Noah

Noah is the first biblical father of faith. His remarkable work to build an ark, believing God’s command that a flood was about to destroy humanity, showed faith far beyond the ordinary. Father Moon emphasizes the incredible faith of Noah, which was difficult to comprehend even for his wife and family. Another quality of Noah was his compassion for the people whom he knew to be doomed, enabling him to follow God’s command that he announce to the very people who were mocking and persecuting him that the judgment was imminent and invite them into his boat.

The story of Noah goes far back in the historical record. Diverse versions of the story go back 5,000 years, to ancient Sumer and Babylon. There is reason to believe that the account is based on historical fact, from evidence of a massive flood that wiped out a whole civilization in the region of the Black Sea some 7,500 years ago.

The biblical story of Noah ends with the sin of his son Ham. Father Moon regards this as a serious setback for God’s providence. Always viewing history from a family perspective, he sees Ham’s mistake as fracturing the unity of Noah’s family such that it could no longer serve in God’s providence.