Description

The Righteous Prophet Noah (whom we read of in Genesis 5-9) lived before the Flood during an age in which violence and corruption had spread throughout humanity. Scripture describes him as a righteous man who walked with God. When commanded to build the Ark, Noah obeyed in faith despite everything around him, preserving his wife, his sons and their wives together with the creatures entrusted to his care. After the waters receded, he offered sacrifice to God and received the covenant signified by the rainbow: the promise that the earth would never again be destroyed by a flood.

Within Orthodox tradition, Noah is remembered not simply as a survivor, but as an example of steadfast obedience and trust in God amid a faithless generation. The Ark is also understood as a figure of the Church, within which humanity is carried through the waters of death towards salvation and renewed creation.

Icon Source & Historical Details

Location: Stravonikita Monastery, Mount Athos

Iconographer:

Date: 16th century

Tradition: Cretan

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