The dove in the biblical account of Noah was likely the common ancestor of the modern-day homing pigeon

And the ark rested in the seventh month, the seven and twentieth day of the month, upon the mountains of Armenia. And the waters were going and decreasing until the tenth month: for in the tenth month, the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains appeared.

And after that forty days were passed, Noah opening the window of the ark, which he had made, sent forth a raven: Which went forth and did not return, till the waters were dried up upon the earth.

He sent forth also a dove after him, to see if the waters had now ceased upon the face of the earth. But she not finding where her foot might rest, returned to him into the ark: for the waters were upon the whole earth: and he put forth his hand, and caught her, and brought her into the ark.

And having waited yet seven other days, he again sent forth the dove out of the ark. And she came to him in the evening carrying a bough of an olive tree, with green leaves, in her mouth. Noah therefore understood that the waters were ceased upon the earth. (Genesis 8:4-11)

Editor’s note: The raven – a scavenger – was probably busy enjoying a truly extraordinary “feast”.

Divine Providence: Noah begot triplet sons (when he was already 500 years old)

Noah’s thanksgiving sacrifice

And Noah, when he was five hundred years old, begot Sem, Cham, and Japheth. (Genesis 5:32)

Editor’s note: Extra man-power for that big, big job. Not to mention the even bigger job to come!

When we chose to do God’s work and stick to it, God will provide whatever is necessary, out of his supernatural abundance.

Dutchman launches life-sized replica of Noah’s Ark

It’s big. Really big!

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Mary’s Visit to Elizabeth, Ark Imagery and the Fathers

Mary as the Ark of the Covenant in Patristic Sources

First, let me establish the assertion I made above, namely, that patristic writers linked Mary with the ark. A few citations will do. Note that this is by no means an exhaustive survey.

Hippolytus (c. a.d. 170–c. a.d. 236): “At that time, the Savior coming from the Virgin, the Ark, brought forth His own body into the world from that Ark, which was gilded with pure gold within by the Word, and without by the Holy Ghost; so that the truth was shown forth, and the Ark was manifested….And the Savior came into the world bearing the incorruptible Ark, that is to say His own body” [Dan .vi].

Athanasius of Alexandria (c. a.d. 296– c. a.d. 373): “O noble Virgin, truly you are greater than any other greatness. For who is your equal in greatness, O dwelling place of God the Word? To whom among all creatures shall I compare you, O Virgin? You are greater than them all O [Ark of the] Covenant, clothed with purity instead of gold! You are the ark in which is found the golden vessel containing the true manna, that is, the flesh in which divinity resides” (Homily of the Papyrus of Turin).

Gregory the Wonder Worker (c. a.d. 213– c. a.d. 270): “Let us chant the melody that has been taught us by the inspired harp of David, and say, ‘Arise, O Lord, into thy rest; thou, and the ark of thy sanctuary.’ For the Holy Virgin is in truth an ark, wrought with gold both within and without, that has received the whole treasury of the sanctuary” (Homily on the Annunciation to the Holy Virgin Mary).

John Damascene (c. a.d. 676–c. a.d. 749): “This day the Holy and Singular Virgin is presented in the sublime and heavenly Temple… This day the sacred and living Ark of the Living God, who bore within her womb her own Creator, took up her rest within that temple of the Lord that was not made with hands… And David her forefather, and her father in God, dances with joy…” [Oration on the Glorious Dormition of the Most Holy Mother of God the Ever-Virgin Mary, 2].

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What does “Antediluvian” mean?

Q: What does “Antediluvian” mean?

A: “Ante” means “before”. “Diluvian” refers to Noah’s flood (deluge). Antediluvian refers to the time period (on earth) before Noah’s flood.

The Blessed Virgin Mary: Ark of the New Covenant

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Ships and Boats, Arks and Barques

Have you ever noticed that there are several stories in Holy Scripture regarding ships and boats being tossed about in a tempest, and that all of those who remained aboard were saved?

Noah’s Ark saved only eight people, Noah and his wife, their three sons, Sem, Ham, and Japeth, and their wives. When the great flood came, whoever was not in the Ark perished and was not saved.

Genesis 7:13-23. This Noah’s Ark Old Testament story is a type of the ‘Ark’ of the New Testament, the Catholic Church. 

Noah built an ark:

Hebrews 11:7, “By faith Noah, having been warned concerning things not seen as yet, prepared with pious fear an ark in which to save his household. Having thus condemned the world, he was made heir of the justice which is through faith.” 

Written and Submitted by Bob Stanley, of The Catholic Treasure Chest

Biblical Mystery: What Is Gopher Wood?

Q: The Bible says that Noah built the Ark out of gopher wood. What IS gopher wood?

A: I’m not sure anyone really knows, since the Ark has never been found.

There is an ancient story that goes something like this:

God finished explaining the plans for the Ark to Noah.

Noah looked around for his sons, who would be his chief helpers on the project.

Then Noah said to them, “Go fer wood!”

The rest is history. 

Solid Old Testament Precedent for Mary’s Eternal Virginity

 

 

Solid Old Testament Precedent for Mary’s Eternal Virginity

Under the Old Covenant Law … as described in the book of Numbers, Chapter 30 … God made divine provision for both women and men to make sacred vows, and subject to the acceptance and ratification of those vows by the father or the husband … those vows would then remain in effect for life.

Church tradition always held that the Blessed Virgin Mary was known to have been dedicated to God from a young age, and that she took a sacred vow to remain a virgin FOR HER ENTIRE LIFETIME.

We also knew that such a vow was totally legitimate and binding, even if the virgin maiden was to be married someday.

According to the Law, upon marriage, it would be left up to the husband (in this case, St. Joseph) to either accept or reject the wife’s sacred vow. If it was accepted, it immediately became binding on both parties, and remained perpetually in effect.

The apostles also knew Mary, and they accepted her perpetual virginity as a fact, just as the Catholic Church has always taught.

In light of this very strong biblical precedent, in light of the constant teaching of the Church on this matter, from the earliest days, and in light of the lack of ANY definitive New Testament evidence to the contrary … it’s high time our Protestant brethren stopped claiming that the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of Jesus, the Ark of the New Covenant, the Mother of the Church, and the holiest woman who ever lived, could have EVER broken a sacred vow.

It’s simply not right!     

Here’s the complete Old Testament text, from the Book of Numbers:

Num 30:1 The LORD told Moses to say to Israel’s tribal leaders:
Num 30:2 When one of you men makes a promise to the LORD, you must keep your word.
Num 30:3 Suppose a young woman who is still living with her parents makes a promise to the LORD.
Num 30:4 If her father hears about it and says nothing, she must keep her promise.
Num 30:5 But if he hears about it and objects, then she no longer has to keep her promise. The LORD will forgive her, because her father did not agree with the promise.
Num 30:6 Suppose a woman makes a promise to the LORD and then gets married. If her husband later hears about the promise but says nothing, she must do what she said, whether she meant it or not.
Num 30:7 (SEE 30:6)
Num 30:8 But if her husband hears about the promise and objects, she no longer has to keep it, and the LORD will forgive her.
Num 30:9 Widows and divorced women must keep every promise they make to the LORD.
Num 30:10 Suppose a married woman makes a promise to the LORD.
Num 30:11 If her husband hears about the promise and says nothing, she must do what she said.
Num 30:12 But if he hears about the promise and does object, she no longer has to keep it. The LORD will forgive her, because her husband would not allow her to keep the promise.
Num 30:13 Her husband has the final say about any promises she makes to the LORD.
Num 30:14 If her husband hears about a promise and says nothing about it for a whole day, she must do what she said–since he did not object, the promise must be kept.
Num 30:15 But if he waits until the next day to stop her from keeping her promise, he is the one who must be punished.
Num 30:16 These are the laws that the LORD gave Moses about husbands and wives, and about young daughters who still live at home.

 

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Submitted by Bob Stanley – with thanks to Dr. Brent M.