ARK, or Arc, or Arch, Arēs, in Geometry, Astronomy, etc. See ARC.
Ark, Arca, in the Scripture-Language, a kind of floating Vessel built by Noah, for the Preservation of the several Species of Animals, from the Deluge. See DELUGE.
The Ark has afforded several Points of curious Enquiry among the Critics and Naturalists, relating to its Form, Capacity, Materials, Time of Building, etc. Noah is computed to have been an hundred Years in building the Ark, viz. from the Year of the World 1557, to the Flood, which happened in the Year 1656: At least, this is the common Opinion of the Learned. Origen, lib. iv. Contra Celsum; Augustine, de Civitate Dei, lib. xv. c. 27. and Contra Faustinum, lib. xii. c. 18. And in his Questions on Genesis v. and xxiii. Rupertus, lib. iv. in Genesis xx. assert as much; and are followed by Salian, Toruniel, and Spondanus:—Pelletier of Rouen declares himself of the same Opinion, in an express Dissertation, De Arca Noe, printed in 1700.
Yet Berosus affirms, that Noah only began to build the Ark 78 Years before the Flood: Solomon Jarchi, on the other hand, will have it 120 Years in building; and Zazebuma only 52. See the Texts, Genesis v. 32. Genesis vi. etc.
Father Fournier, in his Hydrography, gives into the Opinion of the Fathers; noting, that the only Hands employed in it were Noah and his three Sons. To this Purpose he alleges the Instance of Archias of Corinth, who, with the Help of 300 Workmen, built Hiero’s Great Ship in one Year. Add, that Noah’s eldest Son was not born till about the Time when the Ark was begun, and the younger, after; so that it was a long Time ere they could do their Father any Service.—However, for so large a Building, a prodigious Number of Trees must have been required, which would employ a great Number of Workmen to fell and hew; Were it possible for three Men to have done them? The Wood whereof the Ark was built, is called in Scripture גפר עץ, gopher wood: And in the LXX, ξύλα τετράγωνα square Timbers. Onkelos and Jonathan render Gopher by קדרוס, Cedrus, Cedar: St. Jerome, in the Vulgate, by Ligna Levigata, Planed Wood; and elsewhere, Ligna Bituminata, q. d. Pitched Woods. Kimchi translates it, Wood proper to float; Vatable, Light Wood, which swims in the Water without corrupting: Junius, Tremellius, and Buxtorf, a kind of Cedar, by the Greeks called Κεδρος; Avenarius and Munster, Pine, Fuller and Bochart, Cypress; others, Box; others, Fir; Castalio, Terebinth, etc.—Pelletier prefers the Opinion of those who hold the Ark made of Cedar: His Reasons are, the Incorruptibility of that Wood; the great Plenty thereof in Asia, whence Herodotus and Theophrastus relate, that the Kings of Egypt and Syria built whole Fleets thereof, in lieu of Deal; and the common Tradition throughout the East, imports, that the Ark is preserved entire to this Day on Mount Ararat.
The Dimensions of the Ark, as delivered by Moses, are 300 Cubits in Length, 50 in Breadth, and 30 in Height; which, compared with the great Number of Things it was to contain, seems to many too scanty. And hence an Argument has been drawn against the Authority of the Relation. To solve this Difficulty, many both of the ancient Fathers and later Critics, have been put to miserable Shifts.—Origen, St. Augustine, and others, maintain, that by the Cubits here spoke of, we are to understand the Egyptian Geometrical Cubit, equal, according to them, to 6 vulgar Cubits, or 9 Feet. But the Truth is, it does not appear there ever was any such Measure as a Geometrical Cubit either among Egyptians or Jews.—Others account for it, by asserting the Stature of Mankind, in the first Ages, to have been much greater than in our Days; and consequently the Cubit, which is taken from a Part of the human Body, proportionably larger. But this does not avail, since the same Reason will cause an equal Augmentation of other Animals.
—Others suppose the sacred Cubit here spoke of, which was a Hand’s-breadth longer than the civil one: But this only affords a small Supply; besides, that the sacred Cubit does not appear to have been ever used, except in sacred Edifices, as the Temple and Tabernacle. This Difficulty is much better solved by Buteo and Kircher, in Treatises express, de Arca Noe, wherein, supposing the common Cubit of a Foot and a half, they prove geometrically, that the Ark was abundantly sufficient for all the Animals supposed to be lodged therein.—Snellius computes the Ark to have been above half an Acre in Area: Cuneus, Buteo, and others, have also calculated the Capacity of the Ark.
Father Lamy shows that it was 100 Foot longer than the Church of St. Mary of Paris, and 64 Foot narrower;to which his English Translator adds, that it must have been longer than St. Paul’s Church in London, from West to East, broader than that Church is high on the inside; and about 54 Foot in Height, our Measure. The Things contained in it were, one Pair of every Species of unclean Animals, and seven Pair of every Species of clean Animals, with Provisions for them all, during the whole Year.—The former appears at first View almost infinite, but if we come to a Calculus, the Number of Species of Animals will be found much smaller than was imagined, not amounting to 100 Species of Quadrupeds, nor 200 of Birds; out of which, in this Case, are to be excepted such Animals as can live in the Water.—Zoologists usually reckon but 170 Species in all; and Bishop Wilkins shows, that only 72 of the quadruped Kind needed a Place in the Ark.
By the Description Moses gives of the Ark, it appears to have been divided into three Stories, each 10 Cubits, or 15 Foot high:And it is agreed on, as most probable, that the lowest Story was destined for the Beasts, the middle for the Food, and the upper for the Birds, with Noah and his Family; each Story being subdivided into different Apartments, Stalls, etc.—Though Josephus, Philo, and other Commentators, add a kind of fourth Story, under all the rest; being as it were, the Hold of the Vessel, to contain the Ballast, and receive the Filth and Feces of so many Animals.
Drexelius makes 300 Apartments, Father Fournier 333;the anonymous Author of the Questions on Genesis, 400: Buteo, Temporarius, Arias Montanus, Hostus, Wilkins; Lamy, and others, suppose as many Partitions as there were different Sorts of Animals.—Pelletier only makes 72, viz. 36 for the Birds, and as many for the Beasts: His Reason is, that if we suppose a greater Number, as 333 or 400, each of the eight Persons in the Ark must have had 37, 41, or 50 Stalls to attend and cleanse daily, which he thinks impossible. But there is not much in this; to diminish the Number of Stalls, without a Diminution of the Animals, is vain; it being, perhaps, more difficult to take care of 300 Animals in 72 Stalls, than in 300.
Buteo computes, that all the Animals contained in the Ark, could not be equal to 500 Horses;he even reduces the whole to the Dimensions of 56 Pair of Oxen. Father Lamy enlarges it to 64 Pair, or 128 Oxen; so that supposing one Ox equal to two Horses, if the Ark had Room for 256 Horses, there must have been Room for all the Animals. But the same Author demonstrates, that one Floor would suffice for 500 Horses, allowing 9 square Feet to a Horse.
As to the Food in the second Story, it is observed by Buteo from Columella, that 30, or 40 Pounds of Hay ordinarily suffices an Ox for a Day; and that a solid Cubit of Hay, as usually pressed down in our Hay-racks, weighs about 40 Pound; so that a square Cubit of Hay is more than enough for one Ox one Day.—Now it appears that the second Story contains 150000 solid Cubits, which divided between 206 Oxen, will afford each more Hay by two thirds, than he can eat in a Year.
Bishop Wilkins computes all the carnivorous Animals equivalent, as to the Bulk of their Bodies and their Food, to 27 Wolves; and all the rest to 280 Beeves. For the former he allows 1825 Sheep; and for the latter 109500 Cubits of Hay: All which will be easily contained in the two first Stories, and a deal of Room to spare.—As to the third Story, no Body doubts of its being sufficient for the Fowls, with Noah, his Sons and Daughters.
Upon the whole, the learned Bishop remarks, that of the two, it appears much more difficult to assign a Number and Bulk of necessary Things to answer the Capacity of the Ark, than to find sufficient Room for the several Species of Animals already known.—This he attributes to the Imperfection of our Lists of Animals, especially those of the unknown Parts of the Earth; adding, that the most expert Mathematician at this Day, could not assign the Proportions of a Vessel better accommodated to the Purpose, than is here done; and hence concludes, that 'the Capacity of the Ark which had been made an Objection against Scripture, ought to be esteemed a Confirmation of its divine Authority; since, in those ruder Ages, Men being less versed in Arts and Philosophy, were more obnoxious to vulgar Prejudices than now; that had it been a human Invention, it would have been contrived according to those wild Apprehensions which arise from a confused and general View of Things; as much too big, as it has been represented too little.
Ark of the Covenant, in Scripture, is used for a kind of Chest, wherein were kept the two Tablets of Stone, whereon God had engraved the Ten Commandments given to Moses on the Mount, and held in high Veneration among the Hebrews. See COVENANT.
The Ark was taken by the Philistines, and returned with divers Presents.
It was at first placed in the Tabernacle, afterwards in the Sanctuary of the Temple. See TABERNACLE, TEMPLE, and SANCTUARY.
Josephus describes it at 5 Palms long, 3 broad, and as many high; the Wood, both within Side and without, lined with Plates of Gold, and fitted with golden Hinges.
The Lid or Covering of the Ark was called the Propitiatory, over which were two Figures placed called Cherubim, a kind of Spirits with Wings of a peculiar Form never seen but by Moses before the Throne of God. It may be added that some Critics take the Word Cherub, כְּרוּב, to be only a Transposition of the Hebrew Letters of the Word רֶכֶב, Rechub, Chariot; and that by the Cherubim being placed over the Ark, we are only to understand that the Ark was a sort of Chariot, on which God sat. See PROPITIATORY, CHERUB, etc. The Jews to this day, have a kind of Ark in their Synagogues, wherein their sacred Books are deposited, in imitation of the ancient Ark of the Covenant.—This they call Aron. Leo of Modena gives a Description thereof, in his Account of the Customs and Ceremonies of those of his Nation: "The Jews," says he, "in the eastern Side of all their Synagogues, have an ark, or Armory, called Aron; in Memory of the Ark of the Covenant. In this are preserved the five Books of Moses, written on Vellum, with Ink made on Purpose, etc."Tertullian calls this Ark, Armarium Judaicum; whence the Phrase, to be in the Armory of the Synagogue, q.d. to be in the Number of canonical Writings. See APOCRYPHA.
