The early church
Noah's Days and the Ark as a Type of Baptism
Peter shows how the disobedient in Noah's days perished while God's patience waited, and how eight souls were saved through water in the ark. This is a type of baptism, which now saves through the resurrection of Jesus Christ—not as an outward cleansing, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience.
1 Peter 3,20-21
20who long ago were disobedient, while God waited patiently in the days of Noah as the ark was being built. In it only a few—eight souls in all—were brought safely through the water.
ἀπειθήσασίν ποτε ὅτε ἀπεξεδέχετο ἡ τοῦ θεοῦ μακροθυμία ἐν ἡμέραις Νῶε κατασκευαζομένης κιβωτοῦ εἰς ἣν ⸀ὀλίγοι, τοῦτʼ ἔστιν ὀκτὼ ψυχαί, διεσώθησαν διʼ ὕδατος.
21And this water symbolizes the baptism that now saves you as well—not the removal of dirt from the body, but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
ὃ ⸂καὶ ὑμᾶς ἀντίτυπον νῦν⸃ σῴζει βάπτισμα, οὐ σαρκὸς ἀπόθεσις ῥύπου ἀλλὰ συνειδήσεως ἀγαθῆς ἐπερώτημα εἰς θεόν, διʼ ἀναστάσεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ,