Long-Living Legends
According to the book of Genesis, the Antediluvian (pre-flood) humans once lived extraordinarily long. Adam was 130 when he had his first son Seth who lived to 912. Seth’s great-great-great-great-grandson, Methuselah, is the oldest man on the biblical record— dying at the ripe old age of 969.
For perspective, 969 years ago from the point of this writing (Monday, November 27, 2023) was Monday, November 27, 1054 A.D. If mankind had continued to live that long through the modern era, Christopher Columbus would still be alive today and wouldn’t die for another 400 years!
How The Ancients Aged
Some have speculated that a canopy made up of water vapor once surrounded the earth but then it collapsed at the time of the flood. Interestingly, five of the nine planets in our solar system have thick cloud canopies including Venus which is closest to earth in both size and distance. The water canopy before the flood could have been attributed to the long lifespans of early humans by blocking out harmful radiation and producing higher oxygen levels, much like a greenhouse.
This could also be the reason why people post-flood slowly began to live shorter lives like Terah, the father of Abraham, who lived for only 205 years.The atmosphere would not only have added many years to life, but it was also conducive for massive growth. Everything from plants to animals were larger versions of their modern counterparts. For instance, fossils of Glyptodons (ancient relative to the armadillo) could weigh around 4,000 pounds and reach lengths of 5 feet.
Non-Canonical Coincidences
The Sumerian King List records the lengths of reigns of the kings of Sumer. The initial section deals with kings before the Flood and it begins with their oldest rulers reigning for thousands of years but their later kings live significantly shorter. While the Bible doesn’t mention anyone living for thousands of years, it’s intriguing to find more ancients who have documented such lengthy lifespans— even if exaggerated.
In ancient Persian legend, the fourth king of the world was a man named Jamshid and he was said to have reigned for 700 years. He was a great inventor and during his reign people neither sickened nor aged.
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