Moment in the Word

Genesis 6:14 Make therefore for thyself an ark of square timber; thou shalt make the ark in compartments, and thou shalt pitch it within and without with pitch (Orthodox Bible from the ancient Greek Septuagint).

To get our minds momentarily off Covid, I am starting a new adventure, and I invite you to come along. Occasionally, we will conduct studies from the Orthodox Bible whose Old Testament is based on the ancient Greek Septuagint translated from Hebrew 200 years before Christ was ever born. The Septuagint was the Holy Scripture of Jesus, Peter, Paul, the Gospel writers, and the very early Church. Although most modern Bibles base their Old Testaments on the Jewish Masoretic Texts created long after the Crucifixion and Resurrection, yet Justin Martyr, Augustine of Alexandria, and other early Church Fathers believed the new Jewish version purposely eliminated many prophecies about Jesus and the Cross from the Old Testament. In coming weeks, we will examine this complaint of the Early Church Fathers regarding the growing acceptance of the Jewish Masoretic Text over the older Greek Septuagint for the basis of translating the Old Testament into a Christian Bible (https://www.rivalnations.org/censored-bible/).

However, for now... let's examine a tantalizing possibility for Noah's Ark.

Besides the commentary of the Early Church Fathers regarding symbolic parallels in the book of Genesis for the Trinity, I have found something very unique relating to the Ark's construction.

Consider Genesis 6:14 from the Orthodox Bible (ancient Greek Septuagint), "Make therefore for thyself an ark of 'square timber;' thou shalt make the ark in compartments, and thou shalt pitch it within and without with pitch."

In some Bibles, based on the later Masoretic Text (including the King James Version), God ordered Noah to build the Ark from "gopher wood," but no one has any idea what gopher wood is. Some say oak, and others say something else.

However, the Orthodox Bible/Septuagint says, "square timbers" constructed "in compartments." Thus, rather than having thin planks bent around a skeleton of ribs... the Ark's design was massive in terms of being totally timber-framed and allowing the compartments' partition walls to literally INTERLOCK with the thick hull itself, making the vessel as SOLID AS A ROCK! Based on the clues in the Orthodox Bible (from the ancient Septuagint rather than the updated/revised Masoretic Text), the Ark was comparable to a huge wooden hive whose various parts interlocked for support (just like the spiritual Body of Christ - another type of Ark, Ephesians 4:16)!

The unique significance is that the Egyptians actually built ships this way. The outer hull was like a thick jigsaw puzzle where the square timbers were literally shaped, sized, and fastened together without needing lots of interior framing. The style was ingenious for portage across dry land. The ship could be disassembled, transported, and then reassembled at the next body of water. Egyptian ships that carried grain to Rome across the Mediterranean were often constructed this way. But we must wonder where the ancient Egyptians learned this unique style for building sea-worthy boats... Noah?

The vessel that came apart during St. Paul's shipwreck was possibly this type of "puzzle-piece" timber-framed grain ship (Acts 27:6 & 38). Granted, years of use after repeated voyages probably loosened the joints, causing some ships to come apart, as in the Apostle's case (Acts 27:17 & 41).

However, the Ark only had to sail ONE TIME before landing on the Mountains of Ararat. Resting in a cold arid mountainous climate, a massive boat constructed thusly and totally coated with tar over every square inch inside and out, might last for hundreds or even thousands of years! Who knows, before the Last Day we might discover the truth after all? At least Orthodox Armenian Christians think so!