by BoogerMan 26 Replies latest jw friends
Regardless of belief/non-belief in the Bible account, why is the ark nearly always depicted by both believers & non-believers as a huge boat, with a rounded hull & stern, and a tapered bow? https://arkencounter.com/
The ark was crate shaped according to the measurements. It wasn't built to sail on a cruise, it was made to float.
bm - why is the ark nearly always depicted by both believers & non-believers as a huge boat,
Whatever floats your boat, as they say.
It's probably a lot to do with accepted cultural norms.
As a non believer, I don't think either is a reasonable description. In fact, I don't think an 'ark' in the Biblical sense is a practical reality.
But that's just my two-penneth.
There's a reason why boats and ships look the way they do, and not like big square crates...
The bible doesn't describe the shape, it simply gave the height, width and depth. From there, Noah could have made it a box shape or a boat shape; Both options are valid as both can be measured the same way.
It just amazes me how JWs are almost offended at the sight of a boat shaped arc because that's not the way its been drawn by Watchtower artists.
Years ago they drew it as a boat. As I recall From Paradise Lost book drew it boat shaped. It's just another tiny effort to differentiate themselves from other churches. In reality, like was just posted, the OT stories about the ark do not describe the shape. It's over literalizing to assume the author meant a box.
https://culturacolectiva.com/history/noahs-ark-myth-makes-no-sense-according-to-science/
The ship would've been too big for its structure to support itself. According to shipbuilding experts, among them A. M. Robb, there is an upper limit to the possible length of any given wooden ship. Anything above 300 feet would start to bend and deform under its own weight when put to the test of the sea in actual navigation.
That's the nature of wood, and that's why all the ships that even come close to that size are made of iron and steel. Shipbuilders turned to more resistant materials in the 1800s, not because it was more practical, but because such large wooden ships are simply impossible to make.
Consider that the largest wooden ships ever built, the six-masted schooners, required long iron strappings to support them. And even these couldn't resist a lasting voyage even in shallow water, let alone the violent conditions of the flood. And the ark was supposedly over 100 feet even than these. God must have either performed a constant miracle to keep the ship together, or give Noah instructions as to how to build such a structure through a long-forgotten technique.
The life-size version of Noah’s Ark is located in Williamstown, Ky.
Perhaps the Bible's description of the vessel being called an 'ark' (meaning chest or coffer) instead of a 'boat,' offers a clue as to its functional shape.
It seems certain (according to experts) that the Kentucky ark would disintegrate if placed in water.
Mr. A. M. Robb was referring to any given wooden ship, but I assume he wasn't asked about a gigantic wooden crate, reinforced internally throughout with wooden floors. Maybe.
