Ark May Have Been Found
(June 29) - A team of Texas archaeologists believe they may have located the remains of Noah's Ark in Iran's Elburz mountain range.
"I can't imagine what it could be if it is not the Ark," said Arch Bonnema of the Bible Archaeology Search and Exploration (B.A.S.E) Institute, a Christian archeology organization dedicated to looking for biblical artifacts.
Bonnema and the other B.A.S.E. Institute members hiked for seven hours in the mountains northwest of Tehran, climbing 13,000 feet before making the apparent discovery.
"We got up to this object, nestled in the side of a hill," said Robert Cornuke, a member of the B.A.S.E. Institute. "We found something that has my heart skipping a beat."
At first, they didn't dare to hope it was the biblical boat.
"It wasn't impressive at first," Cornuke said. "Certainly didn't think it to be Noah's Ark. But when we got close, we were amazed. It looked similar to wood."
In addition, some B.A.SE. members say, their discovery didn't look very distinctive.
"It looked like the deck of any boat today," Bonnema said.
The Bible places the Ark in the mountains of Ararat, a mountain range theologians believe spans hundreds of miles, which the team says is consistent with their find in Iran.
The Bible also describes the Ark's dimensions as being 300 cubits by 50 cubits -- about the size of a small aircraft carrier. The B.A.S.E. Institute's discovery is similar in size and scale.
The B.A.S.E. Institute's samples are being examined at labs in Texas and Florida. B.A.S.E officials concede that there would be no way to conclusively prove that their finding is actually Noah's Ark.
http://articles.news.aol.com/news/_a/has-noahs-ark-been-found/20060629173309990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001
Even if tests indicated that this structure was the right age... Even if they found petrified animal droppings from a multitude of species... Even if they found a beam on which was carved, "Shem slept here," the world would still be skeptical of this fascinating piece of history. But I figure it this way; If You have the ability to "speak" a universe into existence, the events surrounding the ark do not present that much of a challenge.
3 comments:
So true Chris, the world is so willing NOT to believe. Please continue to post updates on this amazing find.
I think this is fascinating stuff, but unfortunately, you're probably right about the sceptics. Some people can be hit by a bus, and left with tire marks and still claim that George Bush shot them. I've heard it said that "none is so blind as he who will not open his eyes" (or something like that).
And "shem slept here"...that's good stuff!
I'm going to take a tentatively skeptical position on this.
In January of 1998 or '99, I went to a museum in the L.A. area to see the visiting Ur of the Chaldees exhibit, where they had the burial stuff (absolutely fabulous, and fascinating) from about 250 years before Abraham's time (the exhibit belongs to Univ of Penn in Philadelphia). There was a lyre, made with wood, that had a golden bull's head and some other gold for decoration. When they found the burial chamber in Ur (in Iraq), the wood had disintegrated and left its outline in the ground. The archaeologists took plaster or wax molds of it in place and then reconstructed it with new wood.
If wood in the ground in Iraq from Abraham's time disintegrates, how can wood from Noah's time survive in Iran? I'm not the expert. And I'm certainly not God.
On the other hand, I look at the Dead Sea Scrolls that God used to preserve His word for this unbelieving generation. Those scrolls weren't discovered during the time that our country still stood for godly values. They were discovered at a time when our cynicism about God needed the confirmation that His word still stands today.
So, I guess I'm saying we shouldn't even be able to find the ark. But if we did, we need to recognize it as a miracle, an act of God for such a time as this.
Great post, Chris.
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