The story of Noah and the ark is one of the most familiar in the Bible. Here a panel of scholars, led by Stone (Hebrew University, Jerusalem emeritus) look at the millennia of traditions surrounding Noah and the flood. They begin with the possibility that there was at one time a book of Noah that did not become part of the canonical Bible but may have echoes in the Book of Enoch and some Dead Sea Scrolls fragments. The Midrashic, medieval, Islamic and Renaissance traditions concerning Noah are explored in later chapters, including similarities with other flood stories, negative aspects of Noah, his use as a prefiguration of Jesus and the creation of Noah's wife as shrew. Stone concludes with an examination of the word "Ararat" in the Bible and the modern legend that the ark rests on a mountain of that name. This is an excellent study by scholars well-grounded in both linguistic and Biblical studies. Annotation 2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
