Scholarly Interpretations of Noah and the Flood

The P and J sources are intertwined in Genesis 6-9, but there are several conflicts between the two texts such as the number of animals and the length of the flood. The J source brings anthropomorphic characteristics of God, but the P source brings elements such as instructions for building the ark and a departure from the emphasis of sacrificing that the J source has. The Flood story also has several parallels with Gilgamesh such as a hero being singled out and delivered from a universal catastrophe. However, the biblical Flood is given strong moral motivation. The Creation story and the Flood story also have parallels such as Noah being the second Adam, the restoration of harmony, and creation wanting to be like God (the divine realm overstepping into the mortal realm).

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