Download Neanderthal Life Spans And The Bible

Journal: Bible and Spade (Second Run)
Volume: BSPADE 22:2 (Spring 2009)
Article: Neanderthal Life Spans And The Bible
Author: Austin Robbins
BSpade 22:2 (Spring 2009) p. 46
Neanderthal Life Spans And The Bible
Austin Robbins
Introduction
In the Spring 2008 issue of Bible and Spade, an article by Rodger C. Young made reference to
the long life spans of the Patriarchs in Genesis. Young stated, “...currently there is no way to
either prove or disprove the Bible’s testimony in this regard.” 1
There is, however, a strong indication that Neanderthal remains demonstrate their long lives, by
using orthodontic and skull morphology studies to draw conclusions about the age of the
remains at the time the individual died. Dr. Jack Cuozzo wrote a book published in 1998, Buried
Alive, which details many features of classical Neanderthals that point to their ages at death as
of the same order of magnitude as the Patriarchs named in Genesis 11.
Dr. Cuozzo is an orthodontist who became interested in the question of Biblical life spans. Could
the remains of the ancient Neanderthals provide clues as to their ages at death? And could the
Bible be correct in its record of extremely long life spans, or are those accounts mere myth? Dr.
Cuozzo set out to find the answers.
Who Were The Neanderthals?
Joachim Neander was a schoolteacher in Germany who lived from 1650 to 1680. Neander, a
devout Christian, loved to take long walks in a valley near his home. It was there he probably
gained inspiration for the many hymns he wrote; among them is one we still sing today, “Praise
to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of Creation.” He lived in the Rhine Province, near Dusseldorf.
The valley came to be called “Neander’s valley”— Neanderthal in old German.
In the mid-19th century, workmen in a quarry in that valley found bones of unusual humans.
These bones were the first of what came to be called Neanderthal Man. Since then, remains of
these Neanderthals have been found all over Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and even extending
to South Africa.
Most, if not all, Neanderthal material in United States museums is not original. Those fossil
“bones” are reproductions. Most of the original remains are housed in museums in France,
Germany, England and Israel. In order to pursue the required research, Dr. Cuozzo had to
examine, photograph and x-ray the original bones.
Jack Cuozzo
The La Ferrassie I skull in the holder used to ensure that all measurements taken of skull
dimensions and jaw angles were standardized, and skull changes over time could be accurately
determined.
BSpade 2...
You must have a subscription and be logged in to read the entire article.
Click here to subscribe
visitor : : uid: ()