The Ark of Noah

The Ark of Noah was the great vessel built by Noah at God's command to preserve his family and representatives of every living creature from the flood that destroyed the wicked earth. It is a powerful type of the Church and of Baptism (CCC 1219).

The Construction and the Flood

God commanded Noah to build the Ark of gopher wood with specific dimensions (Genesis 6:14–16). Noah, his wife, his three sons and their wives, and pairs of all living creatures entered the Ark. After forty days and forty nights of rain, the floodwaters covered the earth. When they receded, Noah and all aboard emerged to a renewed world. God set the rainbow as a sign of his covenant never again to destroy the earth by flood (Genesis 6–9).

The Ark as Type of the Church

The Ark is a type of the Church: as there was no salvation outside the Ark during the flood, so there is no salvation outside the Church for those who know it is necessary. The Ark carries its passengers safely through the waters of destruction to the new creation. The Church carries the faithful through the waters of this life to eternal life (CCC 845).

The Ark and Baptism

The First Letter of Peter explicitly links Noah's Ark to Baptism: "In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also" (1 Peter 3:20–21). The flood waters that destroyed the wicked correspond to the baptismal waters that put to death the old self and give birth to the new (CCC 1219).

Frequently Asked Questions

Did all animals fit on the Ark? The Church does not require a particular interpretation of the Ark's dimensions or the scope of the flood. What is theologically essential is the narrative's truth: God judges sin, preserves the righteous, renews creation, and establishes a covenant of mercy. The details of the account have been interpreted both literally and symbolically throughout Church history (CCC 337).