The Antediluvian Patriarchs refer to the long-lived figures listed in the Book of Genesis in the Bible, specifically in the genealogies from Adam to Noah, before the Great Flood.
Here’s a brief overview of these individuals:
Adam – The first man, according to the Bible. He lived to be 930 years old.
Seth – Adam’s third son, lived 912 years.
Enosh – Seth’s son, lived 905 years.
Kenan – Enosh’s son, lived 910 years.
Mahalalel – Kenan’s son, lived 895 years.
Jared – Mahalalel’s son, lived 962 years.
Enoch – Jared’s son, notable for not dying but being “taken by God” after living 365 years. His life span is unique among the patriarchs due to its brevity and the manner of his departure.
Methuselah – Enoch’s son, famous for being the person who lived the longest in the Bible, reaching 969 years.
Lamech – Methuselah’s son, lived 777 years.
Noah – Lamech’s son, lived 950 years, but his significance in the narrative extends beyond his age due to his role in the story of the Flood.
These ages have been a subject of much discussion and interpretation:
Some take these ages literally, believing that people in ancient times did live extraordinarily long lives due to different environmental conditions, divine will, or genetic purity.
Others see these ages as symbolic, perhaps representing the importance or the legacy of these figures, or adhering to numerological patterns important in ancient cultures.
From a historical-critical perspective, these ages might be considered mythological or legendary, used to signify the great antiquity or the legendary status of these figures.
Another theory suggests that the years might not correspond to our current understanding of a year. Perhaps they used a different calendar system where “years” could mean months or seasons, although this doesn’t fully align with the ages given, especially for childbearing.
The antediluvian period, meaning “before the deluge,” is often viewed as a time of great mystery and has inspired various interpretations and stories outside of the Biblical text, including in literature, pseudoscience, and speculative fiction about ancient human history and pre-Flood civilizations.
