The great age of some of the Biblical characters

[JJ50]

Is there any evidence to suggest that people lived a lot longer in Biblical times than people do today? For instance Abraham was supposedly 175 when he died. It doesn't seem credible that people would have lived as long as the Bible claims they did. Have any skeletons been dug up from those days which prove this to be true?

[Zzyzx]

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[Replying to post 1 by JJ50]

Abraham was a mere snip of a lad if he died at only 175. According to Bible tales many lived far longer.

Noah 950 years (Genesis 9:29)
Adam 930 (Genesis 5:5)
Seth 912 (Genesis 5:8)
Enosh 905 (Genesis 5:11)
Kenan 910 (Genesis 5:14)
Mahalalel 895 (Genesis 5:17)
Jared 962 (Genesis 5:20)
Lamech 777 (Genesis 5:21)

Could those age figures be just a bit exaggerated, or mythical, or fantasy?

Evidence of longevity? Bible tales -- nothing else to my knowledge

[SallyF]

Biblically, the first human male was created by the Jehovah god, from mud, in 4004 BCE. https://answersingenesis.org/bible-time ... n-4004-bc/

The first human female was created by the Jehovah god from one of the male's ribs.

Biblically, the planet's first two humans were immortal.

Then there was the incident between the mother of all living and a talking serpent.

So, because of that quiveringly delightful notion, SIN, humans went from being immortal and disease-free (apparently we didn't even menstruate) to a lifespan only a millennium of so from about 6,000 years ago.

Then there was more sin and Jehovah exercised his parental right to drown most of his children and keep a few of his favourites, and the lifespan was reduced to a mere 120 years.

Given the total absence of evidence for any of this.

And the vast amounts of evidence against it.

It's safe to conclude that the biblical writings right here are NOT the word of a god - let alone the word of God.

[JJ50]

[Replying to post 3 by SallyF]

I agree.

[Willum]

One must remember the Bible stories were the Middle-Easter equivalent of Greek Myths.

These people with long live and magic powers were essentially Middle Easrter 'Titans.'

Living a long time was admirable. The maturity of Rebecca was admirable.

These Titans become men with Abraham and Sarah.

Do you wonder why Judaism has materlinearity?
Do you wonder why they started having human lifespans with Jacob and Esau?

It is all answered in the name Isarael.

I is a prefix meaning "from."
Sara means well, Sarah, or Asere, for Astereth - but that just complicates things and
El, meaning god.

Israel,thus means, "from the goddess Sarah."

Sarah gave birth to the line of people who became Israel, with human lifespans.

Neat huh? All of Hebrew myth explained in one word.

[JehovahsWitness]

Noah 950 years (Genesis 9:29)
Adam 930 (Genesis 5:5)
Seth 912 (Genesis 5:8)
Enosh 905 (Genesis 5:11)
Kenan 910 (Genesis 5:14)
Mahalalel 895 (Genesis 5:17)
Jared 962 (Genesis 5:20)
Lamech 777 (Genesis 5:21)

CAN THE BIBLICAL PATRIARCHS REALLY HAVE LIVED AS LONG AS THE BIBLE STATES?

• ANSWER Yes, indeed given the design of the human body, the real mystery is why we die at all. Every cell in the human body renews itself after specific periods of time. Indeed the body you have now is essentially not the same body you had 5 years ago. If you had a car that replaced every part of its engine and body every 5 years how long would you say the car would last? Clearly the human body was designed to be able to live forever.
  
  The mystery is at a certain point some yet to be explained mechanism kicks in and the cells start to renew less efficiently, less often, we call this "aging" ... and this continues until eventually the body ceases to function at all (we call this death). Why the cells do not continue to renew at maximum capacity is the mystery.

Given the above there is no valid reason not to conclude that our present relatively short lifespan is the anomally and the result of some kind of malfunction and the biblical narrative an accurate reflection of our original state.



JW


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[SallyF]

The mystery is at a certain point some yet explained mechanism kicks in and the cells start to renew less efficiently, less often, we call this "aging" ... and this continues until eventually the body ceases to function at all (we call this death). Why the cells do not continue to renew at maximum capacity is the mystery.[/list]

Given the above there is no valid reason not to conclude that our present relatively short lifespan is the anomally and the result of some kind of malfunction and the biblical narrative an accurate reflection of our original state.

We can't explain it, so, I know ...!!!

"God" did it.

And we don't need to worry about evidence and testing and all that sort of nuisance stuff ...

We have "faith".

The "God of the Gaps" imaginings, and the insistence on so-called "scripture", are just some of the reasons this New Atheist considers all religions fraudulent.

[Willum]

[Replying to post 6 by JehovahsWitness]

Can the Bible patriarchs really have lived that long?
No!
The cellular biology you referenced is entirely fantastic, just like talking snakes, a mythical evolution that allows your mom to be a monkey, or gods and angels to be genetically compatible with men.
Where do you get your information? How can you be comfortable presenting these falsehoods? Even granting Noah and other patriarchs, can you show anyone else who lived that long? Grave records, bones, or was it just a few or the Hebrew who lived that long?
Mice have the same regenerative properties, why dont we see them living a hundred years? How about 20?
Or is it because only men can be magical.

[Eloi]

[Replying to post 9 by JJ50]

That must be because "some people", like myself, don't have any reason to consider non-credible what Bible says. Maybe you could have a better idea of what the Bible really is. Bible is not a simple book; it is a whole collection of books, written in a period of 1500 years by different persons, all of them wrote about experiences they had in their own time or other information they had from their ancestors. Maybe if you take note of the whole significance and history of the Bible, you will consider it more seriously than you do. Some people think the Bible is just an old book someone wrote, like any other book that someone else wrote about legends, myths, or so ... that is not true. There are enough reasons to trust in what Bible says.

[Zzyzx]

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That must be because "some people", like myself, don't have any reason to consider non-credible what Bible says.

Do 'some people like yourself' regard as credible the many tales of people living over 750 years?