On the Construction of the Ark and Its Contents

-Origen of Alexandria

As we have begun to discuss the ark built by Noah at God’s command, let us first examine what is said about it in its literal sense. By addressing the questions that often arise among many, we will seek answers in the tradition handed down by our predecessors. Having laid this foundation, we can ascend from the historical narrative to a mystical and allegorical understanding of its spiritual meaning. If there is anything hidden here, we will attempt to explain it, for the Lord has revealed to us the knowledge of His word. Let us first cite the words of Scripture: “And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before My face; for the earth is filled with their iniquities; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make thee an ark of four-square timbers; make compartments in the ark, and pitch it within and without with pitch. And thus shalt thou make it: the length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. And thou shalt make a window in the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it” (Gen. 6:13–16). And a few verses later, it is said: “And Noah did all: as God commanded him, so did he” (Gen. 6:22).

Let us first consider the shape and appearance of the ark. Based on the description, I believe that, rising from four corners at the base and gradually converging as it approached the top, the ark had an upper platform measuring one cubit in length and width. As stated, at its base, the ark’s length was three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. The upper platform was one cubit in both length and width. Inside, it was divided into two decks, forming a double habitation referred to as the lower decks. Above these were three decks, or, as we might say, three upper chambers. These were separated to more easily distinguish domesticated and less aggressive animals from wild beasts. These divided habitations were called nests. It is said that the ark was made of four-square timbers so that they would fit together more effectively and so that the structure could better withstand the force of the floodwaters, with the joints sealed with pitch inside and out.

According to tradition, it is quite possible that the lower compartments, which were made double and referred to as two-decked, apart from the upper compartments, which were three-decked, were constructed as double for the following reason: the animals were in the ark for an entire year, and naturally, they needed to be fed. Additionally, a place had to be prepared for their waste so that neither the animals nor, more importantly, the people would suffer from the stench. Therefore, the lower compartments at the base of the ark were designated for this purpose, while the compartments above and adjacent to them were used for storing food. It was also necessary to bring animals to feed the carnivorous predators so they could survive and later reproduce, but for other animals, food suited to their nature had to be stored. Thus, the lower compartments, called two-decked, were used for these purposes, while the upper compartments served as habitations for beasts and animals. The lower tiers housed wild animals, predators, and snakes, while the upper tiers, adjacent to them, served as stalls for domesticated animals. Most importantly, the habitation for humans was placed at the very top, because they surpass all others in dignity and reason. For just as humans, through their reason and wisdom, rule over all earthly things, so too should they dwell above all animals.

It is also said that the door, made on the side of the ark, allowed for the lower compartments, called two-decked and located below the door, and the upper compartments, located above the door and called three-decked, to be designated as upper relative to the door’s position. All the animals brought into the ark could be arranged separately by their kinds, as described above. However, the door itself was not sealed by human hands, for after it was closed and no people remained outside, how could it have been pitched from the outside to prevent the floodwaters from seeping through the cracks, if not by divine power? For this reason, while Scripture states that Noah built the ark and brought in the animals and his sons with their wives, it does not say that Noah closed the door, but rather, “the Lord God shut the ark for him” (Gen. 7:16). It should be noted, however, that after the flood, as it is written, Noah did not open the door but a “window” when he “sent forth a raven, to see if the waters were abated from off the earth” (Gen. 8:7). That Noah prepared food for all the animals and beasts that entered the ark with him is evident from the words the Lord spoke to him: “And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them” (Gen. 6:21). That Noah fulfilled all that the Lord commanded is attested by Scripture in these words: “And Noah did all: as God commanded him, so did he” (Gen. 6:22).

Although Scripture does not mention the compartments designated for animal waste, as we have noted, tradition preserves references to this. It seems appropriate to pass over this matter in silence, which reason convincingly deems important. Since, in a spiritual sense, this detail is not of great significance, it is fitting that Scripture, aiming to convey an allegorical meaning, omits it. Nevertheless, according to the narrative’s description of the force of the rain and the onslaught of the floodwaters, no more suitable or fitting shape could have been given to the ark. Its upper part, like a roof, converged to a small platform, allowing the torrential streams to flow off. Its stability was maintained because all four corners of the ark were deeply submerged in the water, preventing it from rising too high above the surface or sinking too deeply under the force of wind gusts, fierce waves, or the movement of animals inside.

Although all this was done with great skill, some raise questions, particularly Apelles, a disciple of Marcion, who devised another heresy even greater than that inherited from his teacher. He sought to show that the writings of Moses contain no divine wisdom or action of the Holy Spirit. He exaggerates such statements, claiming it was impossible to accommodate so many animals and a year’s worth of food for them in such a small space. For if it is said that unclean animals were brought into the ark “by pairs” (Gen. 6:19), meaning two of each kind, male and female—as the repeated term implies—and clean animals “by sevens” (Gen. 7:2), meaning seven pairs, how, he asks, could such a space, as described in Scripture, accommodate even just four elephants? After listing various kinds of animals in this manner, he adds that it is clear this story is fabricated, and if so, it is evident that Scripture is not from God.

To refute these claims, we will cite what has been passed down to us by those skilled in Jewish traditions and by our ancient teachers. They said that Moses, who, as Scripture states, “was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians” (Acts 7:22), calculated the number of cubits described in Scripture according to the principles of geometry in which the Egyptians were particularly skilled. According to calculations that geometers call exponentiation, one cubit of three-dimensional space and area is considered as six when taken together and three hundred when taken separately. Following these calculations, the ark’s space, with its considerable length and width, would be sufficient to accommodate all the living creatures of the world and to restore them afterward. We say this to affirm the historical narrative and to refute those who attempt to cast doubt on the Sacred Scripture of the Old Testament as containing something impossible or irrational.

Now, having offered prayers to Him who alone can lift the mysterious veil from the true understanding of the Old Testament, let us attempt to explore what spiritual teachings are contained in the description of this marvelous construction of the ark. I believe, as far as my limited understanding can grasp, that this flood, which nearly destroyed the world at that time, is a foreshadowing of the coming end of the world. For the Lord Himself said: “And as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of Man: they did eat, they drank, they married, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all” (Luke 17:26; Matt. 24:37–39). It is clear that in this statement, the former flood and the coming end of the world are presented as the same kind of deluge. Therefore, just as it is said that when Noah built the ark and took with him not only his sons and kin but also animals of various kinds, so too the Father, at the end of times, told our Noah, who alone is truly just and perfect, the Lord Jesus Christ, to build Himself an ark of four-square timbers and gave Him its dimensions so that all the mysteries of heaven might enter it. This is described in the psalm, where it is said: “Ask of Me, and I shall give Thee the nations for Thine inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Thy possession” (Ps. 2:8). Thus, He builds the ark and makes nests in it, that is, habitations in which animals of various kinds will dwell. Of these habitations, the prophet says: “Go, My people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast” (Isa. 26:20). This people, saved in the Church, is thus compared to all the people and animals saved in the ark.

Just as the merits and growth in faith are not the same for all, so too in Noah’s ark there is not one habitation common to all, but there are two lower decks and three upper ones, with compartments separated to show that, in the Church, although all are united by one faith and washed by one water of baptism, not all grow equally, but “each in his own order” (1 Cor. 15:23). Those who live by rational knowledge and are capable not only of governing themselves but also of teaching others—though such are very few—represent the minority saved with Noah himself and united with him in close fellowship. So too with our Lord, the true Noah, Jesus Christ, there are few close ones, few sons, few kin who partake in His word and are capable of His wisdom. But these are the ones who occupy the highest place and dwell in the uppermost part of the ark. On the lower decks are kept many irrational animals or even beasts, especially those whose predatory habits the sweetness of faith could not soften. Yet slightly above them are those who, though possessing little reason, nevertheless retain more simplicity and innocence. Thus, ascending through the separated tiers of habitations, you find yourself near Noah himself, whose name means “rest” or “righteousness” and who is Jesus Christ. For what Lamech, Noah’s father, said does not apply to the ancient Noah: “This same shall comfort us in our work and in the toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord hath cursed” (Gen. 5:29). For how could the ancient Noah have given rest to Lamech and all the people among whom he lived? How could there have been rest from sorrows and labors in the days of Noah? How could the curse that God placed on the earth be lifted when God’s wrath was kindled, and He said: “I have repented that I have made them [mankind]” (Gen. 6:7)? And again: “I will destroy from the face of the earth all flesh” (Gen. 6:7), which indicates the utmost severity of displeasure. But if you look to our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom it is said: “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29), and again: “Hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us” (Gal. 3:13), and further: “Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28), “and ye shall find rest unto your souls” (Matt. 11:29), then you will see that He is the One who truly gives rest to mankind and frees the earth from the curse with which the Lord God cursed it. Therefore, it is said to this spiritual Noah, who gave rest to mankind and took upon Himself the sin of the world: “Make thee an ark of four-square timbers” (Gen. 6:14).

Let us consider what these four-square timbers are. Such timbers do not sway from side to side but, once set in place, lie firmly, providing the necessary stability. These timbers bear the entire weight of the animals within and withstand the onslaught of the floodwaters without. I believe they represent the teachers of the Church, the leaders and adherents of the faith, who support those entering the Church with the word of instruction and the grace of teaching. They also contend with the power of the word and the wisdom of reason against those outside its bounds, whether pagans or heretics, who attack the Church, flooding it with questions and stirring up storms of disputes. Would you like to know how Divine Scripture depicts trees as rational? Listen to what the prophet Ezekiel writes: “In the eleventh year, in the third month, in the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, and to his people: Whom dost thou liken thyself to in thy greatness? Behold, Assyria was a cedar in Lebanon, with fair branches, and with a shadowing shroud, and of an high stature; and his top was among the thick boughs. The waters nourished him, the deep brought him up, her rivers ran round about his plantation, and she sent out her channels unto all the trees of the field. Therefore his height was exalted above all the trees of the field, and his boughs were multiplied, and his branches became long because of the multitude of waters, when he shot forth” (Ezek. 31:1–5). And a few verses later: “The cedars in the garden of God could not hide him: the fir trees were not like his boughs, and the chestnut trees were not like his branches; nor any tree in the garden of God was like unto him in his beauty. I have made him fair by the multitude of his branches: so that all the trees of Eden, that were in the garden of God, envied him” (Ezek. 31:8–9). Do you notice what kind of trees, or what types of trees, the prophet speaks of? How he describes the cedars of Lebanon, with which no tree in God’s garden could compare? And at the end, he adds that all the trees in God’s garden envied him, clearly showing that, in a spiritual sense, all the trees in Eden are rational, as the prophet writes of envy among them concerning the cedars of Lebanon.

Therefore, it should be said, though slightly diverging from the topic, that the saying “Cursed be every one that hangeth on a tree” (Deut. 21:23) should not be understood in the same sense as the saying found elsewhere in Scripture: “Cursed is the man that trusteth in man” (Jer. 17:5). For we must rely on God and no one else, even if someone is said to be from God’s garden, as Paul also says: “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed” (Gal. 1:8). But this we shall discuss another time. Thus, you have seen what the four-square timbers signify, laid by the spiritual Noah to form a wall protecting those within from the floods that assail them, and pitched “within and without” (Gen. 6:14). For Christ, the architect of the Church, does not wish you to be like those who “outwardly appear beautiful, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness” (Matt. 23:27), but desires that you be holy in body outwardly and pure in heart inwardly, prepared in all things and protected on all sides by the power of purity and innocence, which is what it means to be pitched within and without.

Let us now consider the dimensions of the ark, for the numbers expressing its length, width, and height are sanctified by a great mystery. But before we discuss these figures, let us examine what Scripture means by length, width, and height. The Apostle, in one of his epistles, speaks enigmatically of the mystery of Christ and declares: “that ye… may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height” (Eph. 3:18). Depth and height signify the same thing, but height seems to denote the distance from the lower part to the upper, while depth begins from the upper part and descends to the lower. Thus, the Spirit of God reveals these highly mysterious numbers through Moses and through Paul. For when Paul preached of Christ’s descent, he used the word “depth,” as if Christ descends from above to below. But the restoration of those whom Christ calls from the lower regions to the upper, heavenly ones, from the ruin of the world as from the deadly waters of the flood, Moses describes by speaking not of depth but of the height of the ark, as if a person ascends from the earthly, lower regions to the higher, heavenly ones. The numbers are also given: three hundred cubits in length, fifty in width, and thirty in height. Three hundred is three times one hundred. The number one hundred is complete and perfect in all things, encompassing the mystery of all rational creation, as we read in Scripture, where it is said: “What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing” (Luke 15:4–5; cf. Matt. 18:12–13). Thus, one hundred is the number of the fullness of rational creation, as it exists not of itself but derives from the Trinity and receives the duration of its life, that is, the grace of eternity, from the Father through the Son and the Holy Spirit. Therefore, it is said to be tripled in the measure that it is perfected by the grace of the Trinity and, through knowledge of it, can restore to three hundred one who has fallen from the hundred through ignorance. The width of the ark is fifty, a number sanctified as that of forgiveness and liberation. For according to the law, every fifty years brought the long-awaited liberation; in other words, if someone’s property was sold, he could reclaim it; if a free person fell into slavery, he could regain freedom; a debtor could be relieved of his debt; and an exile could return to his homeland. Therefore, Christ—the spiritual Noah—in His ark, in which He delivers humanity from destruction, that is, in His Church, establishes the number fifty, the number of forgiveness, as its width. For if He had not granted forgiveness of sins to the faithful, the Church, in its breadth, would not have encompassed the whole world. The number thirty, denoting the height of the ark, contains the same mystery as the number three hundred. For what is one hundred multiplied by three there is ten multiplied by three here. Yet all these numbers resolve to one—the number of the universal beginning, for “we have one God the Father, of whom are all things, and we in Him; and one Lord” (1 Cor. 8:6) and “one faith, one baptism, one body, and one Spirit” (Eph. 4:4–5), and all is directed toward one goal, the perfection of God. Moreover, if the words you hear in your moments of leisure guide your thoughts to Sacred Scripture, you will discover that many great events involve the number thirty or fifty. Joseph was thirty years old when he was freed from prison and became ruler over all Egypt, so that by God’s providence he could avert the impending famine (cf. Gen. 41:46). It is said that Jesus was thirty years old when He came to be baptized by John, and “John saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him” (Mark 1:10), when the mystery of the Trinity began to be revealed. And you will find many such examples. You will also learn that on the fiftieth day, the Feast of Weeks was celebrated (Deut. 16:10), sanctifying the new harvest, and that a fiftieth part of the spoil taken in the war against the Midianites was dedicated to God (cf. Num. 31:37). You will also learn that Abraham defeated the Sodomites with three hundred men (Gen. 14:14), and Gideon overcame the Midianites with three hundred who lapped water with their tongues (Judg. 7:5–7). The door is not placed at the front or top but on the side, inclined, as it represents the time of God’s wrath, for it is said that the day of the Lord is “a day of trouble and distress” (Zeph. 1:15). For though some seem to be saved, many whose deeds are condemned perish—the door is inclined to reveal what the prophet said: “And if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto Me, but walk contrary unto Me; then I will walk contrary unto you also in fury” (Lev. 26:27–28).

Let us further consider what Scripture calls the two lower and three upper decks, and perhaps these words will clarify what the Apostle said: “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth” (Phil. 2:10). Here it is shown that what the Apostle calls “under the earth” is the lowest deck in the ark; the deck above it is the earthly realm, and the three upper decks, mentioned together, are the heavenly realms, in which are noted the virtues of those who, in the words of the Apostle Paul, can ascend “unto the third heaven” (2 Cor. 12:2). The ark has many nests, indicating that in the Father’s house “are many mansions” (John 14:1). But what other image should we see in the animals, beasts, cattle, and all the variety of living creatures, if not that shown by Isaiah, when he said that in Christ’s Kingdom, the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard with the kid, the lion and the ox shall feed together, and their young shall eat straw, and, moreover, a little child—undoubtedly one of those about whom the Savior said: “Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 18:3)—shall put his hand into the asp’s den, and it shall not harm him (Isa. 11:6–8)? Or that image, already present in the Church, which the Apostle Peter teaches us, when he writes of his vision, how all four-footed beasts, animals of the earth, and birds of the air were gathered into one sheet of faith, tied at the four corners of the Gospels (cf. Acts 10:11–12)?

But since God commands that the ark, which we are attempting to describe, be built not only with two lower decks but also with three upper ones, let us consider the addition, by God’s command, of this threefold explanation to the twofold one. The first is the literal sense, serving as the foundation of the lower levels. The second is the mystical interpretation, more elevated. Let us attempt, if possible, to add a third, moral explanation, suggesting that even in these words lies a mystery, not differing from the interpretation we propose, in that it does not say: “Make in it only the lower and second habitation” or “only the third habitation,” but says: “Make in it lower, second, and third stories” (Gen. 6:16). For the three habitations signify a threefold interpretation. However, in Divine Scripture, the historical sequence of events cannot always be established; sometimes it is absent, as when it is said: “As a thorn goeth up into the hand of a drunkard, so is a parable in the mouth of fools” (Prov. 26:9), or when it is said that in Solomon’s temple “neither hammer, nor axe, nor any tool of iron was heard” (1 Kings 6:7), or when in the book of Leviticus it is said that leprosy on a wall or garment must be shown to the priest (cf. Lev. 14:34, 13:48). Because of this and similar instances, the ark is constructed not only with a third but also with a second habitation, so that we may understand that Divine Scripture does not always provide a threefold explanation, for the literal sense is not always clear to us, but sometimes only in combination with a twofold explanation.

Let us then discuss the third, moral explanation. If anyone, when evil abounds and vice overflows, can turn away from what flows, passes, and falls, and hear the word of God and the heavenly commandments, such a person builds within themselves, as it were, a library of Divine words and constructs in their heart an ark of salvation. As its length, width, and height, they establish faith, love, and hope. They extend the length of faith in the Trinity throughout the span of life and into eternity. They establish the breadth of love with compassion, gentleness, and kindness. They raise the height of hope toward the heavens, to the realm of the sublime, for though they walk on earth, their “conversation is in heaven” (Phil. 3:20). All their deeds are directed toward one goal, for they know that “all run, but one receiveth the prize” (1 Cor. 9:24), and, naturally, neither the variety of thoughts nor the scattering of the mind can shake them. They build their library not from rough, unhewn timbers but from four-square timbers, evenly laid in one row—in other words, not from the books of secular writers but from the books of the prophets and apostles. For these authors, refined by various trials, have cut away all vices from themselves, and in them is contained a life corrected, ennobled, and free in all its aspects. Secular authors can be called “high hills” and “spreading trees,” for Israel was condemned for committing whoredom “upon every high hill and under every green tree” (Jer. 2:20), because they spoke loftily, using their florid eloquence, but did not act as they spoke. Therefore, they cannot be called “four-square timbers,” for their deeds greatly diverge from their words. Thus, if you build an ark or a library, gather into it the words of the prophets, apostles, or those who follow them and walk in the true direction of faith. Make it with two and three habitations, acquaint yourself with historical narratives, learn the great mystery embodied in Christ and the Church (cf. Eph. 5:32), and from it discern how to correct your life, cut away vices, purify your soul, and free it from all bonds of slavery, arranging in it “nests” of various virtues and perfections. By all means, pitch it “within and without with pitch” (Gen. 6:14), believing in your heart unto righteousness and confessing with your mouth unto salvation (cf. Rom. 10:10), keeping knowledge within and performing deeds without. Let us then place in this ark, in the habitations of morality, either a library of Divine books or a believing soul.

We must also bring into it various animals, not only clean but also unclean. Now we can boldly say that by clean animals we should understand memory, learning, understanding, discernment, and the consideration of what we read, and other such things. However, speaking of the unclean animals, also listed “by pairs,” is not easy. Yet we may venture to say the following: I believe that desire and anger, residing in every soul, should be considered unclean in the sense that they provoke a person to sin. Yet, since subsequent generations are impossible without desire, and no correction is accomplished without anger, it is said that they are necessary and must be present. Although it may seem that we are speaking of matters pertaining more to external form than to morality, we may nonetheless use the thoughts that come to us now for edification. Undoubtedly, if anyone in their moments of leisure studies Divine Scripture, compares what is said in it, and joins “spiritual things with spiritual” (1 Cor. 2:13), they will uncover in this passage many secrets of the hidden mystery, which we do not address here due to lack of time or the weariness of listeners. Let us then pray to Almighty God that, by His grace, He may make us not only hearers but also doers of His word (cf. James 1:22), and that He may bring into our souls the waters of the flood to destroy in us what, as He knows, must be destroyed, and hasten what, as He knows, must be hastened, through Christ our Lord and the Holy Spirit. “To Him be glory forever. Amen” (Rom. 11:36).

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