Page 20 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - February 2014 Edition

Biblical Giants and the Missing Link Biblical Giants, Nephilim, Fallen Ones, Neanderthals, Homosapiens and The Missing Link Connection. The Book of Genesis tells the story of man’s beginning, and then in Chapter 6, verse 4 it takes a very strange detour. It tells us that “There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.” - The King James Bible. In this edition of Fact Is Stranger Than Fiction, we investigated whether the biblical giants were myth or fact. The bizarre twists and turns that were encounter, were nothing less than those of “Biblical Proportions.” Was there a time when giants walked the Jerusalem. bones and without them, we will never be able face of the earth and can archaeology help us Was there really a Goliath? If there was, to know for sure how big Goliath really was or solve this mystery? Goliath’s home would have been the city of even if he really existed. Really big people have always been Gath, where many archaeologists have looked Without Goliath, it makes one wonder around. The Guinness Book of World Records for such evidence. what the Bible really means by giants in the has documented hundreds of men and women Enter Archaeologist, Professor Aren Holy Land. who have reached the height of eight feet or Maeir. When researching giants in the Bible, taller. Aren Maeir is a professor at Bar Ilan one will find, a giant who was even bigger Leonid Stadnyk of the Ukraine at eight University and director of the Tell es-Safi/Gath than Goliath and ruled his own biblical feet five inches (2.57m) is the tallest living Archaeological Project, originally from Kingdom. person, though not officially recognized by Rochester, New York. he moved to Israel in Deuteronomy 3:11 - “For only Og king Guinness World Records because he refuses to 1969 and has lived there since. Following his of Bashan remained of the remnant of giants; be measured according to their standards. Other service in the Israel Defense Forces (where he behold his bedstead was a bedstead of iron; is living “giants” include Sultan Kösen of Turkey reached the rank of captain), he did his it not in Rabbath of the children of Ammon? who is tallest living person since September 17, undergraduate and graduate studies at the nine cubits was the length thereof, and four 2009, as determined by Guinness World Hebrew University in Jerusalem (PhD 1997 cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a Records at eight feet three inches (2.51m); summa cum laude), and did a post-doctorate man.” - King James Bible Brahim Takioullah of Morocco who also (2002-2003) at the (now defunct) Dibner The search for giants in the Holy Land possesses the world's largest feet at one foot Institute for the History of Science and is becoming a bit more difficult than we three inches (38 cm) measures eight feet one Technology at MIT. He has been teaching at thought it would be. Goliath appears to be a no inch (2.46m) and Morteza Mehrzad from Iran Bar-Ilan University since 1993. show. who is the tallest man in Iran at eight feet one “First of all everybody back then was Going back into the Book of inch (2.46m) to name a few. really short. If you take into account what the Deuteronomy where we find the story about The Bible’s most famous giant, is a average height of a person during the Iron Age the Bible’s other giant, a rather tall king powerful, big guy that goes by the name, would be, he’d probably be a metre sixty (five named Og, who fought and lost against the Goliath and can be found in the Book of 1 foot two inches),” Professor Maeir explains. Israelites in the battle for the Holy Land. Samuel 17: 4 - And there came out from the According to biblical texts, Goliath is The Bible tells us that had a giant bed camp of the Philistines a champion named three metres and something, which is large even which measured thirteen feet long and six feet Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits on the NBA scale. wide. and a span. - The King James Bible That’s about nine feet eight inches tall. There is a street in Jerusalem called Everybody knows the story of David The Bible isn’t the only record of Emek Rafaim, (Valley of the Giants), and we and Goliath. Goliath’s story. know from the Bible that Og, the king of the David and Goliath confront each other, The Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered in a Bashan, was a giant, one of the Rafaim. Goliath with his armor and shield, David with desert cave in 1947, also tell the story of If evidence was to be found of giants his staff and sling. "The Philistine cursed David Goliath, except that Goliath’s height is roaming the Earth, then logically, going to the by his gods." but David replies: "This day the described in the Dead Sea Scrolls as two full biblical Bashan, which is today the Golan LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will cubits shorter than the Bible’s six cubits and a Heights, would be the place to continue our strike you down; and I will give the dead bodies span. quest.. of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds When you look at the text of Samuel in The further north one goes into the of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth; that the Dead Sea Scrolls, Goliath is depicted as four Golan Heights, things seem to get bigger. all the earth may know that there is a God in cubits, where he is much closer to a normal size. Take for example the dolmens which are Israel, and that all this assembly may know that That would make Goliath two metres and mysterious megalithic markers made from God saves not with sword and spear; for the something approximately six feet six inches, rocks that weigh over forty tons. The dolmens battle is God’s, and he will give you into our which would have been very tall in those days. can be found all over the Golan Heights. Even hand." Since the Dead Sea Scrolls contain the though they are not proof that giants once David hurls a stone from his sling with oldest versions of the Biblical text, most roamed the Golan Heights, the question is all his might and hits Goliath in the center of his scholars believe that scribal error is the cause of who put them there? A question that has yet to forehead, Goliath falls on his face to the ground, the two different heights. be answered. and David cuts off his head. The Philistines flee Scholars tend to trust the measurements and are pursued by the. David puts the armor of listed in the Dead Sea Scrolls but either way, Continues on Page 21 Goliath in his own tent and takes the head to Professor Aren Maeir never did find any large