The Highway Forums General Discussion Open Forum How old were the Saints in Genesis

Ok I have just got through reading "Gleanings in Exodus" by Arthur Pink, and It was so good I thought I would read "Gleanings in Genesis"

In reading through Genesis a few times it occurred to me that the Greeks gave us the 365 day year, which occurred much after Moses day, so when he talks about people (not just Saints I suppose) living 900 years old what kind of year are we talking about?

I will also say if someone asked me this question my first thought would be that they were trying to explain away a biblical truth. But that is not my intention, If you tell me that a calendar year was 1200 days long I would be just as fine believing that as I would anything, I belive it is clear that they lived much longer than us. Anyway, my question is honest, and if the answer is in Mr. Pink's book I haven't found it yet

Thanks in advanced for all input <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/ClapHands.gif" alt="" />

Ancient cultures had no problem determining that the year was a little bit longer than 365 days; anyone with curiosity and patience can do the same now by watching the sun rise (or set) from a fixed spot every day, marking the spot over which it rises/sets, and continuing until the sun, crossing a particular spot and moving in the same direction as it did the first time, returns to the same spot. The number of days elapsed will be one year.

Much of the variety of actual calendars, however, grew out of attempts to overcome two major difficulties: 1) the 365+a-little-bit was not as mathematically-friendly number as the nearby 360 (which is easily divisible by 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12 (good for months), 15, 18, 30, 36, 40, 45, 60, 72, 90, 120 and 180), and 2) the lunar calendar, which had the advantage of parts of months being easily and immediately recognizable by the visual shape of the moon, could not be coerced into either 365+a-little-bit or 360 day years.

The point is that the length of the solar year in Moses' day was indistinguishable from our own reckoning, so the Genesis ages should be understood in terms of years as we understand them.

I do remember, but without access to links, that a number of creation scientists posit a natural cause that may have been employed by the Lord to rapidly reduce human ages between the pre- and post-Flood generations. They believe there would have been a huge increase in solar radiation reaching the earth's surface after much of the water vapor in the pre-Flood atmosphere fell to earth, resulting in far more rapid aging than previously.

Thought something was funny about that post.

360 is also evenly divisible by 20 and 24.

Thanks for that input, I did assume that a year in Moses day would have probably been close to what ours is, but i was just wondering if anyone had ever reached this and found exactly what year he was probably referring to, you know a Hebrew year, or an Egyptian year ect. and exactly how long they would have been. (guess I should have been more specific)

I will tell you this to, I heard a creationist talking about "Nutcracker Man" (on of the XXXmillion year old missing links) and he showed picture of toddlers's skull then a picture of a 80 year old mans skull as you can imagine there was a lot of difference. Then to showed a exaggerated time laps to show what the skull of a 600 year old man would look like, and what you saw was the skull of Nutcracker Man. Watching that show gave me chills, to realize that someone has found one of the skulls of the pre flood people just blew me away, then the fact that they called him Nutcracker Man in a effort to deny God just angered me.

Thanks again