Depictions of Noah, the "Wet One", Discovered in Ancient Greek Art

Robert Bowie Johnson, Jr. : Sep 27, 2007
SolvingLight.com

"...the artists have given him the bottom half of a fish as a reminder of his having come through the great Flood."

(Annapolis, Md.)—Solving Light Books announced today the publication to the Web of 37 images of Noah uncovered in ancient Greek art. The surprising Web presentation includes commentary by Robert Bowie Johnson, Jr., author of The Parthenon Code: Mankind's History in Marble and most recently, Noah in Ancient Greek Art.

According to Johnson, ancient Greek artists and poets called Noah "Nereus" (meaning the "Wet One"), and also referred to him as the "Salt Sea Old Man." Greek artists depicted Noah/Nereus in black-figure vase-scenes, red-figure vase-scenes, and in sculpture.

(Photo: Three vase-images of Noah where the artists have given him the bottom half of a fish as a reminder of his having come through the great Flood. The average date for the vase-paintings in this total collection of thirty-seven is about 450 BC. The oldest one, on the bottom left above, dates to about 625 BC. –SolvingLight.com)

The Web presentation shows that Greek artists depicted Noah/Nereus being threatened and pushed out of the way by the Greek hero and rebel, Herakles. Artists also portrayed Herakles as grabbing Noah/Nereus from behind, figuratively bringing him (and his rule) to a halt. Ancient vase-painters and sculptors also put Noah/Nereus into scenes as a solemn and dejected witness to key events heralding the takeover of Zeus-religion, including the defeat of his Yahweh-believing sons, and the birth of the serpent-friendly Athena.

To view photos of the ancient art pieces, click on the link provided.