Historical researches talk about Noah and the great flood… the myth originally came from Mesopotamia… the land of the two rivers, Tigris and Euphrates… it is believed that the river Tigris had a great flood destroying crops and villages at the time… that was the origin of the myth… and no matter how the myth started… and what events took place at the time… I am only going to shed some light on the original myth, its logic, and the way the minds of the ancient wrote it.
For a start… we can agree that the one reason of the flood most holy texts seem to agree upon is the moral corruption of the people at the time… such corruption made the gods angry and lead them to the choice of flooding the world.

let us take a look at the beginning of the story…

The first written story of the flood was found in the Sumerian text… unfortunately most of the scripts were lost… but the main lines remain to give an idea about it… the gods lead by Enlil, god of the wind have decided to annihilate humans to get rid of their sins and corruption by drowning them into water… however, not all gods liked the decision… apparently Inana (Ishtar in Babylonian) cried of sadness… we also find that the god of waters and wisdom Enki reached the king (zeuserda – the word means “he who saw life”) to warn him of the gods decision… and tell him of a way to build a great ship to survive… even though the parts that describes how the ship survived the flood were missing, we read that king (zeusedra) brings an offering to the gods. The gods drown by the smell of the dead animal aproache surprised of the king’s survival… and Enlil becomes furious but Inana stands up against him… he regrets his doings and sends the king to “delmon”, the Sumerian heaven (Bahrain).
As for later Babylonian version of the story, it was found as part of the legacy of Gilgamesh… one of the most beautiful Babylonian literature…
In Gilgamesh’s trip in search of immortality he seeks Otnaptshim to ask him of the secret of his immortality… so Otnaptshim tells him about his story with the gods… how they have become restless because of men… their decision to annihilate humans… and how the god Ea warns him and teaches him a way to escape the flood… the gods, after the great flood feel sorry for the good man and brings him and his wife immortality. And that’s the end of the Babylonian story of Noah and the great flood...
More to be said… some ancient Indian cults have taken the story… had it’s modifications to suit their nature… but the main idea remains the same. All new religions agree to he fact that the reason of the flood was the corruption of humans, gods wanted to get rid of all the sins that has filled humans… in Quran we read

1 Lo! We sent Noah unto his people (saying): Warn thy people ere the painful doom come unto them.
2 He said: O my people! Lo! I am a plain warner unto you
3 (Bidding you): Serve Allah and keep your duty unto Him and obey me,
4 That He may forgive you somewhat of your sins and respite you to an appointed term. Lo! the term of Allah, when it cometh, cannot be delayed, if ye but knew.
5 He said: My Lord! Lo! I have called unto my people night and day
6 But all my calling doth but add to their repugnance;
7 And lo! whenever I call unto them that Thou mayst pardon them they thrust their fingers in their ears and cover themselves with their garments and persist (in their refusal) and magnify themselves in pride.
8 And lo! I have called unto them aloud,
9 And lo! I have made public proclamation unto them, and I have appealed to them in private.
10 And I have said: Seek pardon of your Lord. Lo! He was ever Forgiving.
11 He will let loose the sky for you in plenteous rain,
12 And will help you with wealth and sons, and will assign unto you Gardens and will assign unto you rivers.
13 What aileth you that ye hope not toward Allah for dignity
14 When He created you by (divers) stages ?
15 See ye not how Allah hath created seven heavens in harmony,
16 And hath made the moon a light therein, and made the sun a lamp ?
17 And Allah hath caused you to grow as a growth from the earth,
18 And afterward He maketh you return thereto, and He will bring you forth again, a (new) forthbringing.
19 And Allah hath made the earth a wide expanse for you
20 That ye may thread the valley-ways thereof.
21 Noah said: My Lord! Lo! they have disobeyed me and followed one whose wealth and children increase him in naught save ruin;
22 And they have plotted a mighty plot,
23 And they have said: Forsake not your gods. Forsake not Wadd, nor Suwa', nor Yaghuth and Ya'uq and Nasr.
24 And they have led many astray, and Thou increasest the wrong-doers in naught save error.
25 Because of their sins they were drowned, then made to enter a Fire. And they found they had no helpers in place of Allah.
26 And Noah said: My Lord! Leave not one of the disbelievers in the land.
27 If Thou shouldst leave them, they will mislead Thy slaves and will beget none save lewd ingrates.
28 My Lord! Forgive me and my parents and him who entereth my house believing, and believing men and believing women, and increase not the wrong-doers in aught save ruin.

As for Christianity it agrees with the Jewish texts in the Old Testament… we read in genesis (6) …

6:5 And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
6:6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
6:7 And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
6:8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
6:9 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.
So Christians, Muslims and Jews seem to have almost the same version of the story… same reasons that god had to eliminate humans and keep Noah… but something comes to the mind when we read first in genesis

6:1 And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,
6:2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
6:3 And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.
6:4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
Who are the sons of god… and who are the daughters of men… and who are the giants?... why there is a problem is these marriages…
Christians answer such questions by saying that the sons of god are the sons of Seth… and the daughters were from Cain's breed… but that doesn’t explain why there were giants because of those marriages.. even more… god had forgiven Cain as we read in the old testament…
4:15 And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.
4:16 And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.

As for Judaism… a different explanations were found… the early Jewish idea had to believe that the sons of god were the sons of those who ruled before the great flood… but that doesn’t explain the existence of giants…
But another point of view we find in the early days of Christianity… to take a good look at it first I would like to mention that the translation from Jewish into Arabic and Latin texts has fallen into differences… Christians look to the word "sons of god" in the bible as it means Jesus and those who followed him…. But looking through the books… In Hebrew the word is "The Divine Beings" "beney ha'elohim", in Hebrew it is
בני אלהים

This word is found in many places in the Torah… sometimes translated into "the sons of Israel" sometimes… sometimes…"the sons of god"… we read in the Torah (Job) -1-
1:6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.
Anotherdifference we find… that they have translated the word (the weeper) into the word "Satan" but that’s not the issue for now…

The different text transformation was the reason of losing the original meaning of the story… in psalm 29 and psalm 89 we read

29:1 Give unto the LORD, O ye mighty, give unto the LORD glory and strength.
29:2 Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
89:6 For who in the heaven can be compared unto the LORD? who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the LORD?

Now the scene is clear… "the sons of god" actually means in Hebrew (the divine beings) and that means angels… now to rebuild the whole scene… the whole story meant that fallen angels took women as wives and bred giants or (demigods)… as those giants inherited the corruption of their fathers who fell by the orders of Satan, God had to destroy them.

We also find that in Torah… god never warned any of them before bringing the flood…. We read…

6:13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
6:14 Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.
6:15 And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.
6:16 A window shalt thou make to 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.
6:17 And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.
6:18 But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee.

And here the corruption as not only moral… but in blood too… we read that "Noah was a good (perfect) man among his kind… and prefect means no physical corruption too… for he had no angels blood in him
The word perfect was used to describe the animals to be sacrificed… Quran agrees to that idea too… the physical perfection of the animal…. That is why there was no need for a warning…they were corrupt in blood as in morals…
Interesting I have found that some Christian sites mentions that Satan sent his angels again even after the flood and women gave birth to giants once again… that was the reason Jews went into the idea of mass killings or annihilating other societies… that is how they justified the killing… the killings of those who are corrupt… and the fact that they were the "chosen ones". But this idea has no real texts to support it… for we find nothing of a satanic plan to pollute or corrupt the blood of man. Those marriages had sexual motive not more.
Surely most Jews and Christians do not accept the "sexual" idea of the whole reason… but if we seek the evidence it will be clear that the motive of fallen angels was purely sexual. We read in Jude's papers…

1:6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.
1:7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
If the reason of the fall was a satanic plan… or pride… why were they compared to the people of Sodom? More we know that the origin Hebrew text had the meaning of "another body" not "strange flesh"… the meaning in Hebrew is "another desire". The people of Sodom were homosexuals while angels coveted human females.

We read in the 11th chapter saint Paul's words

11:7 For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man.
11:8 For the man is not of the woman: but the woman of the man.
11:9 Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.
11:10 For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels.

It has become no mystery… for now we have all the strings of the story
More to read I looked into the apocryphal books more and more texts about this idea…
In the ancient book of Enoch we read

"In those days، when the children of man had multiplied، it happened that there were born unto them handsome and beautiful daughters. And the angels، the children of heaven، saw them and desired them; and they said to one another، 'Come، let us choose wives for ourselves from among the daughters of man and beget us children.' And Semyaz، being their leader، said unto them، 'I fear that perhaps you will not consent that this deed should be done، and I alone will become (responsible) for this great sin.' But they all responded to him، 'Let us all swear an oath and bind everyone among us by a curse not to abandon this suggestion but to do the deed.' Then they all swore together and bound one another by (the curse). And they were altogether two hundred . . ." (Book. of Enoch 6:1-6).

In chapter 5 in the book of jubilees the same story.. also it points to the fact that corruption reached the blood of animals… and that was the reason that god decided to get rid not only of humans… but animals ass well…
"And lawlessness increased on the earth and all flesh corrupted its way، alike men and cattle and beasts and birds and everything that walks on the earth - all of them corrupted their ways and their orders، and they began to devour each other، and lawlessness increased on the earth and every imagination of the thoughts of all men 3 (was) thus evil continually . . ."

The same words again were found in the texts of the dead sea… parts of it survived.. but it shows that animals were exposed to angels corruption as well…

summary statement of the descent of the wicked angels, bringing both knowledge and havoc. Compare Genesis 6:1-2, 4.

1Q23 Frag. 9 + 14 + 15 2 [ . . . ] they knew the secrets of [ . . . ] 3 [ . . . si]n was great in the earth [ . . . ] 4 [ . . . ] and they killed many [ . . ] 5 [ . . . they begat] giants [ . . . ]

The angels exploit the fruitfulness of the earth.

4Q531 Frag. 3 2 [ . . . everything that the] earth produced [ . . . ] [ . . . ] the great fish [ . . . ] 14 [ . . . ] the sky with all that grew [ . . . ] 15 [ . . . fruit of] the earth and all kinds of grain and all the trees [ . . . ] 16 [ . . . ] beasts and reptiles . . . [al]l creeping things of the earth and they observed all [ . . . ] 8 [ . . . eve]ry harsh deed and [ . . . ] utterance [ . . . ] l9 [ . . . ] male and female, and among humans [ . . . ]

The two hundred angels choose animals on which to perform unnatural acts, including, presumably, humans.

1Q23 Frag. 1 + 6 [ . . . two hundred] 2 donkeys, two hundred asses, two hundred . . . rams of the] 3 flock, two hundred goats, two hundred [ . . . beast of the] 4 field from every animal, from every [bird . . . ] 5 [ . . . ] for miscegenation [ . . . ]

The outcome of the demonic corruption was violence, perversion, and a brood of monstrous beings. Compare Genesis 6:4.

4Q531 Frag. 2 [ . . . ] they defiled [ . . . ] 2 [ . . . they begot] giants and monsters [ . . . ] 3 [ . . . ] they begot, and, behold, all [the earth was corrupted . . . ] 4 [ . . . ] with its blood and by the hand of [ . . . ] 5 [giant's] which did not suffice for them and [ . . . ] 6 [ . . . ] and they were seeking to devour many [ . . . ] 7 [ . . . ] 8 [ . . . ] the monsters attacked it.

4Q532 Col. 2 Frags. 1 - 6 2 [ . . . ] flesh [ . . . ] 3al [l . . . ] monsters [ . . . ] will be [ . . . ] 4 [ . . . ] they would arise [ . . . ] lacking in true knowledge [ . . . ] because [ . . . ] 5 [ . . . ] the earth [grew corrupt . . . ] mighty [ . . . ] 6 [ . . . ] they were considering [ . . . ] 7 [ . . . ] from the angels upon [ . . . ] 8 [ . . . ] in the end it will perish and die [ . . . ] 9 [ . . . ] they caused great corruption in the [earth . . . ] [ . . . this did not] suffice to [ . . . ] "they will be [ . . . ]

in the book "the secrets of Enoch" – a Jewish script – in chapter 18 we read the story of Enoch's trip to the fifth heaven…

“THE men took me on to the fifth heaven and placed me، and there I saw many and countless soldiers، called Grigori، of human appearance، and their size was greater than that of great giants and their faces withered، and the silence of their mouths perpetual، and there was no service on the fifth heaven، and I said to the men who were with me:
2 Wherefore are these very withered and their faces melancholy، and their mouths silent، and wherefore is there no service on this heaven?
3 And they said to me: These are the Grigori، who with their prince Satanail rejected the Lord of light، and after them are those who are held in great darkness on the second heaven، and three of them went down on to earth from the Lord's throne، to the place Ermon، and broke through their vows on the shoulder of the hill Ermon 1 and saw the daughters of men how good they are، and took to themselves wives، and befouled the earth with their deeds، who in all times of their age made lawlessness and mixing، and giants are born and marvellous big men and great enmity.
4 And therefore God judged them with great judgment، and they weep for their brethren and they will be punished on the Lord's great day.
5 And I said to the Grigori: 'I saw your brethren and their works، and their great torments، and I prayed for them، but the Lord has condemned them to be under earth till heaven and earth shall end for ever.'
6 And I said: 'Wherefore do you wait، brethren، and do not serve before the Lord's face، and have not put your services before the Lord's face، lest you anger your Lord utterly?'
7 And they listened to my admonition، and spoke to the four ranks in heaven، and lo! as I stood with those two men four trumpets trumpeted together with great voice، and the Grigori broke into song with one voice، and their voice went up before the Lord pitifully and affectingly.”

"Satanail means "Satan" in Latin or Shaitan in Arabic and other Semitic languages"

More and more… Flavius Josephus in the first century says:
Now this posterity of Seth continued to esteem God as the Lord of the universe، and to have an entire regard to virtue، for seven generations; but in process of time they were perverted، and forsook the practices of their forefathers، and did neither pay those honors to God which were appointed to them، nor had they any concern to do justice towards men. But for what degree of zeal they had formerly shown for virtue، they now showed by their actions a double degree of wickedness; whereby they made God to be their enemy، for many angels* of God accompanied with women and begat sons that proved unjust، and despisers of all that was good، on account of the confidence they had in their own strength; for the tradition is، that these men did what resembled the acts of those whom the Grecians called giants. But Noah was very uneasy at what they did; and، being displeased at their conduct، persuaded them to change their dispositions and their acts for the better; but، seeing that they did not yield to him، but were slaves to their wicked pleasures، he was afraid they would kill him، together with his wife and children، and those they had married; so he departed out of that land. (p. 32; bk. 1، ch. 3، 72-74، The Antiquities of the Jews، translated by William Whitson)

And from the texts of Philo we read
And when the angels of God saw the daughters of men that they were beautiful، they took unto themselves wives of all them whom they chose." Those beings، whom other philosophers call demons، Moses usually calls angels . . . (p. 152، The Works of Philo، "De Gigantibus،" translated by C.D. Yonge(

Also Justin the martyr writes:
God، when He had made the whole world، and subjected things earthly to man، and arranged the heavenly elements for the increase of fruits and rotation of the seasons، and appointed this divine law - for these things also He evidently made for man - committed the care of men and of all things under heaven to angels whom He appointed over them. But the angels transgressed this appointment، and were captivated by love of women، and begat children who are those that are called demons; and besides، they afterwards subdued the human race to themselves، partly by magical writings، and partly by fears and punishments they occasioned، and partly by teaching them to offer sacrifices، and incense، and libations، of which things they stood in need after they enslaved by lustful passions; and among men they sowed murders، wars، adulteries، intemperate needs، and all wickedness. . . . (p. 363، vol. 1، The Ante-Nicene Fathers)

I should mention that some Christians had an objection about this whole matter… the mentioned the following text from Matthew (22)…

22:23 The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him,
22:24 Saying, Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.
22:25 Now there were with us seven brethren: and the first, when he had married a wife, deceased, and, having no issue, left his wife unto his brother:
22:26 Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh.
22:27 And last of all the woman died also.
22:28 Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her.
22:29 Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.
22:30 For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.
That text is also found in mark's chapters in the bible… Jesus' words were clear, the angels of don’t get married.. how do we explain that?... there are a few explanations to be considered…
- angels in heaven don’t marry, but that doesn’t mean fallen angels don’t.
- angels cannot marry human women, but the can if taken the form of a human.
- Indicating that they don’t marry humans doesn’t mean they CANT. It just means it is forbidden for them to do so, where fallen angels can.

Even more… the following text from Luke's texts clears this as well… (Luke -20)

20:33 Therefore in the resurrection whose wife of them is she? for seven had her to wife.
20:34 And Jesus answering said unto them, The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage:
20:35 But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage:
20:36 Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.
20:37 Now that the dead are raised, even Moses shewed at the bush, when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.
20:38 For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him.

Jesus pointed to the meaning of immortality and comparing resurrection with angels was to assure the point of immortality, not marriage… because his students the believers had the original Jewish beliefs that rejects immortality and believes that life ends at death…and that’s why he gave them the example of angels… the immortality proof.

Another objection I have come across that the mysterious Nephilim (giants) were mentioned after the flood… how come they were still there… the word means (giants)… so it might mean giants as human giants sometimes… not corrupted ones… also we read in the torah:

6:4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
This indicates that giants were before the unblessed marriages … but it doesn’t mean that the marriages were pure. Ancient rabbinical Jews believed that giants could exist weather because of angels or not.

Back to the Islamic version… Mohammad didn’t bother looking through the ancient texts and reasoning the story… he only rewrote the whole story in a proper moral way.

as for the ancient Sumerian and Babylonian version of the story… the greatest possibility that the story had the same outlines as we found in the Jewish texts… too bad most is lost… but rabbinicals who lived at the times of Sumerians and Babylonians… had delivered the story to us in a clearer way… the idea had moved to ancient Greeks because in the Greek mythology we know of demigods like (Achilles and Hercules)… who had super powers… more powers that humans… because they were half-humans half-gods.

Resources:

The Holy Bible
The Holy Quran
WWW.ladeeni.net
http://www.sacred-texts.com/bib/fbe/...tm#section_002
www.sacred-texts.com
- (مغامرة العقل الأولى) لفراس السواح.
http://users.aristotle.net/~bhuie/gen6sons.htm
http://www.gotquestions.org/sons-of-God.html
www.rezgar.com
http://www.jewishpath.org/parshanoach.html
http://rabdavis.org/fallen_angels.htm
http://fernshomestead.com/headcovering2.html
www.al-islam.com
http://www.triumphpro.com/did_angels...ah_s_flood.htm
http://www.uforanks.com/agenda3.htm
http://www.skepticfiles.org/mys2/enochdoc.htm
http://www.stevequayle.com/Giants/ar...hy.giants.html
http://groups.msn.com/GiantstheBible...aysofnoah.msnw
http://www.rationalchristianity.net/nephilim.html

محمد نورالله