275.3: Flood and Tower of Babel (OT Gospel Doctrine Lesson 6, Study Notes)

“Noah … Prepared an Ark to the Saving of His House”

 

This episode concludes with

• A discussion of the flood and Tower of Babel narratives in Biblical and historical context (as well as reviewing a few other Ancient Near Eastern Flood stories)
• Some theological possibilities for understanding the relationship between these events and LDS scripture
• Insights from science
• Reflections on the nature of God
• The benefits of wrestling with scripture in a “challenge and be challenged by” approach.

 

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Class Member Reading: Moses 8:19–30; Genesis 6–9; 11:1–9; Hebrews 11:7

Additional Reading: Moses 7:32–36

Other Reading: Genesis 10

 

Anna, Brian, Jake and Sheldon continue the discussion.

 

You can access the Annotated Reading here (or PDF)

You can access the Lesson Notes here (or PDF)

 

Timeline

Lesson Part 2

0:00 Overview

1:33 Genesis 6

4:22 Different sources for different flood stories in Genesis

12:58 Extra-biblical flood narratives

17:59 Noah’s nudity

19:46 Tower of Babel

28:58 Science of Semitic language origins

Lesson Part 3

29:44 Flood in LDS culture

Discussion Part 2

39:54 Flood narratives including metaphor of birth/creation via Noachic Flood

51:15 Tower of Babel

Discussion Part 3

54:34 LDS teachings regarding the flood

1:02:35 Challenging the flood: theologically

1:13:40 Challenging the flood: scientifically

1:23:30 Constructive ways to talk about the flood

1:30:35 Approaching the absurdity found in scripture

 

Resources

• Church Statement on Environmental Sustainability
• Flood episode at Mormon Matters, with the following four excellent linked resources:
• David Bokovoy, Authoring the Old Testament: Genesis–Deuteronomy (Forthcoming very soon from Greg Kofford Books)
• Duane E. Jeffery, “Noah’s Flood: Modern Scholarship and Mormon Tradition,” Sunstone, October 2004, 27-45
• Clayton M. White and Mark D. Thomas, “On Balancing Faith in Mormonism with Traditional Biblical Stories: The Noachian Flood Story,” Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought 40, no 3 (Fall 2007): 85-110
• David Montgomery, “Reading the Rocks: Flood Stories and Deep Time,” On Being podcast, with Krista Tippett, 1 August 2013
• “Of Babies, Boats, and Arks,” the essay Sheldon mentioned linking the flood to gestation.
• Henry Eyring (Sr), Reflections of a Scientist, Deseret Book eBook
• Friedman, Bible with the Sources Revealed
• Atrahasis Epic, British Museum
• Gilgamesh Epic, British Museum
• Text of the Gilgamesh Epic
• Article reviewing a study about a potential original language

 

Thanks to Jim Henderson for content editing, James Estrada for his audio editing, and to Steven Nelson for the beautiful bumper music.