Basic Historical Facts to Make You Deeply Ponder the Real Existence of Noah's Ark
There are many Christians throughout the United States (and likewise worldwide) who go to church regularly, but do not believe much of what is written in Genesis. Over the past 100-150 years, it has seemingly been acceptable for Christians to flatly denounce various accounts put forth in the earlier chapters of the first book of the Bible. The story of Noah's ark, with its account of the Great Flood, is one such very old story which is difficult for some people to fully believe.
This article is not meant to be the end-all for determining the validity of the story of a worldwide flood including Noah's ark, but its aim is simply to state several verifiable facts, which on their surface would acknowledge the truthfulness of this Old Testament patriarch's experience.
A Great Flood, with Similar Characters as those in Noah's Story, is Prevalent Among Many Different Cultures/Religions
Similar to Christians and Jews with their story of Noah and its large-scale, encompassing flood, many of the world's other populations have also had heritages that include a flood story:
Believers in Islam: Hold to an almost identical story regarding the ark and the Great Flood, involving a man named Noah. At the end of the flood the ark rested atop a tall mountain.
Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh: Gilgamesh met an old man named Utnapishtim, who told him the following story. The gods came to Utnapishtim to warn him about a terrible flood that was coming. He then built a large ship, took provisions and his family aboard the ship. Heavy rains came and flooded the land. Utnapishtim and his family survived.
Mainland China: A Chinese classic records the story of the family of Fuhi, who was a patriarch, and his wife, along with his 3 sons and 3 daughters, who were the only persons to survive a great flood—and subsequently repopulated the Earth.
South America/Incan: There is a story involving the Pachachama people, with two brothers and their close relatives surviving a worldwide floor by staying in a high mountaintop cave. The rest of civilization was destroyed.
India: There exists a legend of Manu and a "magical" fish; the fish warned and helped guide Manu through a great flood that encompassed the entire world—via a large ship.
There are many other legends with similarities to the Biblical story of Noah from various different groups.
Noah Himself is Mentioned (In High Esteem) Several Times Within the Bible Outside of Genesis
Noah is mentioned in the following books: Matthew, Luke, Hebrews and 1 Peter.
Sightings of Remnants/Relics of the Ark are Vast and Are Evident Throughout the Centuries
Nikolas, Tsar of Russia (1916/1917)—Russian aviator Roskovitsky unexpectedly saw the ark while flying near the top of the mountain. That year the weather was warmer, the snows on the Ararat melted down more than usual, and the ark could be seen more clearly. Roskovitsky reported his find to his superior, who repeated the fly-by with the aviator and then sent off a report to the Russian government. Emperor Nicholas II ordered an official expedition to be sent to Ararat which, despite many difficulties related to bad weather and snow avalanches, was still able to reach its goal and found the ark roughly in the same location and the same condition as it was later found by Fernand Navarra. A detailed report on the results of the expedition was sent to the Russian Imperial government, but by that time a revolution had taken place in Russia, and the report was "misplaced" (or deliberately kept quiet or even destroyed).
Roman/Byzantine Emperor Heraclius (620 AD)—Emperor Heraclius is said to have visited the remains of the Ark in Persia.
Assyrian King Sennacherib (700 BC)—this Assyrian King is believed to have ventured to Mount Ararat and viewed the ark remnants. There he gathered a relic of the ark itself, which he used back in his kingdom as part of his worship to his non-Hebrew god.
Berosus the Chaldean (290 BC)—this ancient Babylonian priest and writer wrote the following: "The vessel being thus stranded in Armenia, some part of it yet remains in the Corcyræan mountains of Armenia, and the people scrape off the bitumen with which it had been outwardly coated, and make use of it by way of an alexipharmic and amulet."
It is clear that there are other questions which need to be answered regarding the Ark. One famous one is simply, "how did Noah fit two specimens of all the animals on earth into the ark for roughly one year?" There are books and sites dedicated to trying to answer this question, and others like it.
That said, I hope that herein I have listed sufficient historical data to allow all people—Christians and non-believers alike—to intelligently consider the possibility that the Biblical story of Noah, including its massive flood and large boat built by him, really occurred in history.
– Ken Lambert has been writing for both secular and religious publications for several years. He co-authored the book "Top 10 Most Influential Christians Since the Apostles" and holds a Doctorate in Ministry. He resides in southern New Hampshire.