Posted on 07/21/2006 10:13:22 AM PDT by Sopater
This article was first published in the July 2006 ABR Electronic Newsletter.
And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. – Genesis 11:1–2 (KJV)
The Media Blitz
Since mid-June, 2006 there has been a flurry of reports in the media and on the Internet about the possible discovery of Noah's Ark on a mountain in northern Iran. Robert ("Bob") Cornuke, who has previously claimed to have found such notable things as the true Mount Sinai, the place of Paul's shipwreck off the coast of Malta, and the location of the Ark of the Covenant, has now focused on what is perhaps the biggest target of all, both literally and figuratively – Noah's Ark.
In brief, on a mountain known locally as Takht-e Suleiman in the Elborz range of northern Iran, Cornuke and his team found an "unusual object" at the 13,120-foot elevation which is currently (7/16/06) described on his website (http://www.baseinstitute.org/noah.html) as "dark rock with an uncanny beam-like appearance in several places," having a texture and color unique to the area, and of the approximate dimensions of Noah's Ark. Cornuke adds that some samples were tested by an independent lab and "showed signs of petrified wood," though what those signs were has not yet been announced, and these signs evidently did not apply to the entire object. There was additionally a second finding of wood near the summit that may be from a shrine, reportedly dated to 500 years old.
[snip] - cut to chase...
Conclusions
For the above and other reasons which space does not allow me to deal with, it appears that Bob Cornuke's "filters" have prevented him from dealing fairly with much information which does not fit into his "Ark in Iran" hypothesis. When such data is considered, it raises great doubt that he has found anything related to Noah's Ark on Takht-e Suleiman. I would love to see his find hold up to close scrutiny so it can be used as a witness to the world of the trustworthiness of the Bible, but if I – who, as a brother in Christ, am "on his team" – can come up with this many problems in identifying the find on Mount Suleiman with the Ark, we can be sure that an unfriendly, secular world full of dyed-in-the-wool skeptics will find many more reasons to reject it. The best I think he can hope for is that many will want to hear his story as an adventure tale – but that may be enough for him, an expected benefit of the aggressive promotion of the site at the beginning. I just hope that in view of the many problems that have come to light, he presents his audiences with the FULL story, warts and all.
:o)
If it's in Iran, that means the last animals off the ark were the jackasses.
Scratch my Post #2 - Different source, this one. The others are WVW, WND and NG.
When this was first posted, I knew it was too good to be true.
It seems as though every ten years, someone claims to have a photograph or something of the Arc. Then as with UFO sightings, there is not one piece of evidence. Not one nail, not one board...nothing...
Then you end up hearing about it on some hafl @ss documentary on Sundays during rain delays of ball games, narrated by Leonard Nimoy.
What I am wondering right now is why the Ark had a door on each level.
It was too good to be true when it was first announced. Nobody can come up with a plausible explanation of how the ark became petrified wood in 4000 years on the top of a mountain exposed to the elements.
It is completely impossible.
Don't any of these guys own cameras?
"What I am wondering right now is why the Ark had a door on each level."
Is there a joke here? I'm slow today.
PING!
How did gopherwood become square timbers?
The story of Noah's Ark is ridiculous. A handful of animals, free water life, plants and so forth were stored on an ark, and the water was taken away to an undisclosed location, and they speed migrated and speed evolved to their respective habitats in six thousand years........
Why grown-ups take this seriously is beyond me.
Every picture/drawing of the animal onloading shows a single gangplank and a single door. Why do the artists ignore the three doors requirement? Also, why did they apply bitumen on the inside?
It's not to be taken literally but is in a form that has preserved a teaching complete. Problem is, the key is either lost or in the hands of someone who wants it kept out of public knowledge.
Noah's Ark does not nor did it ever exist. It is fictional.
Noah's Ark does not nor did it ever exist. It is fictional.
Was Jesus fictional?
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