PRE-FLOOD LONGEVITY

'Altogether, Methusalah lived 969 years, and then he died.' (Genesis 5:27); Jewish historian Josephus compared records from many different civilisations and concluded: 'The ancients lived 1000 years.'¹ But were such vast ages really attained by the pre-flood patriarchs? The average age recorded in Genesis chapter five is 912 years — about 13 times longer than today's average of 70 years. Although some have suggested that their years were shorter, this would involve a 'year' of about four weeks — plainly absurd! The ages of the patriarchs at their deaths is described in a similar way throughout Genesis (Compare 5:27 with 25:7-8). A close examination of the narrative reveals a gradual decline in human lifespans, decreasing with each generation following the flood (see diagram), until a new equilibrium was reached. This is strong evidence that the ages recorded were genuine.

PRE-FLOOD CLIMATE

Rather than doubting that such lifespans were actually attained, it is more profitable to investigate the reasons why life expectancy declined so drastically. There is abundant evidence that in the 1656 years from creation to the flood, climatic conditions on the earth were very different from now. The fossil record reveals the former existence of giant creatures and plants, e.g. dragonflies with 75 cm (30 in.) wingspans, and mosses up to 1 meter (3) feet tall. There were also giant reptiles over 16 meters (50 ft.) long, which must have required large amounts of lush plant material for food, and vast coal deposits in the Arctic and Antarctic regions reveal that lush forests once grew where there is now only snow and ice.

Many creationist scientists believe that the pre-flood earth had a protective water vapour canopy — “the waters above” mentioned in Genesis 1:7 — which produced a 'greenhouse effect'. This vapour canopy existed from the creation until the flood, when it was precipitated as rain. (see Genesis 7:11b-12). This canopy could have contributed to human longevity in several ways. Firstly, it would have acted as a shield against solar radiation. It is a well-known fact that exposure to radiation reduces life expectancy. However, this by itself cannot account for the longer lifespans as the ozone layer still provides a very effective shield, but the vapour canopy would certainly have provided some additional protection. The canopy would also have resulted in higher barometric pressure. One researcher, Dr. Joseph Dillow, has calculated that this would have been equivalent to 2.18 atmospheres.² This would result in a higher partial pressure of oxygen — more than twice today's value. Although this would not have increased the amount of oxygen carried in the haemoglobin in the blood of invertebrates, it would have increased the oxygen tension in the plasma. There is evidence that higher oxygen tension is beneficial to biological systems.

An aquanaut in a diving bell at a pressure of 10 atmospheres cut his hand severely, but within 24 hours it had healed completely. Because of this, experiments in high-pressure (hyperbaric) surgery were begun, and hyperbaric oxygen has also been used to treat senility and strokes. One doctor who used this treatment, Dr. Edgar End, has said: 'Unquestionably, hyperbaric oxygenation can often reverse the side effects of aging. I've seen it work in scores of cases.'³ Therefore, it seems likely that a small increase in the partial pressure of oxygen, spread over a lifetime, would greatly delay the aging process.

HOW DID PTERANODON FLY?

There is some interesting scientific evidence for a higher barometric pressure on the early earth. It concerns the extinct flying reptile Pteranodon. Experts have wondered how it could have become airborne. Prof. Alfred Romer wrote: 'How this animal could get itself into the air from level ground is difficult to understand.'⁴ Calculations have shown that it would have needed a constant wind velocity of 16.4 mph to be able to fly, and would be unable to soar without the benefit of thermals such as are found over coastal areas. The discovery of the fossil of a pteranodon with a 53-foot wingspan in Texas in non-marine sediment presents a further problem, as apparently it did not live near a water surface with the necessary thermal uplifts. However, the higher atmospheric pressure under a vapour canopy would have enabled such a flying giant to take off in much lower wind speeds, and the higher oxygen tension would deliver more power to the muscles used for flying.⁵

THEORY OF AGING

A further possible cause of the longevity comes from the cross-linkage theory of aging. This theory, which is becoming widely accepted, suggests that from birth onwards links form between larger molecules within the body. As life progresses, more and more links form, gradually slowing down the body's mechanisms. It is rather like a factory where someone periodically handcuffs pairs of workers together; eventually the factory would grind to a halt. Cross-linked molecules have the same effect on the human body that handcuffs would have on the factory workers. Scientists have been trying to produce an enzyme which dissolves these cross-links and so prolongs human life.⁶ Was such an enzyme present before the flood, maybe in a plant which is now extinct?

ACCUMULATION OF KNOWLEDGE

It would appear that a number of factors contributed to pre-flood longevity, and we may never know all the answers, is that world is forever lost to us, but there is no good reason for rejecting the ages recorded Genesis. The accumulation of knowledge and wisdom during such lifetimes is almost beyond our comprehension, but there is good archaeological evidence that ancient civilisations were very advanced in science and technology, as opposed to the evolutionary notion of man's rise from primitive savagery. Meanwhile, although many are obsessed with prolonging mortal life here on earth, the Christian has something far better: 'God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.' (1 John 5:11).

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REFERENCES:

1. F. Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, p. 88.
2. Joseph C Dillow, The Waters Above, Moody Press, Chicago, 1981, p. 146.
3. Quoted in Paul Martin, 'Stay Young with Hyperbaric Oxygen', Piedmont Airlines Inflight Magazine, March-April 1977, p. 28.
4. Alfred S. Romer, Vertebrate Palaeontology, University of Chicago Press 1966, p. 146.
5. Dillow, pp. 147-152.
6. Dillow, pp. 171,175.

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