New Books in History Philip C. Almond, "Noah and the Flood in Western Thought" (Cambridge UP, 2025)
Mar 21, 2026
Philip C. Almond, Emeritus Professor in the History of Religious Thought, explores Noah as more than a biblical figure—shipbuilder, navigator, early scientist and cultural symbol. He traces how the flood story shaped geology, biology, racial ideas, ark-hunting, and modern climate anxieties. The conversation weaves secular receptions, scientific debates, and the story’s renewed role as a caution about human responsibility.
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Noah As A Second Creation Story
- Noah functions as a second creation story that reshapes how later thinkers explain human diversity and natural history.
- Philip C. Almond explains early modern scholars forced human origins, migration, and race into a timeline between Creation (~4000 BC) and the Flood (~2500 BC).
Early Science Sought To Harmonize With The Bible
- Early modern science was deeply engaged with the Bible; scientists often sought to harmonize discoveries with Scripture.
- Almond argues many scientific questions (geology, anthropology) arose because scholars needed to fit findings into biblical chronology.
Allegory Dominated Until The Reformation
- Allegorical readings dominated Jewish, Christian, and Gnostic interpretation until the 16th century, giving the Ark spiritual meanings like the church prototype.
- Almond notes Reformers shifted emphasis to literal historical readings, changing scriptural interpretation dynamics.
