Why lived people described in Genesis so long ?

[Jana Jiráková]

Noe lived according to Genesis for 950 years. Somebody asked this question here recently, but unfortunately I can´t find the thread anymore
I wanted to hear some ideas and comments why and how was this possible. I believe it was possible, because the scientists who are trying to "read" the DNA code found one marker gene which causes the decay of human body and we die. They hope that changing of this gene would enable people to live for a long time. And they say that this gene hasn´t been a part of the DNA code from the beginning but seems to have been added later (and God limited human age to 120 years in Genesis).
Second explanation of the long life that I have read was that because space is expanding time is "slowing down" - so our year could be longer than "year" in the time of Genesis.
I know it sounds crazy, but I am honestly trying to find the truth and if I should believe something, I can´t have doubts. This wouldn´t be true faith, would be ? And my time for finding the truth is maybe running out now

 

[ProScribe]

Are you asking for the advice of a bible scholar? . .

 

[Coralie]

I know it sounds crazy, but I am honestly trying to find the truth and if I should believe something, I can´t have doubts. This wouldn´t be true faith, would be ? And my time for finding the truth is maybe running out now

Hi Jana. I just want to point something out, about the bolded part: you are always going to have doubts! I just want you to be prepared for that! I don't personally know anyone who never doubts their Christianity or the existence of God -- maybe such people do exist, but most people have doubts always.

Regarding Noah, I think the things you pointed out could all be true. You're never going to find the ultimate answer though, only opinions! What's important is that you find an explanation that helps you understand God and His plan better. Also, that you accept you're never going to have ALL the answers; there are going to be parts of faith that are mysterious. This teaches you to let go of control and allow God to be in charge.

God bless xxxx

 

[jckstraw72]

i think the concept of time slowing down makes no sense at all -- it applies a physicality and essence to time that it doesn't actually have. time existed before the sun, so its not dependent upon the movements of the earth and sun or whatever. time is simply a measurement, its not something that can slow down and speed up - it doesnt have velocity.

 

[Look Up]

If I recall correctly, some believe the genealogy of Genesis 5 has gaps so that a whole line is represented by a single name with the whole period given a single time frame. This view I doubt at least because the "and he lived so many years and begat" language seems contrary to the view.

More plausibly so far as I know, the antediluvian environment may have had a greater atmospheric pressure (water above the expanse, 1:7) or otherwise have been more favorable to longevity, as perhaps suggested by the apparent comparative decline in longevity after the flood. And/or perhaps the effects of the curse on the ground came to greater fruition over time.

For what it may be worth, in pristine conditions the bristle cone pines in the White Mountains of California have been known to live for four thousand years while specimens in smog-infested California cities may die at a mere 200.

Of course none of this may in fact explain the remarkable difference in human longevity between Genesis 5 and other parts of recorded history, not that there is much other contemporary recorded history with which to compare to the Genesis 5 era. I only imply that the Genesis 5 human ages need not be dismissed in cavalier fashion and may in fact be plausible.

Perhaps more to the point is the credence Jesus placed in the text of Genesis, even within the creation account. That is, the reliability of Genesis 5 seems inextricably linked with one's view of the nature of Jesus.

 

[Ortho_Cat]

Noe lived according to Genesis for 950 years. Somebody asked this question here recently, but unfortunately I can´t find the thread anymore
I wanted to hear some ideas and comments why and how was this possible. I believe it was possible, because the scientists who are trying to "read" the DNA code found one marker gene which causes the decay of human body and we die. They hope that changing of this gene would enable people to live for a long time. And they say that this gene hasn´t been a part of the DNA code from the beginning but seems to have been added later (and God limited human age to 120 years in Genesis).
Second explanation of the long life that I have read was that because space is expanding time is "slowing down" - so our year could be longer than "year" in the time of Genesis.
I know it sounds crazy, but I am honestly trying to find the truth and if I should believe something, I can´t have doubts. This wouldn´t be true faith, would be ? And my time for finding the truth is maybe running out now

I believe that the years lived are symbolic and convey some higher meaning rather than the literal interpretation.

 

[buzuxi02]

After God put the limit of human age to 120 years in Gen 6.4, there was a gradual decline in life span. The human flesh because of sinful use and abuse of the human body could no longer sustain such longevity. By Moses time he wrote, "As for the days our years, there span is 70 years, but if we stay strong possibly 80. And most of them are in labor and pain."(Psalm 90.10)

 

[Protoevangel]

Some people try to oppose symbolic with literal. This is unnecessary and foolish. They are not opposed.

 

[jckstraw72]

Some people try to oppose symbolic with literal. This is unnecessary and foolish. They are not opposed.

God bless you!

 

[ArmyMatt]

I don't think it's like that. keeping in mind that sin is a disease, the more sin and corruption are on the earth, the less man could draw to God. so back then, someone like Noah was very close to God, lived a long time because he drew near to the very God that is Life. you notice that the more Genesis goes along, the further man distances himself from God, the shorter his life span.

remember that we are created for immortality, and we constantly throw it aside for the things that perish.

 

[Ortho_Cat]

Some people try to oppose symbolic with literal. This is unnecessary and foolish. They are not opposed.

They do not have to be mutually exclusive, but they can be.

 

[Jana Jiráková]

I don´t know. I would be careful to take the meaning of the years symbolically. If I say about one thing, it´s a symbol of something else, than the rest of the Bible could have such a symbolic meaning as well. Then it would means it must exist some kind of a "key" to the secrets of the symbolic meanings ?? And the question would also be, why did the author(s) (intentionally or not) hide the true meaning ? I know it´s crazy, but isn´t it probable, that the life span was so long as it is written (just have no explanation how and why) - when a simple tree can grow for thousands of years, why not man ??? Or not ??? I don´t know.

 

[jckstraw72]

well they key to understanding the Scriptures -- which parts are literal, which are symbolic, which are both - is the Church! Look to the Fathers, the Councils, the icons, they hymns etc for such matters. The Fathers accepted the literal level of Genesis as being historically accurate, and that these people really did live this long.

 

[Jana Jiráková]

well they key to understanding the Scriptures -- which parts are literal, which are symbolic, which are both - is the Church! Look to the Fathers, the Councils, the icons, they hymns etc for such matters. The Fathers accepted the literal level of Genesis as being historically accurate, and that these people really did live this long.

I agree that Church might serve as a "guide" since it contains so many people which maybe guarantees to some extent that the opinion or explanation of the church is reliable and that the individual misunderstandings could be coped with.
But I hoped that the "key" is some kind of "illumination" after which you will gain the understanding and insight.
I am sure there were people in the Bible who must have had this kind of understanding.
When I attended (many years ago) the protestant church, they told me, that after I become a believer, I will be (after baptism) filled with the Holy Spirit and this will mean i will understand. I don´t know. I don´t think this happened. I didn´t see any change then. But they have had nice Bible study sessions.
Now I hope I will meet some EO faith Christian here (since the priest I know is quite busy and I don´t want to bother him).

I have read a nice book about the first chapters of Genesis written by an archaeologist. He claims that the story is true. He says that the first people recorded their stories and genealogies on clay tablets which were carried by them and kept as a "family treasure" and that this means the sources are original and reliable.
They wrote down probably the "core infos" which were important for them to give over to their children so it won´t be forgotten and thus didn´t bother with many details or the details were so well known to the first people that it was unnecessarily to write them down.
I wish I could talk to Adam wonder what would he say.
Because I am sure there are answers for all the "why" questions, I just don´t see them clear enough.
So I am grateful for every single answer or opinion I get here, and thankful that people here don´t see it as stupid and bothering.

 

[jckstraw72]

I agree that Church might serve as a "guide" since it contains so many people which maybe guarantees to some extent that the opinion or explanation of the church is reliable and that the individual misunderstandings could be coped with.
But I hoped that the "key" is some kind of "illumination" after which you will gain the understanding and insight.
I am sure there were people in the Bible who must have had this kind of understanding.
When I attended (many years ago) the protestant church, they told me, that after I become a believer, I will be (after baptism) filled with the Holy Spirit and this will mean i will understand. I don´t know. I don´t think this happened. I didn´t see any change then. But they have had nice Bible study sessions.
Now I hope I will meet some EO faith Christian here (since the priest I know is quite busy and I don´t want to bother him).

I have read a nice book about the first chapters of Genesis written by an archaeologist. He claims that the story is true. He says that the first people recorded their stories and genealogies on clay tablets which were carried by them and kept as a "family treasure" and that this means the sources are original and reliable.
They wrote down probably the "core infos" which were important for them to give over to their children so it won´t be forgotten and thus didn´t bother with many details or the details were so well known to the first people that it was unnecessarily to write them down.
I wish I could talk to Adam wonder what would he say.
Because I am sure there are answers for all the "why" questions, I just don´t see them clear enough.
So I am grateful for every single answer or opinion I get here, and thankful that people here don´t see it as stupid and bothering.

you are correct, illumination is the ultimate key to the Scripture! - that is precisely why the Fathers are keys to the Scriptures - bc they were illumined, but you of course can also seek illumination. the writers of Scripture were inspired by God when they wrote, so we too must be inspired by God to properly understand the Scriptures - it requires purity of heart to clearly see the meaning of Scripture. until the time when we obtain personal purity, we have the Church to guide us, and of course even after attaining purity we must continue to seek the wisdom and guidance of the Church.

 

[rusmeister]

I know it sounds crazy, but I am honestly trying to find the truth and if I should believe something, I can´t have doubts. This wouldn´t be true faith, would be ? And my time for finding the truth is maybe running out now

Hi, Jana, and dobry dan!
(Mluvim nemoc cesky, i moc russki)
I would say that you certainly CAN have doubts. Faith is a choice to believe in spite of doubts, so you can have doubts, and if you still choose to believe, then your faith is "true".
Just remember the Gospel story of the man who said, "I believe, Lord, help my unbelief!"

When we exhort people to Faith as a virtue, to the settled intention of continuing to believe certain things, we are not exhorting them to fight against reason. The intention of continuing to believe is required because, though Reason is divine, human reasoners are not. When once passion takes part in the game, the human reason, unassisted by Grace, has about as much chance of retaining its hold on truths already gained as a slowflake has of retaining its consistency in the mouth of a blast furnace. The sort of arguments against Christianity which our reason can be persuaded to accept at the moment of yielding to temptation are often preposterous. Reason may win truths; without Faith she will retain them just so long as Satan pleases. There is nothing we cannot be made to believe or disbelieve. If we wish to be rational, not now and then, but constantly, we must pray for the gift of Faith, for the power to go on believing not in the teeth of reason but in the teeth of lust and terror and jealousy and boredom and indifference that which reason, authority, or experience, or all three, have once delivered to us for truth.

 

[Look Up]

Genesis 5 patriarch ages symbolic? Possibly. But symbolic of what? And on what evidence are they symbolic? The text as it stands seems interested in linking Adam to Noah, who clearly becomes an Adam-like figure. Noah is also linked to God's creation way back in the beginning. Arguably the text of Genesis 5 is also concerned to show the fulfillment of Adam's sin and God's curse in the repeating refrain of every generation, "And he died."

I suppose it is significant that Enoch "who walked with God" is the seventh member of the list, since seven is a symbolic number--as in their own way are three, twelve, and forty. (Commandment lists in the books of Moses typically appear in groups that number in multiples of seven.) But then why ten recorded generations between Adam and Noah? I would have expected fourteen or other multiple of seven.

But otherwise the years of age and years at the birth of the next generation recorded appears in apparently matter-of-fact and unremarkable manner. No commentary explaining longevity or years at death is ever offered. If there is a significance to those numbers beyond that, I cannot find clues in the text to confirm it, and other contemporary literature (if any is extant, but where confirming evidence might be discovered) is scarce (someone may fill me in here). Admittedly I have not tried mathematical patterns, but neither have I heard or read of any proposed, and I think such patterns are suspect unless obvious.

Granted the age at death for Joseph and Joshua at 110 (neither more nor less) is significant in Egyptian literature of those days, possibly representing evidence of the blessings of the gods, but that hardly seems relevant to Genesis 5.