Appendix: Interpretations of the Biblical Ark and Chronology of the Flood

Sheldon Greaves

In March of 2001 Anne D. Kilmer, Professor Emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley, presented a paper to the American Oriental Society's annual meeting in Toronto. The title of her paper was "Of Babies, Boats, and Arks...". In it she explored the Mesopotamian concept of the unborn baby as a boat (as documented, for example, in Sumerian and Akkadian birth incantations) and examined the ramifications that such imagery may have in literary texts that describe the arks that save mankind in the Flood stories. The mythological texts discussed were the Atrahasis Epic and the Gilgamesh Epic Tablet XI. Chapters seven and eight of the biblical book of Genesis were also brought to bear on the subject. For the discussion of the Genesis chapters, Dr. Sheldon Greaves was able to provide Professor Kilmer with a summary of scholarly discussions concerning the Noachic Flood and the many attempts to understand the caldendar of events regarding Noah's Ark. Professor Kilmer's conclusions, greatly aided by Dr. Greaves' material and by his chart of the chronology of the Noachic Flood, were that the Noah's Ark "calendar" is, in fact, a calendar of the human gestation period of 270-280 days and that Noah's Ark should be considered a uterine symbol for the re-birth of Noah and mankind. In submitting her article to be published in a special volume honoring Professor Robert D. Biggs (currently in press), Professor Kilmer was informed that the editors did not wish to include any materials written by scholars who has not been specifically invited to contribute to the Biggs volume. The contribution placed here in JAGNES will thus make available to readers the succinct summary of scholarly debate on the Genesis flood chronology along with a useful chart.

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