I found our assigned reading of the flood stories very interesting. It showed both the Yahwist Version and also the Priestly Writers Version. I was surprised at how short the Yahwist version was. It seemed in the other version there were much more details. Between the two there were also significant differences.
One difference I found interesting was the nature of the flood. In the Yahwist version, the flood is presented as more like heavy rain that after a while was able to lift the ark off the ground. In the Priestly Writer’s version, however, the flood is portrayed as a “cosmic upheaval.” This is a big difference for me. I think that the cosmic upheaval version perhaps seems more like a myth because of this element of a more cosmic destruction. In the summary it says “the cosmic waters above the heavens and the waters of the cosmic deep below the earth effect a return to chaos.” This is something that will really affect how I view and read the bible in the future.