Book Review: Adams' Chart of History

Adams' Chart of History by Sebastian Adams Hardback: Chart has 21 full-color 13" x 28" panels Publisher: Master Books Released: 2007

Source: Purchased from New Leaf Publishing Group.

Book Description from AiG website:
A vintage reproduction of this illustrated time line of earth history. The foldout chart features detailed, full-color drawings of various stages of history, from Adam and Eve to the late 19th century, with handwritten commentary throughout. This monumental work of history is perfect for homeschool settings, Sunday school walls, or a home library. It is a visually interesting way to trace early history's inventions, discoveries, and events. Also included is the descriptive booklet that was originally published with the chart in 1871.

* First published in 1871, starts with biblical creation and goes to 1878.
* Evolution-free, large format chronology of history is a great teaching tool
* Based on James Ussher's The Annals of the World
* Includes 21 full-color 13" x 28" panels

Wrap your walls in history! 21 foldout panels (13" x 28" each). Free 64-page key (booklet) included.


Review:
Adams' Chart of History is a full-color timeline chart based on James Ussher's chronology. It's 28 inches tall and folds out nearly 23 feet. In the bound form, you can view the chart without unfolding it by turning the "pages" (the panels). The chart is printed on a heavy paper, so it holds up well to repeated use. You can also remove the chart from the binding or buy an unbound chart to put on a wall, like in a Sunday School room. The large panels are great for easy viewing on a wall, but they're a tad unwieldy when trying to view the chart when holding it. It helps to have a cleared table or bed to place it on.

The timeline shows world history from a Biblical perspective, starting with Adam and Eve. It shows the rulers and major events for all the major world civilizations up to 1878 AD. There are illustrations of the various events (like the Tower of Babel) and commentary in the free spaces. In the free space below the beginning of the timeline, there's a world map of the eastern hemisphere and information about Stone Age artifacts, eminent historians throughout history, the Rosetta stone, and similar topics.

There's a 64-page booklet packaged with the chart. It gave a key to the chart, though I'd already figured it out from a few minutes study of the chart. It also gave information about the author and summaries of the people and events on the timeline for each major world civilization.

There's a very similar timeline published by Barnes and Nobles in 1995 titled The Wall Chart of World History by Edward Hull (ISBN 0-88029-239-3). It's smaller in size (15 panels that are each 12 inches wide x 17 5/8 inches high), so the text is smaller but it's also easy to hold and carry around. That chart ends in 1990 AD instead of 1878 AD, and it has a few differences in how the free space is used (like the free space below the beginning of the timeline is filled with maps).

I'd recommend this chart to any Christian who enjoys seeing how the events in world history relate to each other and to teachers (church or homeschooling) for use in their classrooms.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Picture of the chart:

DVD Review: Mount St. Helens

Mount St. Helens: Explosive Evidence for Catastrophe Length: 58 minutes Publisher: Institute for Creation Research

Source: I own the VHS, but this film is also on DVD.

DVD Description, modified from VHS cover:
Geologist Steve Austin, Ph.D. shares the exciting results of his explorations on Mount St. Helens and its adjacent Spirit Lake. Relive the 1980s eruption, view the geological structures that formed rapidly (strata, canyons, log deposits, etc.), and apply this information to better understand the origins of these features in other places (Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, coal deposits, etc.). And, finally, see how this information relates to our understanding of Biblical events, like Noah's Flood.


Review:
Mount St. Helens is a Christian science film about the 1980s Mount St. Helens eruption. Geologist Steve Austin, Ph.D., described the stages of the eruption and its aftermath. While there was video of him doing a live presentation to people in an auditorium, it was mixed with a large number of still pictures taken at Mount St. Helens, video overflights of the area, and video taken of Dr. Austin doing research at Mount St. Helens and Spirit Lake. So it's not a "talking head" lecture film.

Dr. Austen explained how geological features that geologists thought had to take long periods of time to form were seen and documented here forming rapidly in a few hours to a few days. Dr. Austen then explained how seeing this helped him better understand how canyons could rapidly form through solid stone, how coal could be formed using a Flood model, how petrified trees at various levels on a hill could have occurred from one event, and how the fine layering of strata in stone could form rapidly.

A 13-year-old girl watched the movie with me. It was late at night and she was tired, but the movie kept her interest the whole time and got a few "oh, wow!" and "huh!" comments from her. She's seen some books and movies that talk about the problems with biological evolution, and she quickly concluded that biological evolution couldn't be true. However, she didn't believe the earth really could be only about 6,000 years old until after watching this movie. Afterward, she made some comments about how she couldn't understand why her public school history and science teachers were teaching long ages for history and that things took millions of years to develop if these things really could happen quickly.

Overall, I'd highly recommend this film to all Christians ages 10 on up. It probably would also be an effective film to show non-Christians on the topic.


If you've watched this DVD, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the DVD in the comments.

Book Quote: Can Evolution Really Fit in the Bible?

From The New Answers Book, Vol. 1:

What About the Gap & Ruin-Reconstruction Theories?
by Ken Ham

Because of the accepted teachings of evolution, many Christians have tried to place a gap of indeterminate time between the first two verses of Genesis 1. Genesis 1:1–2 states: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.”

There are many different versions as to what supposedly happened during this gap of time, but most versions of the gap theory place millions of years of geologic time (including billions of animal fossils) between the Bible’s first two verses. This version of the gap theory is sometimes called the ruin-reconstruction theory.

Most ruin-reconstruction theorists have allowed the fallible theories of secular scientists to determine the meaning of Scripture and have, therefore, accepted the millions-of-years dates for the fossil record.
Millions of years of death

Some theorists also put the fall of Satan in this supposed period. But any rebellion of Satan during this gap of time contradicts God’s description of His completed creation on Day 6 as all being “very good” (Genesis 1:31).

Read the rest of the article.

And the winner is...

It's time to pick the winner of the one Bible study workbook of Walking With God by Mindy Ferguson. Using a random number generator and numbering the entrants in the order I received them, the winner is:


wmmahaney


Congratulations! I'll be contacting you for your address.

For those who didn't win, you can always join in the fun by buying this study at your favorite bookstore!

Book Review: Jesus Was A Jew

Jesus Was A Jew by Arnold Fruchtenbaum Paperback: 160 pages Publisher: Broadman Press First Released: 1974

Source: Bought through Half.com.

Book Description, my take:
Before Jesus was born, what did the Jewish teachers believe the Messiah would be like and, based on their Scripture, what did they expect him to do when he came?

What do their own writings reveal? Mainly, the expectation of two separate Messiahs: one the suffering servant, the Son of Joseph (in reference to the Genesis Joseph) and the other a conquering king, the Son of David. This view was still held by many Jews even after Jesus, but then rejection of Jesus as the Messiah led to some Rabbis reinterpreting certain Hebrew Scriptures in new ways that were no longer Messianic. But these reinterpretations don't fit the plain reading and traditional views of the passages.

In Jesus Was A Jew, Arnold Fruchtenbaum explores what Jews currently think about Jesus, examines the Scripture and old writings to see what the tradition view of the Messiah was, shows how Jesus fulfilled these prophecies (as the suffering servant), explains why Jesus had to die, answers Jewish objections to Jesus, and explores the definitions of a Jew, Gentile, and Christian.


Review:
Jesus Was A Jew explored what the traditional Jewish view was of what the Messiah would be like and what he was coming to do, then it examined how well Jesus matched these expectations. The target audience seemed to be Jews, but Christians will find this information very interesting as well, especially if you wish to discuss Jesus with non-Messianic-Jews.

The author examined what the Hebrew scriptures said about the Messiah with a focus on those passages that modern Jews are usually taught have nothing to do with the Messiah. He quoted the Talmud, Midrash, Targums, Septuagint, and more to show what pre-Jesus Jewish teachers taught about the Messiah (especially in reference to these passages).

The author also explained why Jesus had to die, answered Jewish objections to Jesus, and explored the definitions of what it means to be a Jew, Gentile, and Christian.

The book was well-written, interesting, and easy to understand. Overall, I'd recommend this book to those who want to know how to respond to Jewish objections to Jesus as the Messiah or who want to know a little more about the pre-Jesus view of the Messiah.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt from Chapter Two
Anyone who sets himself to the task of seeking to know what the Old Testament has to say about the coming of the Messiah soon finds himself involved with a seeming paradox. At times one even seems to be faced with a outright contradiction. For the Jewish prophets gave a two-fold picture of the Messiah who was to come.

On the one hand, the inquirer will find numerous predictions regarding the Messiah which portray him as one who is going to suffer humiliation, physical harm, and finally death in a violent manner. This death was stated by the Jewish prophets to be a substitutionary death for the sins for the Jewish people. On the other hand, he will find that the Jewish prophets also spoke of the Messiah coming as a conquering king who will destroy the enemies of Israel and set up the messianic kingdom of peace and prosperity.

This is the two-fold picture the Jewish prophets gave of the Messiah. For centuries past, during the formulation of the Talmud, our rabbis made serious studies of messianic prophecies. They came up with this conclusion: The prophets spoke of two different Messiahs.


The Messiah who was to come, suffer and die was termed Messiah, the Son of Joseph (Mashiach ben Yoseph). The second Messiah who would then come following the first was termed Messiah, the Son of David (Mashiach ben David). This one would raise the first Messiah back to life and establish the Messianic kingdom of peace on earth.

.... For centuries Orthodox Judaism held the concept of two Messiahs. Since the Talmudic period, however, in the history of the Jewish people the Son of David alone was played up in the imaginations of Jewish hearts and minds. The other messianic figure, Messiah, Son of Joseph, the suffering one was ignored.

Book Quotes: Where Cain Got His Wife

From The New Answers Book, Vol. 1:

Cain’s Wife—Who Was She?
by Ken Ham

We don’t even know her name, yet she was discussed at the Scopes Trial, mentioned in the movies Inherit the Wind and Contact, and talked about in countries all over the world for hundreds of years.

Skeptics of the Bible have used Cain’s wife time and again to try to discredit the book of Genesis as a true historical record. Sadly, most Christians have not given an adequate answer to this question. As a result, the world sees them as not being able to defend the authority of Scripture and thus the Christian faith.

Read the rest of the article.

Giveaway: Walking With God

I'm hosting a giveaway for one Bible study workbook of Walking With God by Mindy Ferguson. The book will be shipped to the winner by the author.

Read my review to learn more about the book.




This contest is for USA residents only.


Enter the giveaway by either:

On Twitter, send me a tweet saying "Hi @christfocus. Please enter me in the giveaway for the Bible study WALKING WITH GOD by Mindy Ferguson."

or

You can leave a comment to this post asking to be entered. Please also leave some way for me to contact you or follow this blog so you can see the winner announcement.


I'll randomly select the winner at noon (central time) on August 26, 2010 and list them on this blog. I'll inform the winner and ask for their shipping address. If the winner hasn't responded within four days of this notification, I reserve the right to select a new winner.

I hope everyone has fun with this!

Book Review: Walking with God

Walking with God: Living the Promised Life by Mindy Ferguson Paperback: 221 pages Publisher: Hensley Publishing First Released: 2007 Study set on Publisher's Website

Source: Review copy of book provided by the author.

Book Description from Back Cover:
Scripture doesn't document events just for history's sake. Every account has a purpose and a lesson. Take Joshua, for example. He was a man who walked with God. His story is recorded because his journey represents yours. His life, and the lives of the Israelites often paralleled the spiritual battles and struggles you encounter as you walk with God today.

If you look closely you might even be surprised to recognize a little of yourself in Joshua. He was passionate, and at times presumptuous. In his many battles he experienced both victories and defeats. He set his heart on obedience, but sometimes he struggled to be "strong and courageous" as God commanded him.

God promised Joshua and the Israelites an inheritance in the land of Canaan. But in order to receive that inheritance, they had to decide to leave Egypt behind and walk with Him into the land of promise. Sometimes they followed Him obediently and without question. Other times they chose their own way. Each decision impacted their journey.

In this study, you'll find that God has given you, too, a designated area where you can flourish as you use your gifts and talents. You'll recognize how He is preparing you for your future, just as He prepared Joshua. You'll see how He can use each experience, good or bad. And you'll learn how, like Joshua, you can walk with God every day of your life.

You'll discover why walking with God means living your faith. It's trusting in Him and Him alone. It's seeing the giants, but stepping confidently into the future because you believe the promises of Christ.

Walking With God is the difference between slavery to sin, and freedom in Christ. It's victory not defeat. It is living the promised life. It is a journey like no other.



Review:
Walking with God: From Slavery to Freedom, Living the Promised Life is an eleven week Bible study that can be done individually (with just the workbook) or in a small group (with a leader's guide, workbooks, and an accompanying DVD lecture series). I did this Bible study individually using the workbook.

Each lesson took me about 15-20 minutes, though some did take longer. It depended on how much Scripture needed to be read for the lesson and how long I spent on the reflection questions or in prayer. While some Scripture was quoted in the book (usually to show how a specific version phrased something), the participant looked up most of the Scripture in their own Bibles.

There were five lessons per week. The first four lessons for each week were mainly focused on passages from the Old Testament (about the promises God made to Abraham, about Moses, about Joshua, and about the Israelites entering their Promised Land). The author also tied in New Testament verses that showed how these promises and events applied to us today as Christians. The fifth and final lesson for each week was a review of what had been learned in the previous four lessons with reflection questions on how to apply what was learned to your own life.

I found the study very interesting. The author pointed out insightful things I'd never noticed before. She also explained the meaning of certain Hebrew words that don't translate easily into English and gave background information to the verses (like where things happened--there's a black-and-white map included). With this Bible study, you send in for a special, free military-like ID tag. It's a "spiritual Identification tag" that will help you remember what you learned in this study.

Overall, I enjoyed this well-written Bible study and learned from it. I'd recommend it to those who feel like they are stuck in old habits and lack trust in God and who want to learn how to break free and live "the promised life."


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: View sample lesson.

Book Quote: Is the Ice Age Explained by the Bible?

From The New Answers Book, Vol. 1:

Where Does the Ice Age Fit?
by Michael Oard

If you ask a youngster the question, “Was there really an ice age?” they might say rather quickly that there was. Then they may tell you that there were two of them. Of course, if you listen much longer, they will tell you that they saw both of those movies in the theater.

The ice age is a popular topic that is often discussed in school, at home, or in Hollywood. Sadly, most people hear the secular/uniformitarian view and don’t look at this subject from a biblical perspective. This is where it gets interesting, though. The secular view has no good mechanism to cause a single ice age, let alone the many they propose. But the Bible does have a mechanism. Let’s take a closer look.

Read the rest of the article.

Do you want to help reach India for Christ?

I just donated to the Stepping Stone ministry of Serve India Ministries. It's a program run by Christians to help poor Indian children get an education and to also teach them about Christ.

I heard about this ministry through my church. It sounds like an honest organization with a good plan. Also, it mainly advertises through world-of-mouth so that money can be used for missions instead of going toward donation-raising advertising.

They also have a pastor training ministry, which I may later donate toward. (See this YouTube video to learn more about this ministry and their goals.)

Book Review: The Essential Bible Guide

The Essential Bible Guide by Paul Wright, Menashe Har-El, & Baruch Sarel Hardback: 124 pages Publisher: Abingdon Press First Released: 2010

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description from Back Cover:
With illustrations, maps, chronologies, and concise descriptions, this guide provides an attractive and organized framework to understand the land, people, places, history, and culture of the Bible. Includes over 60 full-color maps.


Review:
The Essential Bible Guide is an overview of the Bible with information about the lands and peoples mentioned in the Bible. Much of this information can be found in a good study Bible. However, this book would be useful for people unfamiliar with the Bible and its historical context who want a quick overview and for those interested in New Testament Bible background information.

The book had three sections. The first section (pages 1-40) covered the climate, geology, agriculture, and transportation of the Fertile Crescent. The first half used technical terms and was so generalized that it wasn't very useful. The second half was more useful, but it wasn't tied into Bible events. The authors referred countries not shown on the maps. They also assumed that modern weather patterns are the same as they were 5,000 years ago and give modern information. I (and others) wouldn't agree with this assumption.

The second section (pages 42-75) was a survey of the Old Testament. It gave a brief summary of what is in each book of the Old Testament (including traditional and critical views of when the books were written and by whom); a lesson on how the Hebrew Bible is arranged; a summary of who the peoples and lands mentioned in the Old Testament were; a who's-who list of the most mentioned/important people in the Old Testament; a brief summary of events in the Old Testament from Abraham to Ezra & Nehemiah's time; the development of the Hebrew alphabet; and information about the Hebrew calendar. It included a chronology chart from Abraham to Nehemiah where the dates from Abraham up to Saul were very general ("1st half of 13th century" for the Exodus from Egypt) but the rest had specific dates (The Kingdom of David = 990-968 BC).

The third section (pages 78-114) was a survey of the New Testament. This section was very good at tying background information into Bible events. Even those familiar with the Bible may find this section enlightening. There was a brief summary of what's in each New Testament book (who wrote it to whom and why); an overview of weather, agriculture, and land forms (hills, plains, etc.) for Judea, Samaria, the Coastal Plain, Galilee, and TransJordan; an overview of the cities/lands and peoples mentioned in the New Testament; information about the inter-testament period and how that set things up for the events in Jesus' lifetime; and a summary of the events in the New Testament with historical, weather, and geographical background information tied in.

Overall, the maps were readable and useful, but they often didn't illustrate the text. It seemed more like you were supposed to refer to them when reading that section of your Bible. A couple of the maps had so much information on them that the text on them was difficult to read. A few of the chart-maps lacked easy-to-understand keys (so they took some studying to figure out) or had keys with too much information (as if it had been taken from a larger map and the unused information on the key hadn't been removed). The pictures were excellent and illustrated what various places and things looked like, but two pictures lacked captions.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt from page 96
Jesus' first visitors were simple shepherds from nearby fields (Lk 2:8); that they were tending their flocks on ground that would normally be sown with grain between November and April suggests that the Christmas story probably took place in the summertime, when Judean sheep and goats typically grazed on field stubble. The subsequent visit to Bethlehem of Magi "from the east" (Mt 2:1-12) indicates that, like Solomon (cf. 1 Kgs 9:26-10:29; cf. Isa 60:6) Jesus was a king worthy of receiving the tribute of the world. The Magi's gifts--gold, frankincense, and myrrh--were typical of the commodities entering the Roman world through Palestine via the Nabatean-controlled Arabian spice route.

Mary, Joseph, and Jesus subsequently fled to Egypt to escape the wrath of Herod (Mt 2:13-18), no doubt finding shelter among the large Jewish population there. Coptic tradition identifies several sites visited by the Holy Family while in Egypt. Sometime after the death of Herod in 4 B.C. Joseph took his family back to Judea, then on to Nazareth in Galilee, preferring to live under the rule of Herod's more even-handed son Antipas rather than in a Judea controlled by Archelaus, a king who had inherited much of his father's temperament (Mt 2:19-23).

Joseph settled in Nazareth, a small, nondescript village in a chalky basin high atop a limestone ridge that overlooks the Jezreel Valley from the north. Nazareth was a village largely lacking in economic opportunities (Mt 2:23; cf. Jn 1:46). Jesus , like all growing boys in the first century, learned his family trade, in this case the specialized skills of a "carpenter," a worker in wood and stone, the local building materials (cf. Mt 13:55). It is likely that jobs were scarce in Nazareth and therefore possible that both Joseph and Jesus honed their skills in Sepphoris, Galilee's capital city in the Beth Netofa Valley five miles north of Nazareth. Here jobs were plentiful, as the city was undergoing a massive rebuilding campaign financed by Herod Antipas.

Read chapter one.

Book Quotes: Does Carbon & Radiometric Dating Prove the Earth Is Old?

From The New Answers Book, Vol. 1:

Does Radiometric Dating Prove the Earth Is Old?
by Mike Riddle

Scientists use a technique called radiometric dating to estimate the ages of rocks, fossils, and the earth. Many people have been led to believe that radiometric dating methods have proved the earth to be billions of years old. This has caused many in the church to reevaluate the biblical creation account, specifically the meaning of the word “day” in Genesis 1. With our focus on one particular form of radiometric dating—carbon dating—we will see that carbon dating strongly supports a young earth. Note that, contrary to a popular misconception, carbon dating is not used to date rocks at millions of years old.

Basics
Before we get into the details of how radiometric dating methods are used, we need to review some preliminary concepts from chemistry. Recall that atoms are the basic building blocks of matter. Atoms are made up of much smaller particles called protons, neutrons, and electrons. Protons and neutrons make up the center (nucleus) of the atom, and electrons form shells around the nucleus.

The number of protons in the nucleus of an atom determines the element. For example, all carbon atoms have 6 protons, all atoms of nitrogen have 7 protons, and all oxygen atoms have 8 protons. The number of neutrons in the nucleus can vary in any given type of atom. So, a carbon atom might have six neutrons, or seven, or possibly eight—but it would always have six protons. An “isotope” is any of several different forms of an element, each having different numbers of neutrons.

Read the rest of the article.

Read an article about Doesn’t Carbon-14 Dating Disprove the Bible?

Book Review: Noah's Ark

Noah's Ark: Thinking Outside the Box by Tim Lovett Hardback: 80 pages Publisher: Master Books First Released: 2008

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description from Back Cover:
Could a ship be constructed that would be able to survive the global flood described in biblical book of Genesis? Could it be built without the modern techniques of today being available to Noah?

This groundbreaking book answers both of these questions with a resounding “yes”!

Join naval expert and mechanical engineer Tim Lovett in “thinking outside the box” as you consider groundbreaking research in this innovative new study on Noah’s ark. Lovett builds on traditional research into this historic event using the latest techniques in computer modeling and testing.

* Includes insight and context by Dr. John Whitcomb.
* Unveils a new ark design based on biblical information and shipbuilding principles
* Beautiful illustrations and photos reveal facets of design and construction techniques

Remaining faithful to the biblical dimensions, Lovett’s updated design, similar to that of ancient sailing vessels, is based on established principles in ship design and cutting-edge research. He reveals a feasible ark design, explores the impact of flood waters on the vessel, and provides remarkable insight and analysis into the skills and techniques needed to construct it.


Review:
Noah's Ark is an interesting, quick read about the feasibility of Noah's ark and the design details that the author thought might have been included based on his research. It's an overview of many aspects of Noah's ark, from how it was built to how the animals were fed and watered. Pretty much every other page was a full-page, full-color illustration (usually of what the ark might have looked liked, inside and out). Each page of text came with detailed illustrations showing what the things being discussed might have been like. This book would make a great "coffee table" book to have out for visitors to browse through.

This book didn't go in-depth on every aspect of Noah's Ark like Noah's Ark: A Feasibility Study by John Woodmorappe does, but it probably contains all of the detail most people care about. Personally, I would have been interested in some of the specific steps, findings, and details of Tim Lovett's research rather than just the end result, but that wasn't the purpose of this book.

The topics covered: The Bible is true; how doubt about Noah's Ark really being able to hold all of those animals, etc., makes people doubt the truth of the Bible; how Noah's Ark has been illustrated in the past; how there are Flood legends from all over the world with similarities to the Bible account; God's Ark-building instructions and what certain unique Hebrew words fully mean ("ark," "gopherwood," "rooms," "pitch," "door," "cubits," "decks," "window," and "finish it to a cubit from above"); figuring out the ark's design based first on the Bible account and then by using testable engineering principles; the ark's proportions are an ideal balance of strength, comfort, and stability; did ancients have the technology to successfully build such a large wooden ship?; what tools they probably used; design elements the author added to the traditional "box-like" Ark design; items needed for human survival (lamps, jars, and ovens that might have been used); how they could have fed and watered the animals; ventilation and lighting; was the Flood global?; timeline for the Flood; modern searches for the Ark; is there evidence for a world-wide Flood?; and how is Christ like the Ark? There was also a nice fold-out poster in the back.

Overall, this is an interesting read with lovely pictures for anyone who wants a quick overview of what the Ark might have looked like, how the animals could have been cared for, and similar considerations.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: page 50
FEEDING THE ANIMALS

Were the animals in a year-long coma? No, God told Noah to bring all sorts of food for them. Yet he also directed Noah to build nests (qen), so they may have been at least partially subdued. If Noah had ample time to prepare, and had more specific directions than are given in Genesis 6, he might have built cages something like this low-maintenance design. [illustration]

GRAINS: Grains would simply require a chute with an opening at the bottom. The illustration on the left shows a grain chute that is loaded by pouring grain through a floor opening in the mezzanine above. Wood is a suitable material for this.

HAY: Even the big hay eaters like cattle could be supplemented with more concentrated foods. The key to feeding hay is to allow the animals enough access to eat without treading all over it. This is usually done using bars that allow the head to go through but not the body (and legs). To avoid the manual effort of lifting hay, it could be dropped from the mezzanine level into a feeder on the deck beneath.

For the larger kinds, the hay could be stacked solid, with the beasts eating their way into the wall of hay until they were stopped by bars. These bars then could have been shifted and the process repeated until they ate their way through the entire room. [illustration]


Look Inside the book.