deepundergroundpoetry.com
How to Account for the "ENDLESS GENEALOGIES" in Genesis 5 and 11
We read that "All the days that Adam lived
Were 930 years.."(Genesis 5.5).
Then his son Seth lived "912 years.."(Gen. 5.8).
Then Enosh, Seth's son, lived "905 years"(Gen. 5.11).
Finally, Methuselah lived the longest: "969 years"(Gen. 5.27).
As truth-seeking Christians, are we to take
this too-good-to-be-true genealogical record seriously?!
Fortunately, the Apostle Paul comes to the rescue.
He says,"Don't occupy [yourselves] with..ENDLESS GENEALOGIES
that promote speculations rather than the divine training
that is known by faith"(1 Timothy 1.4).
What is he referring to by "endless genealogies"?!
Genealogies of ancestors who lived on and on and on,
For hundreds and hundreds of years,nearly endlessly!
In short, Paul is pointing to the amazing and
Fantastic genealogies in Genesis 5 and 11!
How can we make sense out of those lifespans?
First, we have to admit the written record
was preceded by the "oral tradition."
Yes, before the invention of writing,
Mankind tried to keep track of events
By having certain people spend all their time
Going over what had been passed on to them.
And then passing it on to their offspring.
Suppose Jack memorizes that John,
The Chieftain of the village, lived 70 years,
Followed by his son Tom who lived 80 years,
Succeeded by Willy who lived 60 years.
Then there's Kenny who lives 90 years.
You can see how quickly it would become impossible
to keep up with all the names and lengths of time!
The obvious solution would be
to keep track of the time periods,
While sacrificing the names involved.
So you have Chief John living 300 years,
Forget about Tom,Willy and Kenny!
John is then succeeded by Harry,
Who actually stands for 5 others besides himself.
Over time John is given credit for Harry's 400 years.
So John now lives 700 years instead of just 300.
The beauty of this system is that at least
Part of the history of the village is held onto.
Namely the length of time.
"Better half a loaf than none at all."
In conclusion, we can appreciate Genesis 5 and 11,
NOT on the basis of their accuracy.
Rather, because they are a valid fragment
Of mankind's childhood, our "prehistory,"
They represent "ORAL TRADITION,"
Man's first attempt to acquire knowledge!
If you keep a scrapbook of photos
And drawings made when you were a baby,
They serve as a link to the past.
Their value is in their pristine primitivity.
Ditto with Genesis 5 and 11,
They truly are sacred writings!
Were 930 years.."(Genesis 5.5).
Then his son Seth lived "912 years.."(Gen. 5.8).
Then Enosh, Seth's son, lived "905 years"(Gen. 5.11).
Finally, Methuselah lived the longest: "969 years"(Gen. 5.27).
As truth-seeking Christians, are we to take
this too-good-to-be-true genealogical record seriously?!
Fortunately, the Apostle Paul comes to the rescue.
He says,"Don't occupy [yourselves] with..ENDLESS GENEALOGIES
that promote speculations rather than the divine training
that is known by faith"(1 Timothy 1.4).
What is he referring to by "endless genealogies"?!
Genealogies of ancestors who lived on and on and on,
For hundreds and hundreds of years,nearly endlessly!
In short, Paul is pointing to the amazing and
Fantastic genealogies in Genesis 5 and 11!
How can we make sense out of those lifespans?
First, we have to admit the written record
was preceded by the "oral tradition."
Yes, before the invention of writing,
Mankind tried to keep track of events
By having certain people spend all their time
Going over what had been passed on to them.
And then passing it on to their offspring.
Suppose Jack memorizes that John,
The Chieftain of the village, lived 70 years,
Followed by his son Tom who lived 80 years,
Succeeded by Willy who lived 60 years.
Then there's Kenny who lives 90 years.
You can see how quickly it would become impossible
to keep up with all the names and lengths of time!
The obvious solution would be
to keep track of the time periods,
While sacrificing the names involved.
So you have Chief John living 300 years,
Forget about Tom,Willy and Kenny!
John is then succeeded by Harry,
Who actually stands for 5 others besides himself.
Over time John is given credit for Harry's 400 years.
So John now lives 700 years instead of just 300.
The beauty of this system is that at least
Part of the history of the village is held onto.
Namely the length of time.
"Better half a loaf than none at all."
In conclusion, we can appreciate Genesis 5 and 11,
NOT on the basis of their accuracy.
Rather, because they are a valid fragment
Of mankind's childhood, our "prehistory,"
They represent "ORAL TRADITION,"
Man's first attempt to acquire knowledge!
If you keep a scrapbook of photos
And drawings made when you were a baby,
They serve as a link to the past.
Their value is in their pristine primitivity.
Ditto with Genesis 5 and 11,
They truly are sacred writings!
Published 23rd May 2015
All writing remains the property of the author. Don't use it for any purpose without their permission.
likes 2
reading list entries 0
comments 2
reads 653
Commenting Preference:
The author is looking for friendly feedback.
It is acknowledged that many so-called supercentenarians are 'multiple-lives' (eg fathers and sons holding same names and titles). Also their years may not have been the 365 days length we are now used to. Your theory is a good addition to these.
Thanks so much for stopping by to communicate.I'm about to do another poem on Adam. It will be about how evolution clarifies the old idea of original sin, the idea that we inherit sinfulness from Adam.Evolution teaches that we have animality, urges, because we come from the animals. So it is from animals that we inherit our urges. So the Apostle Paul is right about sin being inherited, but wrong about just who the source is.
