Ancient Flood Traditions

An argument used by unbelievers against the Bible is the argument against a global, world-wide flood.  Historical evidence is ignored, suppressed and/or unknown. It is our hope that this blog sheds a little light on this subject. Here are some little known facts:

1. There have been over 270 ancient flood traditions discovered from cultures of the past.
2. There is almost complete agreement among them all on the four main features:
   • There is a universal destruction of the human race and all other living things by water.
   • An ark, or boat, is provided as the means, of escape.
   • A seed of mankind is preserved to perpetuate the human race.
   • The wickedness of man is given as the cause of the Flood.
3. About these Flood traditions:
   • Existed prior to the writing of the Bible.
   • Existed prior to missionaries going throughout the world.
   • Were found among the ancient Babylonians, Sumerians, Egyptians and Chinese, American Indians, natives of the Pacific Islands.
4. Examples of Flood traditions :
   • Papago Indians: God made Montezuma from clay.
   • Apaches: Peace and happiness was in the world those first days.  The sun being nearer to the earth than it is now, all the seasons were warm, and no one wore clothing.  Men and animals shared a common tongue, and all were brothers.
   • Cuba: “An old man knowing the deluge was to come, built a great ship and went into it with his family and abundance of animals; and that, wearying during the continuance of the flood, he sent out a crow, which at first did not return, staying to feed on the dead bodies, but afterwards returned bearing with it a green branch.” (Gen. 8:6-12).
   • Mayans: Noah was saved with his family; a boat to save the human race, animal and plant life; birds to explore the surface of the earth; one bird returns the olive leaf; after the flood a possible confusion of tongues. (Gen. 11:7).
   • Hawaiians: Nu-u was a righteous man. (Gen. 6:9).
   • India and China: The traditions in India and China tell, with varying details, the same story of the carrying away of the old world by a flood and the re-peopling of the earth by some who had been miraculously preserved.  Manu, whom the Hindus regard as the great progenitor of the race, was warned, so their tradition goes, by a great fish that the earth was about to be engulfed by water.  He was told to build a ship and to put into it all kinds of seeds, together with the seven Rishis, or holy beings.  The flood came as announced and covered the whole earth.  The ship was made fast to the horns of the fish, which drew it on in safety and finally landed it on the loftiest summit of the Himalayas.  Manu was permitted by God to create the new race of mankind. It will be noticed here that there are seven companions of Manu; hence eight were saved.  This is the very number mentioned in Genesis.  Another fact is that Manu is called Satya, that is, the righteous.  It was said of Noah that he was righteous among his generation.  And then, to make this flood tradition still more remarkable, there is added this story as reported by Hugh Miller: “The holy Satyavrata, having on one occasion drunk mead, became senseless and lay asleep, naked, and Charma, one of three sons who had been born to him, finding him in that sad state, called on his two brothers, to witness the shame of their father, and said to them, What has now befallen? In what state is our sire?  But the two brothers were more dutiful than Charma and hid him with clothes; and recalled to his senses, and having recovered his intellect, and perfectly knowing what had passed, he cursed Charma saying, Thou shalt be a servant of servants.” (Gen. 9:20-25) “According to the Chinese traditions, Fah-he escaped from a deluge which destroyed the human race with the exception of himself, his wife, his three sons, and three daughters, and from these, the whole earth was peopled.”
   • The Original “Unknown” god of China (Creation Magazine June-July 1998)From Emperor Shun ( ruled from 2256BC to 2205BC).“When Te [ShangDi], the Lord, had so decreed, He called into existence [originated] heaven, earth, and man. Between heaven and earth He separately placed in order men and things, all overspread by the heavens.”“Of old in the beginning, there was the great chaos, without form and dark.  The five elements (planets) had not begun to revolve, nor the sun and moon to shine.  You, O Spiritual Sovereign, first divided the grosser parts from the purer.  You made heaven.  You made earth.  You made man. All things with their reproducing power got their being.”
   • Peru “…many years before there were any Incas all the people were drowned by a great flood, save six persons, the progenitors of the existing races, who were saved on a float; that among the Mechoachens it was believed that a single family was preserved, during the animals to replenish the new world;