OK I'm a boring geek, who actually finds graphs really interesting.
I am also unsurprisingly being led to read Genesis in January by my Bible reading plan.
I had always made an assumption about the ages of the humanity declining at a fairly steady pace from Adam onwards. But no! Slightly more careful reading has made me realise that the decline in ages only really starts following Noah.
What do you think the significance of that is?
My feeling is that we are being told that Ham/Noah cause a second fall. And being more subtle perhaps Babel is then a third fall ('the name of the one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided'). The genealogy of Genesis 5 relates the affects of the Fall by the refrain 'and he died'. The genealogy of Genesis 11 relates the affects of the second major fall (I think there are several further falls in Genesis 4) by the drop off in ages.
Here are the ages according to the ESV:
Adam: 930 yearsSeth: 912 years
Enosh: 905 years
Kenan: 910 years
Mahalalel: 895 years
Jared: 962 years
Enoch: 365+ years
Methuselah: 969 years
Lamech: 777 years
Noah: 950 years
Shem: 600 years
Arpachshad: 458 years
Shelah: 433 years
Eber: 464 years
Peleg: 239 years
Reu: 239 years
Serug: 230 years
Nahor: 148 years
Terah: 205 years
Abraham: 175 years
Isaac: 180 years
Jacob: 147 years
This loss of longevity was partially due to genetic deterioration on the part of the post-diluvian peoples.
ReplyDeleteRemember, there was only a gene-pool of 8 people after the flood (although it was very healthy, information-rich genes!)
The highly acclaimed novel, "The Days of Peleg" addresses this and other issues within the guise of an action-adventure epic of Sumerian mythology and ancient technologies.
Longevity is a trait just like hair-color or height, and it slowly became a "recessive" one.
Interesting idea. Why was there no genetic deterioration with before the flood though. Adam's immediate descendants also had a very small gene-pool but show no real shortening of their life-span.
ReplyDeleteAlso, while there may well be genetic reasons, God was is always working through them, and given that his judgment has to be part of any explanation even if it does include 'natural' causes.
Or so I would think.
Sorry that comment needed proof-reading. Hopefully you get what I mean though.
ReplyDeleteI've heard it said that the pre-flood world was like a greenhouse and that everything lived longer (humans, plants, reptiles, animals). The flood released the water above and the springs below getting rid of this protective "greenhouse canopy", thus all life-spans were dramatically shortened.
ReplyDeletejust a thought.
I stand corrected:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.answersingenesis.org/home/area/tools/flood-waters.asp
Hi Junior,
ReplyDeleteGood to hear from you.
Thanks for your thoughts. To be honest the immediate physical 'why' doesn't concern or interest me as much as the ultimate spiritual reason 'why'. So any genetic, geological, metrological, biological etc answer seems to me like only half the answer. What does God want me to know about him? ... that is the big question... everything else are only useful as far as they serve that goal.