I realize there are more pressing theological questions in the world. But apparently, there are people who want to know why there are no aardvarks in the Bible. Once I heard the question, I became one of those people. That’s right, down the rabbit hole I went.

This is what happens when you love Bible study. You start with a perfectly reasonable question, and before you know it, you're researching biblical zoology. Aardvarks are not mentioned in the Bible. Neither are elephants.

Shocking, I know, I mean Noah’s Ark! Surely elephants are in the Bible. If you have ever seen a picture of Noah's Ark, there is a very good chance there are two elephants standing somewhere nearby, looking remarkably pleased with themselves.

I've actually been to the Ark Encounter in Kentucky, so I've seen this for myself. The exhibits include some fascinating prehistoric-looking creatures alongside the more familiar animals. And it got me thinking about how much of the biblical world we know from pictures and tradition rather than from the actual text.

The Bible does mention ivory, including ivory associated with King Solomon's wealth and trade, so the ancient world certainly knew about elephant ivory. But the elephant itself never makes an appearance in the canonical Scriptures.

Then I discovered something even more astonishing. There are no cats in the Bible! Now, as the owner of a cat, I find this personally offensive. Cats were well known in ancient Egypt, and wild cats lived in the biblical world. Yet cats don't appear in the canonical books of Scripture….READ MORE…