suggested by Matthew’s account is even more disturbing than that. In Hebraic thought, water represents much more than a mere physical reality. Whether it is the sea with its unfathomable depths, the relentless river in full flood, or the all-consuming deluge, there is something metaphysical about the threat water poses to human life. According to Karl Barth, water, in the first biblical creation story, is “ ‘the principle which, in its abundance and power is absolutely opposed to God’s creation;”