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Something I noticed the other day: Genesis 6:3 says, "My Spirit will not contend with humans forever, for they are mortal; their days will be a hundred and twen

by espeed 14y ago

Something I noticed the other day: Genesis 6:3 says, "My Spirit will not contend with humans forever, for they are mortal; their days will be a hundred and twenty years" (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+6%3A1-4&version=NIV http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+6%3A1-4&...). Interestingly, if you look at the list of the verified oldest people, only one is over 120 years (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_verified_oldest_people http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_verified_oldest_peo...).

rmserror 14y ago
What is this an argument for? Sure, this argues against a literal interpretation of the truth of the Bible, as somebody has lived more than 120 years. If I start another religious cult and claim that humans won't live for more than 130 years, am I suddenly more valid? What exactly is your point here?
- sotdan 14y ago
  The parent comment might just be pointing out an amusing coincidence.
Niten 14y ago
The christian bible also claims that a man gathered every species from the earth and saved them from an angry god's globe-encompassing flood by stuffing them all in a big boat. What point are you trying to make, exactly?
- invalidOrTaken 14y ago
  Who says he's trying to make a point? This is something that I, as a religious hacker, find pretty cool (even if I am browsing HN from church). No one's saying this "proves" anything. No one's trying to convert anyone here, and no one's threatened anyone with hellfire and damnation or whatever. Can't we just go, "Oh, cool," and move on?
steveplace 14y ago
Job 42:16-17 "After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation."
tptacek 14y ago
The Old Testament also suggests Abraham lived to 175; Genesis says Enoch lived to over 360. Given BCE life expectancy I think it's safe to interpret all these numbers as "poetically large" and leave it at that. :)
- kamaal 14y ago
  Average life expectancy during those days won't give a good picture of things. Infant mortality was real high and those lived long, lived real long. A lot of them died in epidemics and wars.
- espeed 14y ago
  Hi Thomas - Yeah, and Methuselah was said to live to 969. There's some commentary on that here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longevity_myths#Hebrew_Bible http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longevity_myths#Hebrew_Bible).
1123581321 14y ago
Yes, it's a good clue that we can live much longer than we do. The author of Genesis would not have written that if it was completely unknown. We also know from Roman records that we have only just reached their lifespans, and still they were healthy for a longer percentage of their lives than we are (infant mortality aside.) It's not unreasonable to think that even the Roman lifespan was a decline from that of earlier civilizations like the Hebrews.
VMG 14y ago
So - it is wrong?

by espeed 14y ago

rmserror 14y ago

What is this an argument for? Sure, this argues against a literal interpretation of the truth of the Bible, as somebody has lived more than 120 years. If I start another religious cult and claim that humans won't live for more than 130 years, am I suddenly more valid? What exactly is your point here?

sotdan 14y ago
The parent comment might just be pointing out an amusing coincidence.

Niten 14y ago

The christian bible also claims that a man gathered every species from the earth and saved them from an angry god's globe-encompassing flood by stuffing them all in a big boat. What point are you trying to make, exactly?

invalidOrTaken 14y ago
Who says he's trying to make a point? This is something that I, as a religious hacker, find pretty cool (even if I am browsing HN from church). No one's saying this "proves" anything. No one's trying to convert anyone here, and no one's threatened anyone with hellfire and damnation or whatever. Can't we just go, "Oh, cool," and move on?

steveplace 14y ago

Job 42:16-17 "After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation."

tptacek 14y ago

The Old Testament also suggests Abraham lived to 175; Genesis says Enoch lived to over 360. Given BCE life expectancy I think it's safe to interpret all these numbers as "poetically large" and leave it at that. :)

kamaal 14y ago
Average life expectancy during those days won't give a good picture of things. Infant mortality was real high and those lived long, lived real long. A lot of them died in epidemics and wars.
espeed 14y ago
Hi Thomas - Yeah, and Methuselah was said to live to 969. There's some commentary on that here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longevity_myths#Hebrew_Bible http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longevity_myths#Hebrew_Bible).

1123581321 14y ago

Yes, it's a good clue that we can live much longer than we do. The author of Genesis would not have written that if it was completely unknown. We also know from Roman records that we have only just reached their lifespans, and still they were healthy for a longer percentage of their lives than we are (infant mortality aside.) It's not unreasonable to think that even the Roman lifespan was a decline from that of earlier civilizations like the Hebrews.

VMG 14y ago

So - it is wrong?