Patriarchs (Bible) near Bethlehem, at the site where she is believed to have died in childbirth. The lifetimes given for the patriarchs in the Masoretic Text of the Book of Genesis are: Adam 930 years, Seth 912, Enos 905, Kenan 910, Mahalalel 895, Jared 962, Enoch 365 (did not die, but was taken away by God), Methuselah 969, Lamech 777, Noah 950. The lifespans given have surprising chronological implications, as the following quotation shows. According to the Bible, many of the tribes living in the Middle East between the time of Abraham and the time of Christ have a genealogical connection to
Criticism of the Bible old. Moreover, 10,000 years is not enough time to account for the current amount of genetic variation in humans. If all humans were descended from two individuals that lived less than 10,000 years ago, it would require an impossibly high rate of mutation to reach humanity's current level of genetic diversity . Science-faith think tanks such as the Biologos foundation and Reasons to Believe have sought to reconcile these scientific challenges with the Christian faith. According to one of the world's leading biblical archaeologists, William G. Dever, Archaeology certainly doesn't prove literal readings of the Bible...It calls them into question,