NOAH’S SALVATION BY THE ARK As the old world perished by the water of the great flood, the new world was set, represented by Noah and the members of his family. God Himself cared for their salvation and the renewal of the earth, and received the sacrifice of man as a pleasing fragrance, to enter with him into a new covenant. 1- Wind passing over the earth 1-5. 2- Sending out a raven and a dove 6-12. 3- Removing the covering of the ark 13-14. 4- Noah gets out to the new earth 15-19. 5- Building an altar for the Lord 20-22. 1-WIND PASSING OVER THE EARTH “Then God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the animals that were with him in the ark; and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the water subsided... decreased continually until the tenth of the month. In the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen” (Gen. 8:1, 5). If God has shut Noah in, yet He will never forget him amid the waters, but, like a Potter, who watches over a clay pot inside the furnace, to take it out in due time as a pot of dignity. For God’s aim is that all of us be a pot of dignity, so He waits for due time that this may be fulfilled but not against our will. For the sake of the righteous Noah, fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened, to cleanse and renew the earth for him, to let him enjoy a new world in place of the old one. And for him, He shut him in, to protect him against all surrounding currents. For his sake, he also made a wind to pass over the earth. We know that the two words: “wind” and “spirit” in Hebrew are one and the same... It is as though God, amid the water of Baptism, pass with His Holy Spirit, to sanctify our earth; to set us as members of the body of Christ, and a temple for His Holy Spirit. St. Clement of Alexandria says: [God creates man from dust, renew him by water, and let him grow by the Spirit1.] Now, as the water quieted down and retreated, the ark rested, on the seventeenth day of the seventh month, on the Mountain of Ararat in Armenia - its name derived from the Acadian word, “Ararto,” meaning a high place - It probably is the summit now called in Turkish, “Aghri-Dah,” that is 16916 feet above the sea level. On the first day of the tenth month, the tops of mountains of lesser height began to show. If figure 10 refers to the Law, as man starts his life with the commandment (the spiritual Law), in him will appear the tops of the mountains of virtue that were previously covered and disappeared because of our sins. If the ark - Christ - rests inside us as though on the mighty and solid Mountain of Ararat, He would transfigure inside us, and the pious life would appear in our depths, as tops of living mountains, when we receive His spiritual Law, to be as though on the first day of the tenth month. 2- SENDING OUT A RAVEN AND A DOVE “It came to pass, at the end of forty days, that Noah opened a window of the ark which he had made. Then he sent out a raven, which kept going to and fro” (Gen. . 1 للمؤلف: الحب الإلهي، 1967 ، ص ٨٦٦ 4 8:6, 7) setting forth to where the corrupt corpses are, then to return to stand outside the ark. “He also sent out a dove... But the dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot, she returned into the ark to him... so he put out his hand and took her, and drew her into the ark to himself. And he waited yet another 7 days, and again he sent the dove out from the ark. Then the dove came to him in the evening, and behold, a freshly plucked olive leaf was in her mouth... So he waited yet another 7 days and sent out the dove, which did not return again to him anymore” (Gen. 8:8-12). St. Augustine says: [If the ark refers to the Church, both the dove and the raven were found therein. Noah had sent those two species of birds, he had the raven and dove two… If the ark is truly a type of the Church it is seen, by necessity, through the great flood of this world, to include both the doves and the ravens. What are the ravens? Those who seek their own. And what the doves? Those who seek the things which are of Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:21)1.] The raven refers to the sin which must be cast away; to set forth and so never returns to the ark, but keeps going to and fro, hesitating between the corrupt corpses and the ark from outside. Noah would not put out his hand to take it in as he did with the dove. St. Ambrose says: [The raven is a symbol of sin that goes never to return. If righteousness is kept in you inside and outside2.] And St. Jerome says: [The raven was sent out of the ark, and did not return; Afterward the dove proclaimed peace on earth. Likewise, in baptism, the devil, the meanest of birds, is driven away, then, the dove of the Holy Spirit proclaims peace on our earth3.] And he also says: [If the world falls into sin, nothing would be able to cleanse it, but the water of a great flood. The dove of the Holy Spirit flew to Noah after the raven went far away, and became as though it was heading toward Christ in the Jordan (Matthew 3:16); came carrying with her beak a branch that symbolizes to reform and light, to give the whole world the good news of peace4.] If the raven has found food and a resting place for the sole of its feet, among the corrupt corpses, Yet the dove (the believing soul) would never find rest except in the hands of Noah... It came out of the ark three times: a- The first time it found no resting place for the sole of its feet; as a reference to the soul, inflamed by the Holy Spirit - the heavenly dove - which cannot settle down or rest among the corrupt corpses; it is attracted in her exile toward the ark, to find the hand of her Christ put out to carry her in His bosom, as her resting place. b- In the second time, it went out to the world, to return proclaiming the peace of Christ through the new world, after the disappearance of corpses and uprooting of corruption, through the new life in Jesus Christ. St. Augustine5 sees in the olive branch a symbol of peace from several aspects; the first is that the olive tree is evergreen, as though it represents man filled with peace, who would never lose his greenness by storms. From another aspect, if another fluid like water is poured on olive oil, it would not corrupt, but would float over the other fluid without mixing with it. It is as though, like man, who when knocked over by temptations, would overcome them by floating over affliction. c- In the third time, it went out of the ark, but did not return; not to desert Noah, but to proclaim the setting forth of the whole procession toward the new earth; 1 In Ioan. Tr. 6:2. 2 In Mystr. 3. 3 Dial. adv. Lucif 22. 4 Ep. 96:6. 5 On Christian Doctrine 2:16. 5 as though representing man, set forth toward eternity, as a new life, not to be anymore in body in the Church seen on earth, but, being a member in it, he sets forth to where he encounters the whole procession on the clouds, to enter to the glories. 3- REMOVING THE COVERING OF THE ARK “Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and indeed the surface of the ground was dry” (Gen. 8:13). That was in the six hundred and first year of Noah’s age, in the first month, the first day of the month..., as though Noah ends the six hundred years, to begin the seventh generation of his age, by removing the cover of the ark, and looking at the new earth through the ark. By that he refers to the Lord Christ - the true Noah - the Leader of the Church, who dwells in its midst for her comfort. He works the 6 days for the sake of salvation of his flock of 100 sheep (Luke 15:4), all along the days of the Church life in strangeness on earth (6 × 100 = 600), up until the time comes to an end, and the seventh day comes, which is the day of rest, God removes every cover, to encounter Him face to face. And as said by the apostle Paul: “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known” (1 Corinthians 13:2). Thus, despite all what the apostle Paul enjoyed of divine proclamations, fellowship with God, and a taste of heavenly life, he counted himself, in all this, as though seeing dimly in a mirror, if compared to what he is to gain in the eternal encounter with God, face to face. St. John Chrysostom says: [God is hastening now to us, so that being attached to him, we would know many things considered so far as secrets, and to enjoy the very blessed life and wisdom1.] 4- NOAH GETS OUT TO THE NEW EARTH In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was completely dried, and God commanded Noah to get out; that was 8 weeks after removing the covering from the ark, and by the end of the fifty-third week from the onset of the great flood. The following is a simplified timetable of the events of the great flood: 1- Noah enters into the ark and the great flood begins (17 / 2 / 600 of his age). [Seven days after the instruction to gather the animals and birds (17 / 2 / 600). 2- The duration of the pouring of rain and breaking of all fountains of the deep. 40 days 3- Water prevailed on earth for 150 days, including the 40 days of the flood. 110 days 4- Waters decreased, and the tops of the mountains were seen (1 / 10 / 600) 74 days 5- Sending the raven out after 40 days (Gen 8:6-7) 40 days 6- Sending the dove out for the first time after 7 days 7 days 7- Sending the dove out for the second time 7 days 8- Sending the dove out for the third time 7 days 9- From sending the dove out to removing the covering of the ark (1 / 1 / 601) 29 days 10- From removing the covering of the ark to the coming out of Noah (7 / 2 601) 57 days _____ 371 days 1 In 1 Cor. hom 34:2. 6 The duration of events of the great flood, from its beginning to Noah’s coming out of the ark (a year, 360 days, according to lunar calendar and 11 days = 371 days} 5- BUILDING AN ALTAR TO THE LORD The first thing that Noah did after he came out of the ark, was building an altar to the Lord on the new earth that was cleansed by the waters of the great flood. As though the Church can not offer the sacrifice of the Lord Christ (the Eucharist), before the enjoyment of Baptism. For this reason, we find the Holy Scripture proclaiming for the first time the building of an altar to the Lord; although sacrifices to the Lord were surely offered to the Lord after man came out of Paradise. God declared His pleasure with man after smelling a soothing aroma through the sacrifice of reconciliation; confirming that He will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, because of his weakness. How amazing is the forgiveness of the Lord! The new life began with worship through the sacrifice, as though through the cross. So the curse was removed from the earth (Gen. 8:21)... Then man started to work for his daily needs. Finally, the offering of Noah was a symbol of the sacrificing work of Christ the Lord in His Church. And as the priest says in the Liturgy: [Who ascended His own, a sacrifice accepted on the Cross for the salvation of our race. He was as a sweet aroma to His Good Father in the evening, in Golgotha1.] 1 The Coptic Vesper and Matins Services.
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