Primitive humanity, its history, culture and antiquity according to the teachings of Revelation (Gen. 4-5 ch.) and scientific research

Contents Chapter I Chapter II One of the most favorite topics of modern historical science is “primitive culture,” “prehistoric life of mankind,” 1 etc., and science, with a bold flight of thought, tries to penetrate such distant eras that were unknown to previous historiography even by name. She uses everything in this bold attempt: folk mythology, philology, ethnography, geology, and from the fragmentary data presented by the latter, she tries to create a complete picture of the prehistoric life of mankind. But what is this “prehistoric” life? This is obviously a state of humanity about which no direct written or clear material monuments have been preserved. Revelation does not know such a way of life. In the latter, from the very creation of man, such a harmonious thread has been drawn through the historical life of mankind, with all its cultural characteristics at different stages of development, which excludes any thought about prehistoric life. If any state of man can be called prehistoric, it is perhaps his state in paradise, but even then in a limited sense - in the sense of a state significantly different from the present historical state caused by the Fall. Meanwhile, the historical science of this direction refers to the prehistoric era the entire biblical period approximately before Abraham, when the actual historical features allegedly appeared for the first time. Such a view is unfounded and is caused solely by a biased attitude towards the oldest written monument - the book of Genesis - while this book describes the imaginary “prehistoric” life with such features that, finding full confirmation in paleontological, geological, philological, psychological and other scientific data, place the authentically historical character of the pre-Abrahamic period above all doubt. This article aims to confirm the biblical history of this period with scientific data. 2 The historical life of mankind, with its present conditions of development, began only from the moment when the first people lost their primitive innocent state, the preservation of which would have given a completely different direction to world history. Therefore, history, in its present sense, begins from the closed doors of paradise, from where we will begin our presentation of the history of primitive humanity. Having lost their former blessed home, the first people settled on the eastern side of Eden. Paradise from them lay to the west, where the sun disappeared from their sight every day, reminding them with its fading evening dawn of what they had lost. This eastern, non-paradise country has become the cradle of humanity. Here the first labors of everyday harsh life began and here the first generation of “born” people appeared. “Adam knew his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to a son, whom she named Cain, which means: I have acquired a man from the Lord.” At her first birth, Eva experienced completely new conditions unknown to her - pregnancy and the pain of childbirth. Upon the happy completion of the birth, the consequence of which was a new creature dear to her, she was delighted, which was expressed in the name of this creature. At the same time, she remembered the promise given to her by Jehovah, which also has a close relationship to the name of the first born person. But Eve was cruelly mistaken in supposing in her first son the beginning of deliverance from the punishment that had befallen her: in him there appeared for her only the beginning of new, still unknown to her, suffering and grief. However, Eve herself soon realized that she too soon began to cherish herself with the hope of the fulfillment of the promise, and therefore, when her second son was born, she named him Abel, which means ghost, insignificance, vapor. Now the first people are not alone: ​​a family has been formed, and with it new relationships have begun to develop. With the growth of the family, the needs increased, the satisfaction of which required increased application of labor. Already from the first days of the new situation into which people were placed by the Fall, the needs turned out to be diverse: it was necessary to obtain food and clothing. Accordingly, the division of labor occurred among the first people: the first son, Cain, began to cultivate the land to satisfy the first need - food, and the second, Abel, began to engage in cattle breeding to obtain wool, as well as milk. The choice of the type of work and occupation of the first brothers, of course, depended on the differences in their characters and inclinations. Their occupations separated them even more, and rivalry soon arose between the first brothers, which ended in a terrible crime, the likes of which the earth had never seen before. “One day Cain brought a gift to the Lord from the fruits of the ground. And Abel also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord looked upon Abel and his gift; but he did not respect Cain and his gift.” The reason for this, of course, must be seen both in the quality of the gifts themselves and in the internal disposition to bring them. Abel brought the best of his flock, and, therefore, with full disposition, and Cain brought what was easy for him and, therefore, without internal participation. 3 Seeing the preference shown to his brother, Cain was greatly upset and his gloomy face drooped. Ominous features appeared on him. But conscience spoke to Cain: “Why were you upset and why did your face droop? If you do good, don't you raise your face? and if you do not do good, then sin lies at the door; he attracts you to himself, but you dominate him.” But Cain did not listen to the warning and opened the door of his heart to sin. Calling his gullible brother into the field, he killed him, committing an atrocity unprecedented on earth. In this fact, some see an expression of the predominance of agriculture over shepherding, as the beginning of the highest stage of culture. But it has more meaning than a simple cultural and historical emblem. Cain is the first man to give free rein to sin. Having prevailed over the heart, sin was not slow to express its essence in external affairs. Here, too, for the first time, a struggle between two generations takes place in the human race. Starting from this first murder, a bloody stream passes through the entire history - and the Cains continuously kill the Abels. 4 The terrible crime, which for the first time violated the order of nature, could not go unpunished. “Where is Abel, your brother?” The Lord asked Cain. “I don’t know: am I my brother’s keeper?” - answered the killer, showing with such an answer what a terrible step forward evil has made since the fall of the ancestors. This insolence, this shameless denial did not allow the possibility of further testing, and the Lord directly addressed the murderer with a definition of punishment. “What did you do? The voice of your brother's blood cries to me from the earth. And now you are cursed from the earth, which opened its mouth to receive the blood of your brother at your hand. When you cultivate the land, it will no longer give its strength to you; you will be an exile and a wanderer on earth.” By virtue of this definition, the bloody land had to lose its former fertility, so Cain could no longer remain on it. The curse caused by original sin also fell on the earth and only mediocrely on man; now, when sin has reached the point of murder, the curse falls on the murderer himself, but not an absolute curse, but a curse of exile, by virtue of which the earth, as the executor of the will of God, without giving its fruits to Cain, was forced to wander through it. In view of the severity of the punishment imposed, Cain's tenacity broke down and turned into cowardice and despair. “My punishment,” he exclaimed, is more than can be endured. Let anyone who meets me kill me.” But this desire of Cain, caused by his despair, was criminal and therefore could not be fulfilled. As a punished murderer, he should have served as a warning to others. Therefore, anyone who decided to kill Cain had to take sevenfold revenge. His drooping face, distorted by villainy, was supposed to serve as a sign so that no one who met him would kill him - be it a wild beast or one of his brothers. And Cain went to wander the earth, and finally settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden. It is difficult to determine more precisely the situation of this country. Various researchers pointed to northern India, China, etc. In any case, this is a land remote from the primary settlement of people, a country of “exile,” as its name shows. 5 But he did not go there alone. No matter how great his crime and insult inflicted on the purity and holiness of brotherly love, from among the brothers, sisters and subsequent generations who multiplied during this time, there were people who decided to follow Cain to the country of exile, so he settled there with his wife. Here he had a son, whom he named Enoch. Removed from the rest of human society, left to his own fate, Cain, naturally harsh and stubborn, now had to fight with even greater tenacity against nature and the external conditions of life. And he really devoted himself entirely to hard work to ensure his existence and was the first person to build a city as the beginning of a settled and cultural life. The city was named after his son Enoch. Some researchers object to this fact, saying that it would be unthinkable to allow the construction of a city at such an early time. To this it must be said that before this event several centuries could have passed from the origin of man, during which people could have come to the idea of ​​better means of protecting their existence from external enemies. Moreover, by the name “city”, of course, one cannot mean a city in its current sense, but simply a fence erected to protect the dwelling located in its midst. Cain's generation began to grow rapidly, and at the same time the culture begun by his ancestor continued. From among him came people who, having inherited from Cain a stubborn will in the fight against nature, continued to tirelessly seek new means to successfully fight it. Particularly remarkable in this regard is the family of Lamech, a descendant of the fifth generation of Cain in a direct line. 6 Lamech himself is remarkable in the history of mankind in that he was the first to violate the natural order of marriage relations established at the beginning and introduced polygamy, which later became a source of terrible violation of the human dignity of women, especially in the east. Submitting to his passionate nature, he took two wives - Ada and Zilla. From them were born sons who were the inventors of the first crafts and arts. Jabal was born from Adah. He was the first to invent tents and with them began to lead a real nomadic life, carrying tents and driving herds from one place to another. His brother Jubal was of a more poetic nature and became famous for the invention of instruments through which the impulses of the soul could be expressed. He was the first to invent the harp and pipe and is the father of all who play them. Gusli or harp, in Hebrew. The kinur, which passed to the Greeks, who retained its Hebrew name for this instrument - kinura, according to Josephus's description, had ten strings, which were played using a plectrum - a special musical stick. Juval's invention certainly represented the simplest form of a stringed instrument. It is remarkable that the first musical instruments were invented by the brother of the first nomadic cattle breeder, who probably took a close part in the latter’s activities: the happy leisure of this activity provides most of all the reasons for such an invention. – From Zillah Lamech also had a wonderful son named Tubal-Cain. He became famous for his most useful invention for the development of culture; it was he who came up with the idea of ​​​​using metals to prepare durable weapons of defense and culture from them, and began to forge these tools from copper and iron. Before him, all defense tools or household tools were probably made from flint, wood or bones. Savage peoples still use such tools, and as they gradually approach civilized peoples, these primitive tools are replaced first by copper or bronze (in South America - gold), and then by iron, which serve as a sign of a fairly high culture. It is objected that it is incredible that Tubal-Cain could have invented metal tools at such an early time. But if Tubal-Cain was a contemporary of Enoch (descendant of Seth), then his birth dates back to at least 500 according to the Hebrew calendar, and to 1000 according to the chronology LXX from the creation of the first man - a time sufficient for significant development of culture, especially with that persistent struggle with nature, which distinguished the entire generation of Cain. The fact that the earliest inhabitants of Europe were ignorant of the use of metals, as shown by the discoveries of flint implements in graves, cannot serve as proof that the use of metals was unknown to the early descendants of Adam. If, for example, the European settlers of Australia were completely disconnected from the rest of the world for a thousand years, it would be quite possible that, despite their current high cultural state, they would lose many of the tools of civilized life, and perhaps, if there were no coal, lime and native metals, they would forget the very use of metal tools. – Tubal-Cain had a sister, Noema, “The Beautiful,” so named, of course, according to her physical characteristics. Tradition calls her the inventor of sounds and songs. So, in the descendants of the exile Cain, various kinds of life and occupations, arts and tools arose. The nomadic way of life, music and metal working owe their origin to him - these are the beginnings of culture. How can we explain the fact that the offspring of outcasts and exiles had the honor of inventing the most useful tools of civilization? Its explanation must be sought precisely in this rejection and exile. Rejected by people, Cain's offspring gave themselves entirely to nature; relying solely on self-help, it began a stubborn struggle against it, in order to win for itself by this struggle what it had lost in the society of humanity that had rejected it; also rejected by God, it focused its thoughts on the visible and sensory, in it it laid the goal of its existence, and in order to soften the severity of its rejected state, it directed all its thoughts towards improving and ensuring its existence. To soothe the melancholy and languor of the soul rejected by God, the descendants of Cain invented music, which, by deepening a person into the contemplation of the inner forces of nature and spirit, and entertaining the heart with a variety of games, somewhat quenched the thirst for religious needs and gave satisfaction to the restless spirit. Thus caused by the natural needs of life and spirit, these tools and arts, although they arose on rejected soil, nevertheless do not contain anything criminal in themselves; on the contrary, as means of a higher cultural life, they were adopted by the rest of humanity and even accepted by religion, so that in subsequent history musical instruments constitute an accessory to the most sacred and solemn events. Music of St. Scripture gives scope to eternity. The voice of the musical trumpet is heard in heaven, according to the teaching of Revelation. Directly after the invention of music comes the beginning of poetry, because poetry is music in words - and precisely lyric poetry, because lyric poetry, as a direct outpouring of quickly emerging strong feelings, is the most ancient. It owes its beginning to Lamech himself, this father of so many inventors. Delighted with the inventions of his sons, and especially Tubal-Cain, he said to his wives: Ada and Zillah, listen to my voice; Wives of Lamech, listen to my words; I would kill my husband for the 7th plague on me, If Cain is avenged sevenfold, Then for Lamech seventy times seven. This six-line poem presents the first example of actual poetic speech in the primitive era. However, all the characteristic features of later poetry appear in it: 1) rhythm, that is, a harmonious change of increases and decreases, 2) consonance, that is, the equal length of the corresponding verses, 3) parallelism in the division of thoughts, this main feature of Jewish poetry, corresponding to the rhythmic contraction and expansion of the heart, 4) stanzas, and 5) sophistication of expression, departing from everyday speech. Although Lamech did not speak Hebrew, nevertheless this song represents a true reflection of Hebrew poetry, as the most ancient. As for the content of this primitive poem, understandable in general, in particular it presents almost insoluble difficulties, over which famous and numerous translators and interpreters have tried their art. Its darkness and mystery constitute such evidence of its deep antiquity that even the most zealous critics do not dare to deny it. The general meaning of the poem is this. Amidst the violence and cruelty of that time, which was especially rampant among the descendants of Cain, Lamech consoles his wives with the assurance that with the help of copper and iron weapons, now, thanks to the invention of Tubal-Cain, which is in his hands, he can kill anyone who would dare to insult him; and if Cain was promised that he would be avenged sevenfold, then in the hands of the descendants of Lamech there is now a means of avenging themselves seventy times sevenfold. This poem expressed the spirit of arrogance and self-confidence that distinguished the offspring of the exile in their lives and in their character. Lamech looks at the newly invented weapon that his son has forged, and a song of triumph bursts from his chest. How far ahead of him was his ancestor Cain, who was forced to wander helplessly on earth! He no longer needs outside help and will be able to protect himself at all times. Not only is he not afraid of murder, but he himself glorifies murder. This is what the descendants of the first murderer came to. To put an end to this cultural progeny, let us take another general look at the emergence of civilization, as it appears on the basis of scientific research. The legends of the ancient peoples of the Phoenicians, Egyptians, Greeks and others, as if echoing biblical history, date the beginning of agriculture and culture in general to the earliest centuries. Based on these legends, historical researchers, such as Herder, Schlosser, Link 8 and others, also came to the conclusion that the domestication of animals, agriculture, and the preparation of metals date back to time immemorial and that during the historical period these arts made relatively little progress. These legends and scientific and historical conclusions seem to be contradicted by the recent discoveries of human remains and tools of human industry found in the most ancient formations of the earth's surface. Ethnologists distinguish between the Stone Age, the Bronze Age and the Iron Age, which successively existed in Europe; in the continuation of the first, only flint tools were used, in the continuation of the second, bronze, and in the continuation of the third, iron tools came into use. Based on this, and also on the fact that the human skulls of early times are apparently smaller in volume and lower in organization than the skulls of civilized people, some researchers have come to the assumption that the first times were times of barbarism, and civilization arose much later. So the famous geologist Lyell says that “if primitive man had really been endowed with higher mental power and inspired knowledge, and had the same capacity for improvement and development as his present descendants, then the degree of development that people would have achieved now would be immeasurably higher.” 9 Going further with this assumption, the geologist notes that among the remains of this primitive man one should then find not crude pottery and flint tools, but something like the works of Phidias and Praxiteles. To this, first of all, it must be said that the biblical chronicle does not present the first man as “gifted with higher mental abilities and inspired knowledge.” It only tells us that the first man was introduced into paradise - to cultivate it, that his first speech was imperfect and was practiced in naming the name of animals, that he had a simple commandment for the exercise of his moral powers and a corresponding promise. Morally, he was in a state of innocence, which corresponded to his mental state. As for the development of knowledge, many peoples, being in their education and development much lower than the first man and his immediate descendants, remain in the same position for entire millennia - without visible progress, thereby refuting the assumption of necessary and steady forward development. The general conclusion from the biblical record of the primitive state of man may be that it was not a state of savagery, but rather a state of primitive civilization. And this is not contradicted, but rather confirmed by geological data. The geologist mentioned above says: “We must remember that geology gives no solid proof for the assertion of the fact that the so-called lower races of mankind always precede in chronological order the higher races” (p. 90). On the contrary, some of the most ancient remains of man and human tools give indications of the existence of a fairly high civilization. In the Ogio Valley there are hundreds of ramparts that served as churches, places of protection and burial; they contain pottery, sculptural decorations, silver and copper objects, stone tools along with skulls of the Mexican type. Dense forests subsequently grew over them, in which the red-skinned Indians led their miserable existence for centuries (p. 39, 40). This fact proves that in ancient times there was a high culture here, which later disappeared and savagery took its place. As for the fossil skulls found in Europe, the one known as the "Neanderthal skull" really represents a lower type, and comes close to the skulls of monkeys. Nevertheless, in its capacity of 75 cubic inches, it is larger than the skulls of some people and from among the peoples now existing. It was found in a cave along with the remains of a bear: but this does not at all prove its great antiquity. It may be very ancient, but it may also be relatively recent. The skull found in Engize near Liege, apparently contemporary with the mammoth and attributed by Lyell to the post-Pliocene formation, although somewhat narrow in the frontal part, is in general completely similar to the skulls of European peoples (p. 80); the skull of the so-called Denis fossil man, also apparently contemporary with the mammoth and the last eruption of the Puy volcanoes and, therefore, the most ancient of the fossil skulls, belongs to the ordinary Caucasian or European type (p. 200). All that can be deduced from an examination of these skulls is that there once was a time when people were in a less civilized state than they are now, and when in their lives the physical life prevailed over the mental - and nothing more, but not at all that primitive man was a completely wild creature and only subsequently rose from an animal state. Thus, geological data do not contradict, but rather confirm the biblical chronicle - that man in his primitive state was not a helpless, bestial savage, but had at least the rudiments of civilization and mental life. With the help of these rudiments, it was not difficult for the first people to begin that cultural life, which especially manifested itself in the offspring of Cain. This culture, of course, cannot be understood in its current sense, as was already noted above, and Cain’s agriculture can be understood in the sense that he obtained and prepared fruits, herbs, roots, etc. for food, and did not yet sow in the current sense wheat, rye, barley, etc. Although, on the other hand, it should be noted that these grain plants were discovered along with the most ancient fossil remains of human industry. In general, the beginnings of culture, according to the historian, precede history, and the voice of all peoples, with their ancient traditions, testifies that the deity first taught man to cultivate the land and showed him those fruits, the cultivation of which could be especially useful to him. 10 The descendants of Cain directed all their activities towards the development of material life and fell into that one-sidedness that could distort the natural course of human development. This one-sided direction needed a counterweight that would equalize the course of history. And he really appeared in the generation of the new son of Adam, Seth, who was born in the place of the murdered Abel. Seth begins in history that generation of people who, contrary to the offspring of Cain, represents a more sublime spiritual element, which was so necessary for balancing historical development. In the generation of Cain, people, worshiping the only material force, applied all their abilities to developing means that increased this force; here, on the contrary, a direction was developed and developed that, guided by the true consciousness of human helplessness and sinfulness, directed the thoughts of people towards the Supreme Patron, who gave the promise of future deliverance to fallen people. This direction declared itself already under the son of Seth, Enos: “then, the biblical chronicle says, they began to call on the name of the Lord God” (Jehovah), 11 i.e. then the beginning of a definite religion expressed in external forms was laid. Religion began to be expressed in external forms, however, even with the first sons of Adam - in offering a gift to God, but this form expressed only one side of it, while here, in invoking the name of the Lord God, the entire circle of religious content of the human spirit began to be expressed. The highest exponent and representative of this trend was Enoch, who “walked with God,” that is, in his entire life he reflected the height of original human purity and holiness, so that God “took him” from the sinful earth and thereby freed him from death caused by sin. 12 The new generation, in which the opposite direction to Cain's was manifested, being the bearer of the highest ideas and purpose of history, naturally should have become the root from which the entire tree of history should develop. And it really became one. The course of historical development, starting from the first man and dividing into two currents, directed its main course towards this new generation. In this generation, one after another, those giants of primitive history appear, who, strong in spirit and body, were called upon by long-term labor to develop and preserve the makings of the future historical life of mankind. For the most successful fulfillment of their purpose, they were endowed with extraordinary durability, so that each of them for almost a whole millennium could be a living guardian and interpreter of the principles entrusted to them by history. The first man Adam, this first witness and culprit of the revolution that took place in the history of mankind, lives 930 years; his son Seth - 912 years old; son of Seth Enos - 905 years old; representatives of subsequent generations - Cainan - 910 years, Maleleel - 895, Jared - 962, Enoch - 365, Methuselah - 969, Lamech - 777 and the latter's son Noah - 950 years. These patriarchs of human longevity each represent those epochs according to which the historian has to construct a chronology of primitive history. Its construction is facilitated and simplified by the fact that the number of years of the patriarchs in the biblical chronicle is threefold: 1) from the beginning of life to the birth of the first son; 2) from the birth of the first son to the end of life and 3) the number of years throughout life. The first count is especially important. It makes it possible to draw a continuous line of years from Adam to Noah: you just need to add up the years of each person lived before the birth of his first son. So Adam was 130 years old when his son Seth was born, Seth was 105 years old at the birth of Enos, Enos was 90 years old at the birth of Cainan. The sum of these years will be the period from the creation of Adam to the birth of Cainan: 130+105+90=325 years. In the same way, you can determine the number of years from Adam to Noah, from which a new era in the history of mankind began: you need to add up the years of the patriarchs lived by each of them until the birth of their first son, and the sum will represent the desired number. 13 But despite its apparent simplicity, chronology presents almost insoluble difficulties in another respect. In order to establish the chronology of this primitive era, it is necessary to first find a solid basis in the very count of the years of the life of the patriarchs - both throughout and before the birth of their first son, since this count differs quite significantly in the three most ancient and authoritative texts of the biblical chronicle: Hebrew, Samaritan and Greek. This difference can be seen from the following comparative table. (The numbers indicate the columns: 1) Years before the birth of the first son; 2) Remaining years; 3) All life.) Numerous interpreters have worked to resolve and agree on this difference in the number of years, but the matter has not yet been clarified with sufficient completeness. All sorts of assumptions were made. Some (Gesenius) see in the deviations of the Samaritan text a consistent desire to reduce the supposedly incredible longevity of the patriarchs; others explain the difference from random errors of copyists; others, in the deviations of the Greek text from the Hebrew, see the desire of seventy interpreters to bring the biblical chronology into the Egyptian form. Lately Abbot. Chevalier made a witty suggestion that the reason for the difference in the counting of these texts depends on the difference in the year they took as a basis. Thus, the Hebrew text refers to a solar year consisting of 1-2 months, and the Greek text refers to a lunar year of 7 months, adopted in accordance with the prevailing one in St. Scriptures to the number of seven in weeks and years (Sabbath and Jubilee years). This hypothesis represents a rather satisfactory result, so that the years of various texts, when reducing their chronology to one uniform unit, are equalized with amazing accuracy. 14 But whatever the reason for these disagreements in the counting of the years of the patriarchs, one thing is clear and certain that the disagreement takes place only in particulars; in the general reckoning of years, this discrepancy is smoothed out. According to the Hebrew text, Adam, for example, lived 130 years before the birth of Seth and then another 800 years, so that his entire life lasted 930 years (130+800=930), and according to the Greek, despite the difference in the testimony about the years before and after the birth of Seth (230+700), Adam’s entire life was also 930 years. In the same way, the total number of years of the antediluvian era is balanced by the number of years of the post-flood era. The peculiarities of this era include the amazing longevity of people, which extended to almost a thousand years. Objections are made against it, suggesting that such longevity is physiologically unthinkable. Discovering the remains of human bones in the ancient layers of the earth and finding no visible difference in them from the current physiological structure of man, some physiologists say that these bones, with their strength, do not guarantee greater longevity than the present one. In response to this, it should be noted that physiology is powerless to explain comparative longevity; it cannot, for example, explain why a horse lives shorter than a human, despite the fact that a horse is much taller than a human in its physiological structure and muscle strength. This is the mystery of life that cannot be solved physiologically. On the other hand, some physiologists consider the longevity of patriarchs not impossible. So Buffon recognized the truth of the biblical account and found sufficient physical grounds for such durability. 15 The tradition of the most ancient peoples - the Babylonians, Egyptians, Hindus, Greeks and others - also recognizes it as true, pointing to the great longevity of the first inhabitants of the earth. Josephus rightly says on this matter: “all those who wrote, both among the Hellenes and among the barbarians, testify to this longevity, and no one has the right, seeing the current short life, to consider this universal tradition false.” 16 When judging the longevity of the ancient patriarchs, one must keep in mind that they were close descendants of newly created and, moreover, immortal people, the natural conditions of life were different from the present, life itself was simple and natural, and in general, in the state of nature after its heavenly state, those changes did not suddenly occur that made its influence often destructive to life. Even now, human life expectancy reaches up to 200 years and among African Arabs, according to travelers, this is not even rare. Why is it not possible to consider a life expectancy of more than 200 years in primitive times, when primitive fossil remains indicate the enormous size and gigantic strength of the creatures living then? It has been proven that some animals, and especially birds, still live 300–400 years. It is not impossible, therefore, notes one scientist, that a person in the country of his original origin and with a way of life more consistent with nature than now could live 900–1000 years. 17 The chronology, compiled according to the number of years of life of these patriarchs, also serves as the basis for the general definition of the life of mankind on earth. Man, according to this chronology, has existed on earth for not much more than 7,000 years. The newest science tries to determine the number of years of life on earth differently, building its chronology on its own data - geological, historical, philological and ethnological. It determines human life on earth for hundreds of thousands of years. In view of this difference, it is not superfluous to consider in more detail the basics of scientific chronology. The founder of the scientific-geological chronology of human life on earth is the famous geologist Lyell, who was the first, based on the discovered fossil remains of man, to assert that since man is contemporary with the mammoth and other similar, no longer existing species, he has been living on earth for at least 100,000 years. Lyell’s followers were not slow in doubling or tripling this figure, and things soon reached the point where apparently there was a lack of figures to determine the number of years of human life on earth, so that Huxley, in his speech at a meeting of members of the “British Society,” as if waving his hand in despair, said only that “the appearance of man on the globe must be attributed to an era immeasurably more distant than that which has hitherto been assigned by the most bold thinkers." 18 The conclusions of geology are based on two assumptions: 1) human remains - flint tools, etc. are discovered in the newest formation along with mammoth bones and that 2) the present process of layering was equally slow in the most distant epochs. The last assumption is of great importance for geological chronology. If indeed the process of layering was always the same, then those layers under which the remains of man and mammoth were found could only have formed over an enormous number of years. But the fact is that such an assumption does not have any solid foundations for itself, and many geologists, accepting the general principles of Lyell, admit at the same time that in former times there were reasons due to which the layering of formations was carried out with much greater speed than now. The first assumption, that man is contemporary with the mammoth, may be correct; but the life of the mammoth itself requires an even more precise definition. In the present century, in Siberia, a mammoth was found in the ice, whose skin and wool were apparently adapted to life in a cold climate, and the meat was preserved to the point that the Eskimos were ready to eat it. If ice is recognized to have a great preserving power, then even in this case it will be incredible that this animal could survive not only 100,000, but even more than 6,000 years. It is also likely that man already existed at a time when animals that now live only in tropical climates still lived in the forests of Europe. But how many years it took for the climate of Europe to become temperate from tropical is a difficult question to resolve. A change in the direction of the warm flow - the Gulfstrom, a change in the relative elevation of water and land, caused by any special reasons, could relatively quickly change the climate of Europe. Moreover, in terrestrial deposits and caves, along with the mammoth, only flint tools are discovered, but not human bones, which also reduces the strength of evidence of this fact, since flint tools could have found themselves together with the remains of the mammoth and in addition to the direct cohabitation and contemporaneity of humans with it. – There are other facts that present insoluble difficulties for recognizing the enormous antiquity of man. Taking into account the current rate of population growth, it must be assumed that the amount of population of the globe that currently exists could have been formed from one couple in no more than 6000 years. 19 The same relatively insignificant number of years of human life on earth is evidenced by the fact that the arts, sciences, inventions and, in general, all manifestations of the creatively inventive spirit of man exist very recently in history. In fact, it is a completely incomprehensible fact that people lived as miserable savages for hundreds of thousands of years - with their flint tools, and then, as if by the wave of a magic wand, in six thousand years they created all the wonders of civilization. It is difficult to even imagine that a person in such a huge period of time, in the absence of any culture that would give him power over the world, could maintain his existence on earth, when, due to his physical weakness and helplessness, he was constantly exposed to danger from numerous of his strongest animals. The presented facts significantly undermine the validity of geological assumptions about the antiquity of man. But these assumptions are further undermined by the fragility of the very data that geology uses in its research. Here are examples. In excavations carried out on the alluvial banks of the Nile, fragments of pottery were found at considerable depth - an obvious sign of human existence. Calculating by the degree of speed and the amount of layering, scientists came to the conclusion that these dishes belonged to people who lived several tens of thousands of years before the biblical Adam, and therefore called these fragments pre-Adamic. But then a new discovery was made, which immediately refuted the assumption just made. At an even greater depth, near the pedestal of the statue of Ramses II, a fragment was found with a Greek design engraved on it, judging by which this new fragment cannot be dated further than three centuries BC or to the time of the conquest of Egypt by Alexander the Great. The learned engineer Stephenson, who was working in Egypt in the vicinity of Damietta, made an even more remarkable discovery in this regard: in the deepest sediments of the Nile, where the inquisitive spade and shovel of learned naturalists had only penetrated, and where, according to the latter’s considerations, there should have been remains of people who lived millions of years ago, there he found a brick with the stamp of Mohammed Ali, that is, from the time of the Mohammedan. dominion over Egypt. 20 It is difficult to build any serious considerations on the basis of such data. In confirmation of the extreme antiquity of man, they refer to the historical data of the most ancient peoples. The Indians, Chinese and Babylonians date the beginning of their history hundreds of thousands and millions of years ago. But the legends of these peoples are so incredible that even supporters of the deep antiquity of man do not recognize their historical significance. The actual historical and cultural monuments of these peoples, after careful study, cannot in any way be dated back further than 3000 BC. More positive data is provided by the monumental history of Egypt. Based on the monuments of ancient Egypt, the famous Egyptologists Bunsen and Lepsius came to the conclusion that its national history began 10,000 years BC. But even this relatively small figure does not find recognition from other Egyptologists, who, taking into account the fragility of the semi-historical and often completely mythical testimony of the monuments, do not dare to place the beginning of Egyptian history further than 3000 years, which figure is accepted in the best historical research. 21 If, therefore, the history of the most ancient peoples does not remember more than three thousand years BC, then such a fact is completely incomprehensible from the point of view of fabulous chronological theories. Indeed, it is a strange and incredible fact that humanity, having lived for millions of years, remembers and can call only some five to six thousand years historical. This fact is incredible to the same extent as a parallel fact in the life of an individual person would be incredible if, for example, a person who lived a hundred years remembered only some five or six years out of his entire hundred-year life. The extreme antiquity of man is also inferred from linguistic grounds. Languages, they say, are developed extremely slowly and therefore it is impossible to assume that in just five or six thousand years numerous languages ​​could be formed from one primary language, completely different from one another. This objection is directly eliminated by the well-known biblical-historical event, which resulted in the confusion of languages ​​and the dispersion of peoples. But even beyond this event, the linguistic foundations do not have adequate strength. Languages ​​change slowly only when they have finally developed their forms and have a firmly established literature; on the contrary, those languages ​​that do not have literature change extremely quickly. Wild tribes, having divided and scattered across different countries, after two or three generations no longer understand each other. Even the most highly developed languages ​​are subject to the same, although less rapid, variability. Latin, for example, the language, with all the elaboration of its forms, changed into Italian in less than five hundred years. But, they say, tens of thousands of years are not enough for the formation of such perfection of grammatical forms as, for example, the languages ​​of Homer or the language of the Vedas are distinguished, while biblical chronology devotes only 900–1200 years to them. This objection can have meaning only on the assumption that the development of language always proceeds equally smoothly - but it is known that there are periods of such excitement in the history of a people when a people in one or two centuries immediately rises to such a height that in the normal course of development would require millennia. From the crude language of the satires of Enneus to the brilliant verse of Horace, the distance is two centuries, and the qualitative difference can only be determined by millennia. From Tredyakovsky to Pushkin is less than a century, and the difference in language is immeasurable. Finally, biblical chronology is allegedly contradicted by ethnological data. The typical traits of the various human races are characterized by extraordinary stability. For example, blacks on Egyptian monuments from the most distant times are depicted with the same typical physiognomy with which they differ now. Therefore, it is supposedly impossible that these different types of races, descending from one couple, could be formed in five or six thousand years. But in order to understand the true reason for this stability of race types, it is necessary to take into account that the variability or stability of types depends on various conditions. Once formed, the type, living under the same conditions, acquires extraordinary strength and stability. This has been the case with blacks since the time of the Egyptian monuments. According to the chronology of LXX interpreters, blacks existed in Africa 1500 years before Pharaoh Set I, to whose reign monuments with images of this race date back to. Their adaptability to the climate, established customs and habits of life, isolation from other races - all this could soon impose on the blacks that distinctive stamp, which, thanks to the invariability of the conditions of their life, has been clearly and invariably preserved to this day - for more than 3000 years. On the other hand, the types of races change quickly with changing living conditions. European settlers of the North American states in two or three generations are reborn as natives, receiving the characteristic features of their type, although at the same time they do not lose their European intelligence and civilization. One could cite many other facts that prove that the change of races, sometimes occurring with imperceptible slowness, under other conditions occurs with extraordinary speed. The conditions of primitive humanity, with its frequent migrations, with long and distant separations and rare communications, should have contributed to rapid changes, while subsequent established conditions began to contribute to the preservation and strengthening of types. The considered foundations of scientific chronology, apparently, do not represent sufficient strength to determine the antiquity of man by hundreds of thousands and millions of years, and, on the contrary, for the most part confirm biblical chronology, which gives it a decisive advantage. See the version of Chapter I and Chapter II in A. Lopukhin “Biblical history of the Old Testament. Period 1. From the creation of the world to the flood. IV. Sons and closest descendants of Adam. Cain and Abel. Two directions in the life of antediluvian humanity. The longevity of the patriarchs. Chronology" - https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/Lopuhin/biblejskaja-istorija-vethogo-zaveta/1. These are the well-known studies. Tylor “Prehistoric life of mankind” Moscow, 1868 and Lubbock “The beginning of civilization and the primitive state of mankind” St. Petersburg. 1871 The Speaker's Commentary, part I, Genesis. – Delitsch, Genesis. I. Chrysostom, Conversations. on the book Life XVIII, 5. Nod - from Hebrew. flight, exile. Enoch, Irad, Mechiael, Methuselah and Lamech. Gen.4:18. To the synod. in translation this preposition is translated by the preposition in; the particle would be inserted in accordance with the proposed understanding of this verse. Hävegnik, Specielle Einl. in Pent. 1856, pp. 208, 209. Ch. Lyell's, Antiquity of Man, p. 378. Link, Urwelt, 1834, I, pp. 399 et seq. Gen.4:26. Here the Deity appears clearly under the guise of Jehovah. The difference between Elohim and Jehovah is very important. While under the name Elohim the general creative, cosmic force appears, under the name Jehovah the Divinity appears in a specific personality. Here religious consciousness represents a significant step forward. According to the meaning of Ex. 3:14, Jehovah is the One in the absolute sense, but who in humanity and its history is revealed as “the Almighty, who is, and was, and is to come” (Apoc. 1:8), as the beginning and the end, as the Creator, Redeemer and Finisher of everything through the Logos and the Holy Spirit. Spirit. The Greek name Θεος, which according to Jerome means reverent fear with which one should relate to God, corresponds in its meaning to the name Elohim. The deity of the Indian Veda, called Guda (from which German Gott) approaches the same meaning. There are various interpretations of the fact of the “capture” of Enoch, but a sufficient explanation of it is found in Hebrews 11:5. According to the Hebrew text, the number is presented in the following form: Adam - 130, Seth - 105, Enos - 90, Cainan - 70, Maleleel - 65, Jared - 162, Enoch - 65, Methuselah - 187, Lamech - 182, Noah - 500, Shem before the flood - 100. The sum of these numbers, 1656, is the number of years from the creation of Adam to the flood. For a detailed presentation of this theory along with mathematical calculations, see Prav. Review 1877 May, Art. "Biblical Chronology". Hist. nat. IV, p. 358; Hävegnik, Einl. S. 214. Hävegnik, Einl. S. 215. Antiqq. I, 3, 9. Delitzsch, Genesis, anm. 12. “Church. Vestn." 1877 No. 26 our article. "The Bible and Natural Science." The flood disrupts the accuracy of this calculation; but it is confirmed by the fact that the number of years is not 7, but 6 thousand. “Church. West." uk. article. Birch, Ancient hist. of Egypt from the monuments, p. 23. Smith, Diet. of the Bible, artt. Chronology and Egypt. You might be interested in: