A Brief History of Old Testament Times (Part II)
Some secular critics cite the long lives claimed for the ancients as proof against authenticity. They claim that primitive cultures tend to exaggerate the life spans of their distant ancestors and gradually reduce them for their less distant ancestors. However, in Genesis, there is no gradual reduction in the lifespans of the ancients. Rather the lifespans are reduced in discreet steps that halve the lives of these people precisely at the times of major catastrophic changes in the environment. This is compatible with what we know about the response of longevity to environmental conditions and is unlikely to have been a literary invention of a primitive culture.
For example, Noah actually lived a few years longer than Adam. No gradual reduction there. There was some variation, of course. Methuselah lived longer than either of them. Lamech had a shorter life. And then there was Enoch. But he was a special case. Generally speaking, lifetimes in the period before the flood were fairly consistent at about 900 to 950 years old. The ages of the pre-flood people are not wild exaggerations given in huge round numbers, but are precise. “969” not “1000” or even “970” is the age of Methuselah.
Shem, who lived for his first 98 years in the pre-flood environment, lived to be 600 years old. He was an exception for those living after the flood. Beginning with the very first people to be born after the flood, the lifespan of man was cut in half. Most of these people lived to be around 450 years old. A few generations later, the earth was divided. This is not a reference to the
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