Can we prove or disprove the flood of Noah from evidence for floods in Mesopotamia?
Question:
I am starting to feel like Columbo with "just one more question, Sir." It seems that if there was a global flood as the YEC affirm, then there would be evidence of such in that area of Iraq where it all supposedly occured. And it would not be a layer of " sterile" soil but interposed with remains of life, tools, pottery. Has anything of the sort been indeed found over there that would suggest one, giant Mesopotamian flood or global deluge? If not, then maybe the flood story is didactic rather than literal. I just don’t know right now which way it should go. Thanks for your help…again!
Answer:
No problem. The answer is yes, there is plenty of evidence of massive flood events in Mesopotamia within historical times. Archaeologists have found flood remains near the Tigris and Euphrates of up to 15 feet in depth and even more. The problem with this is that it is not clear that scientists can clearly distinguish a massive 500-year flood from a literal flood of biblical proportions. What would be the obvious difference between the remains of a 500 year flood and the flood described in Genesis? My answer, is that it is not clear there would be a qualitative difference. Both would produce massive upheaval throughout Mesopotamia, devastating destruction, and very thick layers of mud. For this reason, I believe studying flood evidence in Mesopotamia will not be able to prove the flood of Noah either way, although we might find evidence which is mildly suggestive one way of the other.
Personally, I believe that the flood story is definitely NOT just didactic. I believe that this flood actually happened. 2 Peter 3 clearly tells us that our assurance that Jesus will come back and that final judgment will happen is based on the fact of the earlier flood. The language is fairly strong in 2 Peter 2. Just as in the days of Noah…. so it will be when Jesus comes back. Having said that, I do not believe that the evidence for massive floods in Mesopotamia, which is surely there, can give a definitive answer to your question.
John Oakes
