Science and the Bible and Noah’s Ark By Pastor Phil Layton

Science and the Bible and Noah’s Ark

By Pastor Phil Layton

*credits: picture slides, unless otherwise noted, are from online presentations at www.nwcreation.org or www.answersingenesis.org

5-10 million bacteria; 74,000-120,000 fungi; 1.6 million eukaryote

(identified), including: 297,326 plants, incl:

15,000 mosses, 13,025 Ferns and

horsetails, 980 gymnosperms, 258,650 angiosperms, 199,350 dicotyledons, 59,300

monocotyledons, 9,671 Red and green

algae,

Species Estimates (www.Wikipedia.org) 28,849 fungi & other non-

animals, including: 10,000 lichens, 16,000 mushrooms, 2,849 brown algae,

1,250,000 animals, incl.: 1,203,375 invertebrates:

• 950,000 insects, • 81,000 mollusks, • 40,000 crustaceans, • 2,175 corals, • 130,200 others;

59,811 vertebrates: 29,300 fish, 6,199 amphibians, 8,240 reptiles, 9,956 birds, 5,416 mammals.

5-10 million bacteria; 74,000-120,000 fungi; 1.6 million eukaryote

(identified), including: 297,326 plants, incl:

15,000 mosses, 13,025 Ferns and

horsetails, 980 gymnosperms, 258,650 angiosperms, 199,350 dicotyledons, 59,300

monocotyledons, 9,671 Red and green

algae,

How many of these species had to be on the ark? 28,849 fungi & other non-

animals, including: 10,000 lichens, 16,000 mushrooms, 2,849 brown algae,

1,250,000 animals, incl.: 1,203,375 invertebrates:

• 950,000 insects, • 81,000 mollusks, • 40,000 crustaceans, • 2,175 corals, • 130,200 others;

59,811 vertebrates: 29,300 fish, 6,199 amphibians, 8,240 reptiles, 9,956 birds, 5,416 mammals.

5-10 million bacteria; 74,000-120,000 fungi; 1.6 million eukaryote

(identified), including: 297,326 plants, incl:

15,000 mosses, 13,025 Ferns and

horsetails, 980 gymnosperms, 258,650 angiosperms, 199,350 dicotyledons, 59,300

monocotyledons, 9,671 Red and green

algae,

How many of these species had to be on the ark? 28,849 fungi & other non-

animals, including: 10,000 lichens, 16,000 mushrooms, 2,849 brown algae,

1,250,000 animals, incl.: 1,203,375 invertebrates:

• 950,000 insects, • 81,000 mollusks, • 40,000 crustaceans, • 2,175 corals, • 130,200 others;

59,811 vertebrates: 29,300 fish, 6,199 amphibians (?), 8,240 reptiles, 9,956 birds, 5,416 mammals.

So we have less than 30,000 species that would fall under the creatures Genesis specifies as boarding the ark. But the Bible doesn’t use the word “species” – what is the word we’ve seen repeated in those verses several times?

So we have less than 30,000 species that would fall under the creatures Genesis specifies as boarding the ark. But the Bible doesn’t use the word “species” – what is the word we’ve seen repeated in those verses several times? “Kinds”

The biblical “kind” is more likely somewhere in here (genus / family?)

Some speciation and variation can be genetically reproduced within some biblical “kinds” (ex: types of cats, dogs, horses, etc.) but God has programmed DNA limits for reproduction “according to its kind” (Genesis 1, no macro-evolution, where new animal is birthed)

Biblical “kinds” would at least be many thousands less than species known to man (including species now extinct). “Baraminologists” (scientists who study this) have suggested the number of original “kinds” were somewhere between 2,000 and 16,000?

Size and Shape of the ArkWhat did the Ark look like?

Model Ark by Rod Walsh, background image by Carol Drew.

Scale model of Noah’s Ark

Further Comparison in Scale

Genesis 6:13-14

Then God said to Noah

“… Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood; you shall make the ark with rooms and shall cover it inside and out with pitch.”

Model of ark being built in Netherlands

How could a wooden boat survive such a flood?First, the ark was made of a strong and flexible material (gopherwood) that “gives” without breaking. Second, the heavy load was an advantage that gave the ark stability. Third, naval architects inform us that a long box-shaped, floating box-car, such as the ark was, is a very stable craft in turbulent waters. Indeed, modern ocean liners follow the same basic dimensions or proportions of Noah’s ark.

- Normal Geisler, When Critics Ask, p. 41.

Genesis 6:15

“This is how you shall make it: the length of the ark three hundred cubits, its breadth fifty cubits, and its height, thirty cubits.”

Noah’s Ark300 cubits x 50 cubits x 30 cubits

450 ft x 75 ft x 45 ft (if using 18 inch cubit; some ancient cubits were a little

shorter or longer)

Epic of GilgameshThe most popular non-biblical flood story is the Epic of Gilgamesh

The ark is a cube of 120x120x120 cubits Only seven days of rain are recorded

Some Problems

What they learned by the time they built ship after ship after ship through human history is that it's critical that if a ship is to be stable in the water it has a certain ratio.  And it's still the standard for large ships.  And the ratios are from 6:1 to 8:1, that is 6:1 or 8:1 in length to width.  [Modern ship-builders in the 19th century have discovered] that provides the best stability and even to this very day the 6:1 to 8:1 ratio is standard for building a ship.  Well it's interesting that the ark was 6:1

John MacArthur writes:

A scientist concluded that the ark would have had to have been turned completely vertical before it could be tipped over.  It was so stable.  It's relative length six times greater than its width would tend to keep it from being subjected to wave forces because wave forces aren't that long.  And even if it got sideways there was no single wave force that would hit the total ship … it would be virtually impossible to turn it over. 

As a rectangle it had more stability than any other form of construction.  A ship has a rounded bottom to move it through the water but that makes it vulnerable.  A square bottom sunk down is almost impossible to overturn no matter how great the waves.  Also it gives it a third more cargo capacity than a similar ship with a sloping hull. Its internal space: 100,000 square feet.  And its total volume: 1.5 million cubic feet.

It has been calculated that the capacity of the ark is equivalent to 522 boxed cars. You watch the box cars go by on the train tracks; 522.

You can get 240 sheep in a boxed car.  So if you had 522 boxed cars with 240 sheep you'd have a total of 125,000 animals. [So it’s estimated all the animals would take up less than half the space of the ark]

Sheep are larger than the average animal on the ark and they probably didn't take two full grown giraffes if you were wondering, or full grown hippos and elephants [sorry no giraffe heads sticking out the top!]

John Woodmorappe writes that the median-sized animal (half were smaller than this and half larger) was about as big as a small rat, with only 11% being larger than a sheep]  

Paul Taylor adds “young adult animals, at the beginning of the reproductive capabilities would be the logical choice. No one would take senior citizens to repopulate the earth!”

Paul Taylor adds “young adult animals, at the beginning of the reproductive capabilities would be the logical choice. No one would take senior citizens to repopulate the earth!”

[No offense to any human senior citizens present!!]’

“Now only supernatural revelation would know how many animals there were, how much capacity was needed and what the best structure was for a floating box.  Only God would have the concept of building something so massive to float … This to me is a wonderful evidence of and confidence building of the integrity of the inspired character of scripture.  If Moses had invented the flood story, if somebody else had invented the flood story they never would have imagined or designed a ship that never could have been conceived by anybody in the ancient world.”

John MacArthur, sermon # 90-257 

There was room for all the animals …

There was room for more people …

John 10:9I am the door; if anyone enters by Me, he will be saved...