythology
developed in just the past 200 years, based on even earlier myths that go back to a
real person. I can easily imagine a Noah myth based on the real Noah, that
later gets co-opted by the influx of Ziusudra myths. That's the only reason I
don't adopt Ziusudra as a completely settled matter. But I have no theological
or biblical concerns in identifying him as Noah. Just keeping the options
open...
Phil
Received on Sat Mar 4 11:52:27 2006
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