On Thursday 12 May 2005 03:24, Walter R. Mattfeld wrote:
> Dear Jack,
>
> The problem with Turkey is that the biblical text suggests a single river
> became four. While the Tigris and Euphrates do originate in Turkey they are
> NOT branches of a single river.
>
> I _reject_ the Christian "apologetic" notion that there was a worldwide
> Noahic flood that destroyed the ancient pre-flood watercourses of the river
> of Eden and its four headwaters. Archaeology has established the
> Mesopotamian flood story is placed at Shuruppak.
[snip]
Wrong, Walter. Archaeology has established that there was A flood at
Shuruppak that was local. Archaeology can never establish whether that
particular flood had anything at all to do with the biblical flood story.
That connection is a leap of faith on your part, nothing more. Please be
careful to separate actual archaeological facts from interpretive
speculations.