Biblical lifespans: Talk about seniors!

God took Enoch
1728 Illustration by Gerard Hoet

If social security had been around in early biblical times, it might have gone bankrupt long ago.  Folks seemed to live a lot longer back then.

The New Answers tells us that before the Great Flood, lifespans were far greater than afterwards.  The ten patriarchs were each centuries old.  Their ages were as follows: Adam (930), Seth (912), Enosh (905), Cainan (910), Mahalalel (895), Jared (962), Enoch (365), Methuselah (969), Lamech (777), and Noah (950).

If you're wondering why Enoch "only"lived to be 365, rest assured that his fate was even better than that of his fellow patriarchs.  Wikipedia explains that Enoch never actually died, he was instead "translated" by God (into another dimension, we presume).  Some even believe that Enoch is alive to this day (which would make him far older than Methuselah).

For the rest of us, aging is most likely programmed into our very cells.  The New Answers comes up with a number of theories as to why lifespans are so much shorter these days.  Assuming the Bible is correct, perhaps either genetic mutations or genetic bottlenecks have facilitated this devolution.

For example, "any mutation that decreases the efficiency of our maintenance, repair and defensive systems will likely lead to more rapid aging and decreased lifespan."  Genetic bottlenecks "occur when significant proportions of the population die or proportions become isolated" (such as after a Great Flood).  These bottlenecks significantly limit the gene pool, which in turn could lead to mutations.

Resources

http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/nab2/adam-and-noah-live

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enoch_(ancestor_of_Noah)

Copernicus: The heliocentric eccentric

Nicolaus Copernicus
Portrait by Nicolaus Reusner, 1578

For polymathic Copernicus, astronomy was just a side dish.  Some of his major preoccupations included serving as a physician, Catholic cleric, military leader, diplomat, translator and economist.

Although he was also a mathematician, jurist, classical scholar, artist, governor and quadrilingual polyglot, he is nevertheless mostly remembered for his earth-shattering cosmology.

All this certainly made Copernicus stand out in a crowd.

His heliocentric ideas were in opposition to some biblical understanding of that time.  Commonly quoted passages such as Ecclesiastes 1:5, Chronicles 16:30 and Psalm 104:5 seemed to promote the idea of a motionless earth and a mobile sun when literally interpreted.

Sixteenth-century Protestants, who particularly relied upon the Bible for guidance, were up in arms about the heliocentric view.  In 1539 Martin Luther said this about Copernicus: There is talk of a new astrologer who wants to prove that the earth moves and goes around instead of the sky, the sun, the moon...  The fool wants to turn the whole art of astronomy upside-down...

Many say that Calvin was not a whole lot kinder about this.  In response to the publication of Copernicus' De revolutionibus orbium coelestium ("On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres" - in Latin, no less), Calvin preached against those who "pervert the course of nature" by saying that "the sun does not move and that it is the earth that revolves and that it turns."  Years later, Lutheran theologian Abraham Calovius allegedly added: Who will venture to place the authority of Copernicus above that of the Holy Spirit?

Interestingly, Catholic contemporaries of Copernicus had looked somewhat favorably upon his heliocentrism.  Pope Clement VII and several cardinals attended lectures in Rome about it.  In 1536 the Archbishop of Capus actively encouraged Copernicus to publish the theory in its entirety.  It wasn't until the 1600s that this position was reversed.

Resources

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Nicolaus-Copernicus 

Salt: Blood, sweat and faith

Dead Sea Salt
Photo by xta 11

Many think that the Bible is sweet, but it is actually quite salty.  References to salt are crucial within both the Old and the New Testaments.

The Hebrew Bible speaks of salt as a covenant between the Lord God of Israel and King David in II Chronicles 13:5.  Salt covenants between the Lord and the Israelites were also mentioned in Numbers 18:19 and Leviticus 2:13.  These were based upon the incorruptible nature of salt and have been integral to Jewish kosher laws.

Such Kashrut laws include the draining of all blood from a sacrificial animal, as well as its dehydration via salt.  Both practices help to ensure healthful preservation of the meat by deterring bacterial growth.  It took toil and sweat to harvest this salt from the Dead Sea and its cliffs.  The turning of Lot's wife into a pillar of salt in Genesis 19:26 is possibly linked to the human-type shapes within these salty cliffs.

When ancient cities were defeated, salt was poured upon their lands to symbolize desolation.  It was rubbed upon the skin of newborn babies as a healthful measure.  There were salt offerings in the temple, and salt seasonings in the homes.  Salt was considered to be an essential dietary element, a taste enhancer, a symbol of wisdom, and a currency.  It therefore became a key New Testament metaphor.

Matthew 5:13 famously refers to people of faith as "the salt of the earth."  Some say that sodium chloride is so stable that it is practically impossible to diminish.  The only way to diminish its strength might be to add unsavory elements.  Words to the wise could then sound like this: Be careful of the company that you keep! 

Resources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_in_the_Bible#:~:text=Leviticus%202%3A13%20and%20Ezekiel,lacking%20from%20your%20grain%20offering.    

 

Musca domestica: Wings and a prayer

USDA Photo

If all God's children have wings, then musca domestica (otherwise known as the common housefly) must be one of them.  Even Ogden Nash admits: God in his wisdom made the fly,   And then forgot to tell us why.  

St. Leufredus, nicknamed "the Patron Saint against Flies," had his own musca theology, which he didn't keep to himself.  Legend has it that the tiny critters interfered with his sleep.  Perhaps fly swatters weren't yet invented in the 8th-century CE, so Leufredus did what any self-respecting Saint would...  He bowed his head in prayer, and whoosh!  Flies fled.

Some might think that saintly prayers should be a bit loftier.  Perhaps this is too harsh a judgment.  Perhaps St. Leufredus was merely praying for the flies' well-being.  Perhaps they even knew that, and so in gratitude flew on to the next victim. 

Houseflies, insects and animals in general have far more intelligence that we give them credit for.  We think that our brains are better because they're bigger.  Yet scientists now know that a brain the size of a pinhead can function in many of the basic ways that a human one can. 

As for the expression "filthy fly," houseflies are actually quite fastidious.  They are continually grooming their feet, wings and eyes - especially after enduring the pollution of most human habitats.

Resources

https://stories.uq.edu.au/research/2020/what-do-flies-think-about/index.html#:~:text=%E2%80%9CThis%20is%20fascinating%20because%20it,like%20us%20with%20every%20discovery.

https://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/fly-cleaning-hands-face-leg-rubbing-video

https://www.insightbooks.com/blogs/news/national-days