Hero of Biblical Flood story - in Old Testament book of Genesis.

Noah born: 4028 bc.

Originator - of vineyard cultivation.

Father of - Shem Ham and Japheth representative head of a Semitic genealogical line. Synthesis of at least 3 biblical source traditions.

Noah is The Image of The Righteous Man - made party to a covenant with Yahweh the God of Israel in which Nature's future protection against catastrophe is assured.

Noah appears - in Genesis 5:29 as son of Lamech and 9th in descent from Adam.

Story of the Deluge - Genesis 6:11-9:19 Noah is represented as the Patriarch because of his blameless piety chosen by God to perpetuate the Human Race after his wicked contemporaries had perished in the Flood.

A Righteous Man Noah - found favour in the eyes of God Genesis 6:8.

When God beheld - corruption of the Earth and determined to destroy the World.

God gave Noah warning of impending disasters - made a covenant with him promising to save him and his family. Noah was instructed to build an Ark.

In Accordance with God's Instructions - Noah took into the Ark Male and Female specimens of all the World's species of Animals from stocks that may be replenished.

Noah was 600 years old - when the flood of waters were upon the Earth.

Noah's Three Sons Made Human Races Again - According to Biblical narrative the entire surviving Human Race descended from Noah's 3 sons.

Genealogy sets a universal frame - role of Abraham as father of Israel's faith could assume its proper dimensions.

Utnapishtim - story of Flood has close parrallels and affinities with Babylonian traditions of apocalyptic floods in which Utnapishtim plays the part corresponding to Noah.

Mythologies - also are a source of Biblical Flood story as building and provisioning of the Ark its flotation and subsidence of waters.

Tablet XI of Gilgamesh epic - introduces Utnapishtim who like Noah survived cosmic destruction by heeding divine instruction to build an Ark.

Meaning of the Flood - is conveyed after Noah's heroic survival.

He built an Altar - which he offered burnt sacrifices to GOD who then bound himself to a pact never again to curse the Earth on Man's account.

GOD Set a Rainbow in The Sky - as visible guarantee of His Promise to the Covenant.

Vegetarianism - would have to be maintained for duration of the Flood on the Ark.

1) Man could now kill animals and eat meat.

2) Murder of a Man would be punished by Man.

Similarities - of Mesopotamian and Biblical stories of the flood.

Babylonian story - destruction of the flood was result of a disagreement among gods.

Genesis - flood resulted from moral corruption of Human History.

Primitive polytheism - of Mesopotamian versions is transformed in Biblical story into an affirmation of omnipotence and benevolence of the one righteous God.

Circle of the Immortal Gods - following survival Utnapishtim and his wife are admitted to the circle of the immortal gods.

Noah and his family - are commanded to undertake the renewal of history.

Noah's sons are married their wives accompany them in the Ark.

Shameless drunkenness of Noah - with the character of pious hero of Flood story.

Genesis attributes beginnings of agriculture and cultivation of the vine to Noah.

Noah's three sons Shem Ham and Japheth ancestors for three of the races of Mankind.

Noah's drunkenness and disrespect - provokes son Ham result Noah's laying a curse on Ham's son Canaan. Incident may symbolize ethnic and social division of Palestine.

Hebrews from line of Shem - will separate from the pre Israelite population of Canaan which is depicted as licentious who will live in subjection to the Hebrews.

Figure of Noah - known in ancient Israel before compilation of Pentateuch. Ezekiel 14:14, 20 speaks of him as a prototype of the righteous Man who alone among Israelites would be spared God's vengeance.

New Testament Noah - is mentioned in genealogy of the Gospel according to Luke 3:36 delineates Jesus' descent from Adam. Jesus uses story of the Flood that came on a Worldly generation of Men in the days of Noah as Baptism.

Noah depicted - as a preacher of repentance to the Men of his time itself a predominant theme in Jewish apocryphal and rabbinical writings.

Mount Ararat - Turkish Agri Dagi extinct volcanic massif in extreme eastern Turkey overlooking point at which frontiers of Turkey Iran and Armenia converge.

Northern and eastern slopes rise from broad alluvial plain of Aras River about 3,300 ft or 1,000 m above sea level.

Southwestern slopes - rise from a plain about 5,000 ft above sea level on the west a low pass separates it from a long range of other volcanic ridges extending westward toward eastern Taurus ranges. Ararat Massif is about 25 mi or 40 km in diameter.

Ararat consists of 2 peaks or summits - about 7 mi apart.

Great Ararat or Büyük Agr Dag - reaches an elevation of 16,854 ft above sea level is highest peak in Turkey.

Little Ararat or Küçük Agr Dag - smooth steep near perfect cone to 12,782 ft.

Both Great and Little Ararat are product - of eruptive volcanic activity. Neither retains any evidence of a crater well formed cones and fissures exist on their flanks.

Towering 14,000 ft above adjoining plains snowcapped conical peak of Great Ararat offers a majestic sight. Snowline varies with season retreating to 14,000 ft above sea level by end of summer.

Glacier - found on northern side of Great Ararat near its summit. Middle zone of Ararat from 5,000 to 11,500 ft covered with good pasture grass some juniper. Local Kurdish population graze sheep. Most of Great Ararat treeless. Little Ararat has few birch groves. Despite abundant cover of snow Ararat area suffers from scarcity of water.

Mount Ararat - the mountain Noah's Ark came to rest at the end of the Flood.

Name Ararat in the Bible - is Hebrew equivalent of Urardhu or Urartu

9th cent bc: Kingdom of Ararat - an Assyro Babylonian name of a Kingdom that flourished between the Aras and Upper Tigris rivers from 9th to 7th century bc.

Ararat is sacred to Armenians - who believe themselves to be 1st race of Humans to appear in the World after the Deluge.

Persian legend - refers to Ararat as cradle of the Human Race.

Ancient Village on the slopes of the Ararat - high above Aras plain the area where Noah built an altar and planted the 1st vineyard.

Above the Ancient Village Armenians built a monastery - to commemorate St. Jacob said to have tried repeatedly but failed to reach summit of Great Ararat in search of the Ark. Village monastery of St. Jacob and nearby chapel of St. James totally destroyed by Earthquake and avalanche in 1840.

The Ark - may still lay on the summit. .

Ararat - has been scaled by several explorers some of whom claim to have sighted remains of the Ark.

1990's: Australian scientific explorers took several rolls of film when finding the Ark in the glacier. They were captured and ransommed by local terrorists.

Ark - also called Ark of The Law - Hebrew Aron or Aron Ha Qodesh holy Ark in Jewish synagogues an ornate cabinet that enshrines sacred Torah scrolls used for public worship. Because it symbolizes Holy of Holies of Ancient Temple of Jerusalem it is the holiest place in synagogue and focal point of prayer.

The Ark - is reached by steps commonly placed so the worshiper facing it also faces Jerusalem. When the scrolls are removed for religious services congregation stands and a solemn ceremony accompanies opening and closing of the Ark doors.