Aesthetic Constellations of Noah’s Ark

Abstract This article considers Noah’s ark as a motif of the biblical text that travels through numerous other (not least philosophical) discourses. Not only have there been countless references to the motif of the ark in the biblically inspired tradition for centuries, it is also associated with the logical operations of encompassing the dispersed, the entry into reflection, and the aspect of order. The ark functions as a means, a house, a ship, a cave, a living environment, a symbol for language, etc. This article is itself modelled on an illustration in the medieval Beatus super Apocalypsim (The ‘Rylands Beatus’), which depicts the ark as a house of life. The order presented in the illustration suggests possible pathways through the article which leads to alternative ways of reading the contribution.