Gen 6:1-4
...in ancient literature. The idea that celestial creatures could come down to Earth and copulate with human beings has inspired many a romantic fairy-tale over the years. The children created from these affairs became the heroes of the day. Whether evil or good, these families have been the characters in the legends parents have told their broods for centuries. One of the most well known instances of such a tale is the myth of Hercules: the young man who was half god and had extraordinary strength. Surprisingly enough, there is such a story to be found even in Scripture. Genesis 6:1-4 is the true narrative from which all of the aforementioned tales most probably drew their ideas. It is argued, however, if these verses can be taken in such a manner or if that is reading too much into it. The goal of this paper is to research whether or not either side of the argument can be fully proved.
GENESIS 6:1
Mentioned in verse one is a population explosion, which comes to be connected with the increase of human iniquity. A Babylonian myth (Atrahasis circa 1600 B.C.) tells a similar story of the growth in number of humans correlating to the downfall of the race. In this story the god, Enlil, becomes irritated at the noise of expanding humanity and he plots their annihilation. In Genesis, the threat to humanity lies in their moral decay. A flood that wipes out most, if not all, of the inhabitants of Earth follows both of these population explosions directly. It is not surprising that as the population of Earth grows so does its evil ways. God blesses procreation, but this is not the sole means to survival. There must be a relationship with God for the human family to prosper and be blessed.
GENESIS 6:2
FABRICATION
The way this verse is interpreted decides the meaning of the rest of the passage. The main problem here is the identification of the "sons of...
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