Antidiluvians and the Old Testament

On Friday, I was contacted by a Rabbi by the name of Eli Mochner, who wants to set up an interview to discuss the Old Testament ramifications stemming from the existence of a man like Sam Bailey.

Partially owing to my admitted disdain for organized religion, it never occurred to me to conduct any research in the Bible itself. In preparing for the interview, I've uncovered some pretty interesting pieces of information:

First off, Genesis chronicles the lifetimes of the descendents of Adam through several generations, all of which typically lived to be older than 700 years of age. In general, Western Bible scholarship places the creation of this family line in the year 4004 BC. By and large, these unusually long lifetimes lasted until the Flood, which Bible scholars place in the year 2348 BC.

Biblical accounts refer to this age as a time of great wickedness, where giants, heroes of old, and men of renown walked the earth. According to the math surrounding accounts of birth rates and life spans, the global population at the time of the flood was as high as 500 million human beings. Of course, the population immediately following the flood was limited to Noah and his immediate family. So endeth the wickedness.

Our interview will revolve around what Sam Bailey's existence could mean to this particular branch of Bible study. In the eyes of the Old Testament, does Sam Bailey have to be Noah himself, or can he be a descendant like the rest of us? Is there a chance other antidiluvians survived the flood, and what kind of controversy wold that create among Judaic, Christian, and Catholic theological circles?

Of course, I'm skeptical. Bible scholarship isn't something I take literally. As one chink in the armor of Old Testament accounts, Biblical accounts suggest that the antidiluvians kept aging, and a 600 year old man who looked his age would attract a fair amount of attention. Pictures of Sam Bailey have him looking spry as late as the 1950's.

At the same time, we're honored by the consideration Rabbi Mochner is giving to our research. With so many people out there sharing the view that the Bible is a literal history of the world, we're happy to welcome that perspective into the ongoing debate. Bringing that perspective forth with a scholar of Rabbi Mochner's caliber can only challenge us to support our own viewpoints more completely. We're very grateful for the opportunity.