Few of those passages actually have the term “sons of God.”
Job 1;6 does, and it is often translated “heavenly beings.” In context, the “sons of God” in Job 1:6 cannot be humans.
It appears you are using similar terms rather than the actual term “sons of God.”
Since “sons of God” in Job 1:6 does not mean what you wrote it “always” mean, I encourage you to reconsider your position.
But thanks for the effort.
How can you know what the author “thought?”
The text certainly does not indicate that.
If they interbred with humans, why wouldn’t their DNA have been passed down?
not if the difference doesn’t have anything to do with genetics
I disagree with this idea that our humanity is a matter of some genetic difference.
I mean obviously we could not be what we are with the genetics of snails. So I am not saying that our genetics do not matter. But we see a continuous spectrum in genetics. And I don’t think that some minor genetic difference makes for some huge difference between man and animals. Our humanity is not this misguided eugenics notion that equates it to some genetic standard. That way of thinking is poisonous. Thus I think our humanity is far more to do with the human mind and how we think – ideas which transformed us and made us so much more than animals. And as we observe, some people are quite capable of being beasts when they don’t abide by these idea and so we frequently say they are lacking in humanity because of it.
They are referred to as “sons of God.” The phrase also occurs in Job.
Maybe you can get the genome of the cherubim also.
In the Genesis 6 story, the offspring of union of the sons of God with the daughters of men are described as different. Genetics seems the most reasonable explanation, especially with sprinkling of ancient hominid DNA in the modern population.
Genesis 1-11 is commonly known as pre-history so to start trying to rationalise it in actual terms is, IMO pointless. I am not interested in superhuman beings, be they Nephilim,or giants other than Neanderthals. Other than that, there is an obvious comparison to Babylonian pre-history whereby our Scripture enforces a single God rather than the Babylonian multitude. IOW Genesis 1-11 is of theological value only so there is no need to try and work out who the variuos characters may or may not be IRL (because they are not RL)
I do not propose to regale you with a blow-by-blow theological breakdown. (Or perhaps you would like to discuss temple prostitution?)
I would not remove the prehistory part of Genesis because it has values other than the history people here seem intent on extolling. And I have never claimed to want to remove any of the bible, thank you very much!
Richard
On the contrary, no differences are described. They are just said to be men of renown.
I don’t think so. I think there are much better explanations for greatness. Things like education, personality, dedication, and compassion. Do you imagine Jesus saying, “if you would be great then you would resign yourself to the fact that you can only be as great as your genetics dictate. Heil Hitler!”
Yes, it is Numbers 13 that indicates they are large:
There we saw the Nephilim (the Anakites come from the Nephilim); and to ourselves we seemed like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them."
We disagree on the reasonable explanation.
This is from the HarperCollins Study Bible, concerning the passage in Genesis 6:
“The sons of God–explained in later generations as renegade angels–resemble many figures of ancient mythology who recognize no border between heaven and earth.”
It is clear that these sons of God have crossed a boundary.
That these “sons of god” are fantastic myth of something which never existed is certainly a reasonable objective alternative for those who want to make reading the Bible into some kind of science. But I still think the most reasonable understanding of the text for those who want to take the text more seriously as part of a religious faith (which many Christians certainly prefer), is that the “sons of god” are the descendants of Adam and Eve who took wives from the other people in the world and that their children were men of renown, leaders of human civilization.
Actually, it’s a matter of biblical scholarship. The HarperCollins study bible is from the Society of Biblical Literature.
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