Longevity

Longevity The Biblical narrative plainly ascribes to many individuals in the earlier history of the race lives far longer than what is held to be the present extreme limit, and we must therefore carefully consider the evidence upon which the general correctness of the numbers rests, and any independent evidence as to the length of life at this time. The statements in the Bible regarding longevity may be separated into two classes those given in genealogical lists, and those interspersed with the relation of events.

I. To the former class virtually belong all the statements relating to the longevity of the patriarchs before Abraham. These, as given by Moses in the Hebrew text, are as follows:

Infidelity has not failed, in various ages, to attack revelation on the score of the supposed absurdity of assigning to any class of men this lengthened term of existence. In reference to this, Josephus (Ant. 1:3, 3) remarks: "Let no one, upon comparing the lives of the ancients with our lives, and with the few years which we now live, think that what we say of them is false, or make the shortness of our lives at present an argument that neither did they attain to so long a duration of life." When we consider the compensating process which is going on, the marvel is that the human frame should not last longer than it does. Some, however, have supposed that the years above named are lunar, consisting of about thirty days; but this supposition, with a view to reduce the lives of the antediluvians to our standard, is replete with difficulties. At this rate, the whole time from the creation of man to the flood would not be more than about 140 years; and Methuselah himself would not have attained to the age which many even now do, whilst many must have had children when mere infants! Moses must therefore have meant solar, not lunar years — averaging as long as ours, although the ancients generally reckoned twelve months, of thirty days each, to the year. "Nor is there," observes St. Augustine (De Civ. Dei, 15:12), "any care to be given unto those who think that one of our ordinary years would make ten of the years of these times, being so short; and therefore, say they, 900 years of theirs are 90 of ours — their 10 is our 1, and their 100 our 10. Thus think they that Adam was but 20 years old when he begat Seth, and he but 201 when he begat Enos, whom the Scriptures call (the Sept. ver.) 205 years. For, as these men hold, the Scripture divided one year into ten parts, calling each part a year; and each part had a sixfold quadrate, because in six days God made the world. Now 6 times 6 is 36, which, multiplied by 10, makes 360 — i.e., twelve lunar months." Abarbanel, in his Comment. on Genesis v, states that some, professing Christianity, had fallen into the same mistake, viz. that Moses meant lunar, and not solar years. Ecclesiastical history does not inform us of this fact, except it be to it that Lactantius refers (2:12) when he speaks of one Varro: "The life of man, though temporary, was yet extended to 1000 years; of this Varro is so ignorant that, though known to all from the sacred writings, he would argue that the 1000 years of Moses were, according to the Egyptian mode of calculation, only 1000 months!" That the ancients computed time differently we learn from Pliny (Hist. Nat. 7), and also from Scaliger (De Emend. Temporum, 1); still this does not alter the case as above stated (see Heidegger, De Anno Patriarcharum, in his Hist. Patr. Amst. 1688, Zir. 1729).