Many accounts in the early Torah/Old Testament indicate that early humans had multi-hundred year life spans. By later years, and certainly no later than New Testament times, we see humans with lifespans more comparable to our own. Is there a specific point in the Bible where we can see this shift? Are there Talmudic commentaries that explain why this shift occurred? Was the shift gradual or sudden?
And, of course, non-JudeoChristians can answer, but I'm looking specifically for this shift. In fact, just pretend like I'm talking about the story of the Bible, and conducting literary analysis--I'm looking for, within the context of that story, when the shift occurred, and what the "author's" reasoning for the shift was.
2007-05-29 04:39:13 · 14 answers · asked by Qwyrx 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
It's in genesis. It says that from that point no man shall live past 120 years
Gen 6:3
And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. (KJV)
Amazing, I can get thumbs down for posting verbatim.
2007-05-29 04:47:01 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
We (Judeo-Christians) believe that after the flood is when lifespans started to become shorter. Some believe in the canopy effect (water layer around the earth) that existed in the world before the flood. That would have made most of the word as a big tropical like environment. We also beleive that the water layer collapsed and this is part of what caused the flood. The world after the flood did not contain the canopy layer and so the rays from the sun were much more dangerous and so lifespans shortened. Yes this is an unproven theory...but so is evolution.
2007-05-29 04:48:35 · answer #2 · answered by mxcardinal 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The canopy disappeared after the world-wide flood. This is why the polar caps froze over the Mammoths and palm trees.
This also wiped out the filter of harmful rays from the Sun. Now we are pierced through on a daily basis and our bodies are literally like Swiss-Cheese from all the harmful radiation. This is when the death rate fell to an average of 70 years for mankind.
2007-05-29 04:56:42 · answer #3 · answered by realchurchhistorian 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It has been getting shorter since the fall of Man when death entered our destiny. Man was originally created immortal.
It has been a gradual but steady change in lifespan to a shorter life. The reason is that our genetic makeup began to change from the immortal being of which we were created to a mortal being. The loss of the genetic purity of immortality is the cause as we see now in the allele frequency of genetic mutation which mankind's fall put into motion.
In Christ
Fr. Joseph
2007-05-29 04:51:05 · answer #4 · answered by cristoiglesia 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have read and I believe that it was after the Great Flood that man's lifespan diminished. There was no longer a protective layer of water above the earth, (The Bible says it fell in the Flood) thus the atmosphere and all elements in nature as a result would be different. The Old Testament also mentions a specific time that God told man that his life span would be shorter.
2007-05-29 04:47:35 · answer #5 · answered by MamaMia 4 · 2⤊ 2⤋
Yes, you are right. In the Old Testament ...in Genesis God states..."my Spirit will not always strive with man..and there fore reduces his lifespan to 120 years Maximum. Before that time people lived much longer.
Then GOD said, "I'm not going to breathe life into men and women endlessly. Eventually they're going to die; from now on they can expect a life span of 120 years."
2007-05-29 04:50:43 · answer #6 · answered by Eartha Q 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The shift was gradual. There was no death or illness in the garden until Adam sinned. Then the affects of sin grew from year to year shortening man's life. To understand this gradual shift you would have to read the Old Testament and discover the lessing of a man's lifespan.
2007-05-29 04:45:01 · answer #7 · answered by Fish <>< 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋
I wonder if years were divided in the same way as they are now back then. Humans can't live longer than about 110 years, the body just can't last a multi-hundred year lifespan.
2007-05-29 04:46:15 · answer #8 · answered by Stephanie C 2 · 2⤊ 1⤋
I'm not a scholar but I am a man of God
and from what I understand the change in life span occured after the flood of Noah.Why?I think it's a combination of God pedrmitting us to eat meat,not protein I mean killing animals to eat meat&the sinfulness of man.
2007-05-29 04:46:14 · answer #9 · answered by Maurice H 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋
The flood began the trend. Then I am thinking somewhere around Babel it finally came out to be shorter.
2007-05-29 04:44:35 · answer #10 · answered by Mr. A 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋