A team of Chinese and Turkish explorers have discovered wooden remains 13,000 feet up Mount Ararat in eastern Turkey. They suggest that the find may be the Biblical artifact Noah’s Ark. Mt. Ararat is noted in the Bible as the final resting place of the Ark after the flood documented in the book of Genesis.

Fascinating…

It’s not the first such claim. Over the last 50 years various teams of archeologists have explored Ararat for evidence of the Ark. Many have claimed to have discovered it. This claim however seems to bear unique credence. Carbon dating of wooden planks discovered at the site indicate that the artifact is 4,800 years old, well within the parameters of the Biblical story.  

Yeung Wing-Cheung, from the research group that made the discovery, said: “It’s not 100 percent that it is Noah’s Ark, but we think it is 99.9 percent that this is it.” His team is now calling upon Dutch researcher Gerrit Aalten to help clarify the discovery.

The archeologists report that the large structure they have uncovered contains several compartments, some with wooden beams. They have ruled out an established human settlement on the grounds since none in this region have ever been found above 11,000 feet.

Well, we’ll see…

Such things do matter. Biblical faith claims historical credence. If Israel wasn’t really rescued from slavery in Egypt, if Jesus wasn’t born in Bethlehem, if he didn’t die on a Roman cross and then return to life three days later, if 500 people didn’t see him alive, if the early Christians didn’t really live lives of extraordinary sacrifice, courage and generosity in response to what they claimed to be historical fact, then our faith is all nothing and nonsense.

What matters is that there WAS a real Noah’s Ark, not whether or not this particular object is that relic. History matters to faith. What’s interesting is that as time goes on, new discoveries in history and archeology continue to validate not discount the historical claims of the Bible.

“God, we thank you that what you have said is true is in fact true! We can count on your word. And our faith stands on strong footing. Lord, we pray for those who spend their lives looking for truth, to expose the facts of history. As Christians we do not fear the truth of science and history. We know that the further we look into the universe, and the further back we look in time the more support we find for our faith. We look with open minds and open hearts. Bring out the truth. We pray this in Jesus matchless name…”