Re: [asa] Ages of the Patriarchs

Variations between the Septuagint, Samaritan, and Masoretic text in
the exact numbers gives further uncertainty. Other lists of numbers
caused similar problems for scribes, as seen in a comparison of lists
in Ezra, Nehemiah, and I Esdras.

Some discrepancy in counting systems is suggested by Gen. 11:32-Terah
died at 205 in Haran, Gen. 12:4-Abraham was 75 on leaving Haran, Gen.
21:5 Abraham at 99 is too old to be a father.

Kitchen, in On the Reliability of the Old Testament, suggests that the
long ages in Mesopotamian and Genesis lists reflect attempts to
reconcile old lists of names and ages with the perceived great
antiquity of the Flood and the origins of humans relative to the
scribes by multiplying by a factor that seemed to give a better total
of years.

Paleontologically, age can be determined if an organism has hard parts
that grow continually (growth rings, stable isotope variations, etc.).
 For humans, after growth stops, one can get a general idea based on
whether the bones are in good condition versus severely arthritic, how
worn the teeth are, etc., but obviously this has much variation
depending on the individual and the lifestyle.

The water vapor canopy idea is related to flood geology models that
violate the laws of physics.

-- 
Dr. David Campbell
425 Scientific Collections
University of Alabama
"I think of my happy condition, surrounded by acres of clams"
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