The First Sin after the Flood

The First Sin after the Flood

From Translating the Tradition by Fr. Justin (Edward) Hewlett

March 24, 2026 · 10 min

About this episode

This episode discusses the first recorded sin after the flood, focusing on Noah's actions and the implications of sin and addiction.

So on this Wednesday of Great Lent, we’re given the story of Noah just after the flood to meditate on. The story is about the first recorded sin after the flood. Noah and his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth come out of the ark, and God blesses them. It then notes that Ham was the father of Canaan, and these three were the sons of Noah, and from these the whole earth was populated. You have a brand new start where everything is clean, fresh, and literally cleansed. And here you have Noah and his three sons, and now the son of Ham, Canaan, and the first recorded sin after the flood. And Noah begins to be a farmer. And he planted a vineyard. And then he drank of the wine and was drunk and became uncovered in his tent. Causes of Sin We don’t know why or what was the cause or exactly what was the temptation for this particular sin. Whenever we think of alcohol and drunkenness nowadays, we tend to think of alcoholism and addiction. Not all sin is addiction, but all addiction is sin. As the Apostle Paul says, “All things are created good, but I will not be mastered by anything.” If we allow even good things like video games to master us, then they become for us something that takes us away…

People in this episode

Host: Fr. Justin (Edward) Hewlett

Topics covered

  • sin
  • Noah
  • Great Lent
  • alcohol
  • addiction
  • survivor's guilt

Keywords

  • Noah
  • flood
  • sin
  • Great Lent
  • alcohol
  • addiction
  • Canaan

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