>
> >From: Steve Filliaux <Steven.Filliaux@mci.com>
> >Reply-To: "steven.filliaux@mci.com" <steven.filliaux@mci.com>
> >To: "'asa@newl.com'" <asa@newl.com>
> >Subject: Early Man
> >Date: Thu, 16 Jul 1998 17:06:25 -0400
>
> > I need some help understanding early man and the Genesis account. I have
> >come out of the "literal 6 day" camp and no long have a problem with an old
> >earth and the Gen 1-4 account. However, I'm unable to reconcile early man
> >and the fact that we have found religious items at their burial sites
> >and/or dwellings. Could you please point me in a good direction.
The Description of Cain and Abel in Gen. is comparatively meager and they
may not really be "domesticators" of plants and animals.Their respective
concern with vegetable and provision might have bee vastly more primitive
which could date them to an early time.
Cain could also have lost his cultural attainment because of the
prevalence of sin based on Gen. 4:2. Thus a considerable part of the
economic culture as God gave it to humans before the Fall migh have been
lost at an early date and then rediscovered gradually (i.e Gen. 3:17-19)
The advanced culture suggested by Cain's descendants can then be
attributed to the arrival of civilization after many generations had
elapsed and the human population had grown. This interpretation is borne
out by Gen. 4:17 that suggests the presence of dynasties or tribes instead
of individuals, and this necessitated the building of a city. The lost
civilizations implicated by the archaeological remains found in South and
Central America lend credence to the possibility of an advanced culture
that was wiped out suddently. The question is raised as to whether there
is a connection between this culture and the cities of Gen. 4:17. However,
without solid prehistroic findings of cultural artefacts these theories
remain speculative and need to be reevaluated when more data becomes
available. In this scheme then, the earlier humans such as Homo
Neanderthal practiced burials because of a remnant of his culture which
was lost.
------------------------------------- Dr. Pattle Pun Professor of Biology
Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL 60187
eMail: Pattle.P.Pun@wheaton.edu
Phone: (630)752-5303
FAX: (630)752-5996
http://www.wheaton.edu/Biology/faculty/ppp/index.html