The Great Flood

      More Letters From Paradise
          The Great Flood
Unless you have studied Ancient History, you are probably unaware that there is another story of the flood as told in Genesis.

The Sumerians were ancient people who inhabited the land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. This area is known as Mesopotamia,which means the land between two rivers as in modern day Iran and Iraq. This area is often rightly called  the "Cradle of Civilization." Very ironic when you consider what is going on there today.The Sumerians are responsible for creating 21 contributions to civilization. I can't remember all 21, but I can remember two. They invented writing, and the wheel. As great as the Inca and Aztec civilizations were, they never developed the wheel.

And, the Sumerians were the first people to both write and keep written records. There are historical records and literature. The writing is called cuneiform. The name means "Wedge Shape" from the Latin. Soft clay was  pressed with a wedge-shaped stick. Some of these clay tablets are very small, while others are the size of your hand, or even bigger. This writing can be read today.There is a long story called the "Epic of Gilgamesh." There are piles of these tablets, and many are to be seen in museums.
Now, at last, I come to my main point, and that is that these clay tablets contain a story of a man, like Noah, who experienced a great flood. The same story which is told in Genesis. So, the question is; is the story of Genesis borrowed from the Sumerian account, or is it simply another confirmation of the story told in Genesis?
At any rate,  one thing we do know, is that there was indeed a great flood. Archaeologists have confirmed this as a fact.

And, now on the lighter side, remember the funny telling of the flood by the comedian Bill Cosby?  God said to Noah he wanted him to build an Ark. Noah asks, "What's an Ark?"  Noah protests, and God asks him, "How long can you tread water?" If you have missed this, look it up, it's really funny.

      Aloha
      Grant