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Antediluvian world
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The Antediluvian world existed before the Great flood of Noah. Humans had lived on Earth for close to 1500 years before God sent the flood and if the fossil record is indeed the result of this event, then one might reasonably expect evidence of antediluvian civilizations to be found deep in the strata, although some argue that when God said that He would "wipe mankind ... from the face of the earth" (Genesis 6:7 ), He meant that He would leave no trace.
It is believed by many creationists that humans originated at a high and noble state, and later declined. Many propose advanced stages of technological development were reached before the great flood. Such presuppositions are usually based on the Biblical genealogy, which states that ancient people lived to approximately 10 times our current life span. Also it is frequently mentioned that Adam and Eve would likely possess higher than normal intelligence since they were created as adults, with knowledge that subsequent humans obtain from their parents. Another theory states that the antediluvian race called the Nephilim was superior to other humans in this respect.
All accounts of the Great flood from civilizations around the world indicate that there were indeed civilizations before the flood. However, as a result of the destruction during the flood and the passage of time, the remaining evidence is scanty. As a result of the flood, the surface of the Earth was ripped up and was redeposited as hundreds of feet of sediment, and very little of the antediluvian horizon has been exposed. It is also problematic that much of the scientific community is quick to dismiss any artifacts that dispute their presupposed interpretation of the fossil record. Nevertheless, any truly advanced civilization would have left durable traces or constructions that would likely surface during excavations or by erosion. Relatively insightful accounts can be drawn from the Bible, apocrypha, and ancient Babylonian and Greek accounts of antediluvian civilizations.
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Historical accounts
Hebrew
The Book of Genesis provides only a skeletal description of antediluvian civilization. It reports that people routinely lived what is by today's standards extraordinary lengths of time, from 800-900 years each. It reports the founding of cities such as the founding of Enoch by Cain. Further, it reports that people at that time became extremely corrupt and violent, and ultimately were destroyed by God for their wickedness and violence.
Gilgamesh
In the Epic of Gilgamesh Tablet one, we are told that there were cities before the Flood, which were restored by Utanapishtim:
- "It was he [Gilgamesh] who reached by his own sheer strength Utanapishtim, the Faraway, who restored the sanctuaries (or: cities) that the Flood had destroyed!
Longevity
Is it really logical to expect monuments such as the pyramids or better from the civilizations that lived before the flood? Our technological development has occurred largely as a result of an ability to store and access large quantities of preexisting data. The knowledge possessed by any one person or even a hundred is insignificant in comparison to the libraries of previous learning that have now been obtained, and without which advancement to our level would not have happened. These libraries of knowledge did not begin to develop until the written word was invented, and no archaeological evidence of even the most primitive forms of writing have been discovered earlier than ancient Babylon which followed the Tower of Babel. Even several hundred years later, during the time of the Egyptians, only hieroglyphics were in use. [1]
The development of symbolic language seemingly coincides with the decline in human longevity. Perhaps it was the shortened human lifespan that caused people to feel the need to write down their experiences or what had been learned. There had become a sense of urgency to preserve ones essence in some permanent form. It may have been this reduction in life expectancy more than anything else that induced the formation of the written word and ultimately the technological achievements we have made. When people lived to be 1000 years of age there was little need to archive knowledge externally.
Giant Organisms
The atmospheric or climatic conditions during the antediluvian world are a source of much speculation. We now know the ancient atmosphere had oxygen levels of 30-35% resulting in giant insects, 50% higher than today's oxygen level of 20%.[1][2]
- Car-sized Turtle Found in Colombian Coal Mine Remains of an enormous turtle, which was the size of a Smart Car, have been unearthed in a Colombian coal mine. DiscoveryNews, May 18, 2012.
- Giant Whale-Eating Whale Found The skull of the 12–13 million-year-old sperm whale fossil found off the coast of Peru measures an astounding 10 feet long. DiscoveryNews, Jun 30, 2010.
Archaeology
Implications of the Tower of Babel
We can not dispute the existence of atypical knowledge possessed by Adam and Eve, however, we should also consider the Tower of Babel curse as it relates to human accomplishments to that date. Monumental constructions are a great source of pride for humans. It was most likely this type of technological development that God attempted to retard by creating the language barriers at the Tower of Babel.
The Babel event suggests that the tower was the first major monument that mankind had ever built. It was the first construction that had no purpose but to be a monument to human achievement. The tower was not a particularly important technological development. It was built out of bricks, and was therefore incomparable to even the limestone pyramids. In comparison to our modern building it was hardly more than a mud mound. Many better monuments would be built afterwards, but given God's reaction, it is logical to propose that nothing like it had been built prior to the flood.
Antediluvian Buildings
Most people are puzzled why antediluvian buildings have not been found. After all the construction of cities is clearly referred to in the Bible.
"And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch." - Genesis 4:17
The construction of dwelling space is driven almost exclusively by our need to shelter ourselves from the weather. Prior to the flood, the atmosphere is thought to have been much more stable than it is today, providing an almost globally uniform temperature. It is believed that there were no dramatic seasonal temperature fluctuations, or even significant differences in temperature between the polar and equatorial regions. This is evident by the discovery of fossilized ferns and amphibians on Antarctica. It is also believed that it had not rained prior to the flood, but the earth was instead watered by free-flowing springs and mist. Given that this type of perfect environment likely existed before the flood, it might be better to ask why people would build houses if they needed no shelter from the elements? One answer would be: to protect ourselves from wild animals and other humans. The earth was a violent place before the flood.
"And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." - Genesis 6:5
Nevertheless, any constructions during this period were likely made of wood or dried mud. These materials are simply not expected to stand up well under catastrophic flood conditions. Even baked clay will dissolve if saturated for prolonged periods. This type of material has historically only been used to extremely arid regions for this reason. If they did not need to build shelters from the weather, and had never built a monument before the tower of Babel, what would we expect to find? Perhaps some protective fencing or walls might still remain if they could have survived a raging onslaught greater than the dam breech that hollowed-out the Grand Canyon. There may also be some clothing made of animal skins or stone tools, but no reason to expect anything more significant. Given the presuppositions of evolutionists and the certainty of their belief, any trace evidence of a antediluvian civilizations would likely be dismissed outright and we would never hear about it.
Characteristics of Civilizations
An Antediluvial civilization can be recognized:
- If the flood layer is found above a human settlement
- If the civilisation did not use bricks. Genesis 11 records that man baked bricks only after the flood.
Discoveries of Civilizations
The Aboriginal name for the Nullarbor Plain was Oondiri meaning "the waterless", for the average rainfall of the area is about 8 inches per annum. Ironically, this 'waterless' plain has 50-200 feet of marine sediments.
The Koonalda Cave lies 180 feet under this plain. Cave art consisting of engravings and finger flutings have been found here.
See Also
References
- ↑ Than, Ker (2011, August 8). "Why Giant Bugs Once Roamed the Earth." Nature.
- ↑ Choi, Charles Q. (2006, October 10). "More Oxygen Could Make Giant Bugs." LiveScience.
- The antediluvian patriarchs and the Sumerian King List by Raúl Erlando López Journal of Creation 12(3):347-357, 1998.
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