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The antediluvian period was the period that preceded the Great Flood of Noah as related in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible. It was an important feature in versions of natural history that were formerly much more widely accepted. The primary source of knowledge about the antediluvian period is Genesis, chapters 5 and 6. The Bible speaks of this era as being a time of great wickedness. There were Gibborim (giants) in the earth in those days as well as Nephilim, some translations identify the two as one and the same. These giants were the offspring of the "sons of God", usually interpreted as angels, who descended from the heavens to beget them with mortal women. The Gibborim were unusually powerful; Genesis calls them "heroes of old, men of renown;" (Enoshi Ha Shem). Genesis also says at that time mankind was an evil race, whom God repented of creating, and therefore he sent the Flood to wipe out all human life, all except Noah and his family. Nevertheless, the Nephilim (literally meaning fallen ones) reappear much later in the Biblical narrative, in Numbers 13:31-33.
The Gibborim, and the Flood, were once considered to be the source of large fossil bones, and the explanation of how seashells and other traces of marine life came to be found in rocks on mountaintops. Evidence of large extinct forms of life were thought to have been the remnants of large creatures exterminated together with the race of giants.
The antediluvian patriarchs were credited with unusually long lifespans in the Book of Genesis. These include:
- Adam 930 years (begat at 130 years)
- SethThis article is about the Biblical Seth. For other meanings, see Seth (disambiguation). Seth or Shet "Placed; appointed", Standard Hebrew #X160;et Tiberian Hebrew #X160;e Arabic i , mentioned in the Book of Genesis of the Hebrew Bible, is the third son of 912 years (begat at 105 years)
- Enosh 905 years (begat at 90 years)
- Kenan 910 years (begat at 70 years)
- MahalalelMahalalel or Mahalaleel ( Hebrew Mahalal'el or Mahalalel was a patriarch named in the Hebrew Bible. He was the son of Kenan, son of Enosh, son of Seth, son of Adam in the Old Testament of the Bible. He was also the father of Jared, father of Enoch. He app 895 years (begat at 65 years)
- EnochIn the Book of Genesis, Enoch or Hanoch "Initiated; dedicated; disciplined", Standard Hebrew ano Tiberian Hebrew an is a name shared by two individuals. The first was the son of Cain. Cain later founded a city which he named Enoch. The second was the son 365 years (begat at 65 years)
- JaredJared Standard Hebrew Yered / Yared Tiberian Hebrew Yere / Yre is derived from the Hebrew Bible ( Old Testament of the Bible), where it appears in the Book of Genesis (Gen. The biblical Jared was the son of Mahalalel and the father of Enoch. The word is o 962 years (begat at 62 years)
- MethuselahThis article is about the Biblical character. See Methuselah (disambiguation) for other uses. Methuselah or Metushelach "Man of the dart", Standard Hebrew Mtušela / Mtušala Tiberian Hebrew Mušela / Mušla was the oldest person whose 969 years (begat at 187 years)
- LamechLamech or Lemech "Low; poor", Standard Hebrew Leme / Lame Tiberian Hebrew Leme / Lme is the name of two men in the Book of Genesis. In the Hebrew Bible In Genesis 4:18-24, Lamech is the son of Methusael and a descendant of Cain. He is the first man mentio 777 years (begat at 82 years)
- Noah 950 years (begat at 500 years)
"Antediluvian" is sometimes used figuratively to refer to anything of great age.
Christian mythology
Torah events
