Mediterranean Flood?

[Citanul]

Hi everyone

I've been reading the OT forums for a while now, and I've decided to make an attempt at getting involved in the discussions. I would label myself as TE who probably leans towards there not being a historic Adam and Eve.

Reading posts on the flood recently brought back a memory of something I read in a book as a child. It stated that the Mediterranean Sea was once completely dry and was filled up from the Atlantic via the Straits of Gibraltar. I did some quick research on Wikipedia, and it appears that this was the case.

My question is could this have been the origin of the flood stories that exist in a number of cultures that lived around that region. Obviously this includes the story of Noah, but the Greeks, Egyptians, Sumerians and Babylonians all have similar accounts.

This would fit some of the characteristics of the flood - it would have been more devastating than any flood before or afterwards, and the waters would certainly have reached the top of what would have been considered mountains at the time (which are now islands in the Mediterranean).

While I have a scientific background, it's in Mathematics/Statistics, so I have no idea if what I've proposed is possible. I don't know if people existed when the filling of the Mediterranean occurred, or even if it was possible for them to be living in the dried-up basin.

I only recently thought of this, and so haven't investigated this idea too deeply, but is it a plausible one? I'm certainly willing for it to be shot down, but I'm curious to know what people with more experience in the TE field think about it.

 

[Assyrian]

check out http://home.entouch.net/dmd/synop.htm and http://www.asa3.org/ASA/topics/Bible-Science/PSCF12-97Morton.html or do a google search for 'mediterranean flood glenn morton'Glenn is a geologist and former YEC who sees the Med flood as the best candidate for the one in Genesis. At 5.5 million years ago I think it is a bit too early, but this is because I think the account in Genesis has the feel of an eyewitness account and 5.5 mil is a bit long for oral transmission. Glenn does have some very interesting points and I don't discount them.

 

[gluadys]

Another candidate is the Black Sea flood. This has the merit of being more recent.

http://www.religioustolerance.org/ev_noah.htm


However, there have also been some devastating floods in the Tigris-Euphrates valley as well.


It wouldn't surprise me if various flood experiences became distilled into one or a few flood stories.

 

[Citanul]

Thanks for the links. I'll go and read them when I have time.