Ark

October 22, 2014 Ark

Generally an Ark is considered a boat, as in Noah’s Ark, but it also refers to the Space Station in The 100. The Ark is the Savior Vessel, containing the last seeds of hope for a doomed humanity.

This past week I pondered the meaning of the word Ark as I watched the recent Biblical Epic Noah. An Arc spelled with a C can mean part of a circle. The arc is used in constructions such as arches and bridges. An arc can also refer to an electric spark or jump. I suppose the Ark could have gotten its name from a part of its construction. However, I suspect that there may be an alternative meaning or definition though.
And how is the Ark connected to the Ark of the Covenant? The Ark was also a vessel, but carried the 10 Commandments. No people inside. Some theorize that the Ark was some sort of alien or angelic power. Was it a laser? A nuclear reactor? Or a portal of some sort? We may never know!

Having said all that, I should discuss the movie Noah in more depth. It was visually stunning, magical and dark. It was also clearly made by someone who didn’t follow traditional Christianity. One Christian Blogger call Aronofsky an Atheistic, though he strikes me more of a Gnostic. One of the Subtexts was that hunting and eating meat is bad and vegetarianism is good. Honestly, I never thought the bible specifically scorned that omnivorous nature of humans.

The Watchers were particularly interesting. I am not sure why he felt the need to enclose the fallen angels in Rock. The giants felt out of place, but I suppose their rockiness made them more Earthly Monsters than Divine Beings. Overall, I felt their presence was merely padding for the relatively short story. The Watchers did not further the plot line as they could have.

Noah deserves a nod, but Many Waters by Madeline L’Engle is perhaps my favorite Deluge story. The 1986 Young Adult book follows the Murray Twins back to Biblical Times. They help Noah’s family before finding their way back home. They also have to deal with the Seraphim and Nephilim as well. The title is a reference to Solomon 8:7: “Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. If man were to give all his weather for love, it would be utterly scorned.”

My other favorite is the 2001 novel In The Shadow of the Ark by Belgium author Anne Provoost. It follows a young girl not chosen to survive on the Ark. Though dealing with a Biblical story, the author gives it a very contemporary feel. It was very relatable despite the time period.