It is well known that there are numerous flood stories across the cultures of the world. Some like that in the Epic of Gilgamesh are very similar to the flood story found in the Bible. Critics point to these stories and assume that the Bible is copying these stories. The story of Noah would be just another version of these other mythical stories and therefore without any foundation in history.
In a conversation with another person interested in apologetics, we concluded that there is no way to win. What would happen if none of these parallels existed? Critics would then say that if such a catastrophic flood did indeed take place, there should be evidence in other cultures, some sort of echo of the event.
But when those echoes of the event are there, it is then evidence that the flood is myth rather than history. No matter what is there, it is somehow evidence that the flood story is false. The conclusion is already set and the evidence just has to be made to fit. Critics have set the rules so that the Bible can never win.
- Epic of Gilgamesh
- Flood
- Noah
