A flood of theories about Noah

In his book, J. David Pleins examines four approaches to looking at the story of Noah and his ark.

The idea for a book about Noah came when J. David Pleins, professor of religious studies at Santa Clara University, was interviewed for a National Geographic Society video about recent discoveries in the Black Sea that were believed to offer new evidence on the biblical story of Noah’s Ark.

In his book When the Great Abyss Opened: Classic and Contemporary Readings of Noah’s Flood (Oxford University Press, 2003), Pleins examines four approaches to looking at the story of Noah and his ark, ranging from fundamentalist to scientific views.

Pleins, who teaches courses in biblical studies and comparative ancient Near Eastern literature and mythology draws on a variety of sources in his book, from Joseph Campbell’s study of myths and the views of medieval rabbis, to Pope John Paul II’s call for the Catholic Church to hold an open dialogue with the scientific community in 1996.

“To probe the mythic meaning of the ancient flood legends,” Pleins writes, “is to probe our deepest selves. Through such tales we come to see the integral character of the core values and virtues that have woven together entire civilizations throughout the centuries.”

post-image
Spin Masters

In searching for patterns that would differentiate one species of webspinners from the next, Professor Janice Edgerly-Rooks wondered: What if you put their steps to music? Would you be able to hear the differences?

A Strong Red

Santa Clara’s signature red has been around since the late 1800s. Before it was made official, though, we were almost the blue Broncos.

Unspooling Stories

Art historian Andrea Pappas explores the sneaky feminism woven into colonial embroideries.

The Pope, AI, and Us

Santa Clara’s Markkula Center joins the Vatican in contemplating—what else?—the ethics of AI and other disruptive tech.