PATRIARCHS OF THE BIBLE. – Descendants of Adam up to Noah (antediluvian) and of Shem up to Terah (postdiluvian). The term “patriarchs” is also applied to Abraham (v.), ISACCO (v.), JACOB, MAX (v.), other figures in the Septuagint (cf. 1 Chron. 24:31; 27:22; 2 Chron. 9:8; 23:20; 26:12), and in Acts 7:8, 9; 2:29 to the sons of Jacob and David. Perhaps Danel (cf. Ex. 14:14–20; 28:3) also lived at the time of the patriarchs. Two genealogies are given for the antediluvians: Gen. 4:17ff. (line of Cain); ibid. 5:31 (line of Seth).
According to some authors (e.g., Taylor, Chaine), these might be the same genealogy (Gen. 4:17ff. from J or the Yahwist source, and 5:3–31 from P or the Priestly source); but it is highly unlikely that Seth and Cain are confused, nor does the J list end with Noah as the P list does. The mere similarity of names such as Enoch, Lamech, Irad, and Methuselah does not imply the identity of the lists. In the genealogy of the Sethites (Gen. 5:3–31) and Shemites (ibid. 11:10–32), each patriarch is presented in a schema that records: the age at which he fathered his successor, how long he lived afterward, the total span of his life, whether he had other sons and daughters, and then, for the antediluvians, the fact of his death—Enoch (v.), who walked with God and was no more because God took him (Gen. 5:24). Luke 3:34–36 lists the Sethite and Shemite patriarchs among the ancestors of Christ (cf. also 1 Chron. 1:24–27). Of the Cainites, more important details are given: Cain builds a city and names it Enoch (hânakh = “to build”) after his son (a transition from nomadic to urban life?), Lamech (v.) introduces polygamy, and his three sons invent: pastoral life under tents (Jabal), musical instruments (Jubal), and the art of working copper and iron (Tubal-cain).
The postdiluvian patriarchs number nine in the Masoretic text, but ten in the Septuagint and in Luke 3:36 with the addition of Cainan (cf. also 1 Chron. 24:27). In Gen. 11:10–26 we have the genealogy of Shem; in Gen. 10:21ff. another lineage of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, Aram. From Arpachshad: Shelah, Eber, Peleg, Joktan. It follows that Gen. 11:10–26 gives the genealogy of Shem through Arpachshad.
As for chronology, by calculating the years in which the patriarchs fathered their successors, it can be reconstructed from the creation of man down to Abraham. But the Masoretic text, the Samaritan, and the Septuagint do not agree among themselves (v. Table a).
The Septuagint increases by 100 years the date of the begetting by lengthening the period from Adam to the Flood and adjusting the remainder of life, so that the total sum agrees.
The Samaritan agrees with the Masoretic text except for Irad, Methuselah, and Lamech. Methuselah, according to the Masoretic text and the Samaritan, died during the Flood (in 1656 according to the Masoretic, in 1307 according to the Samaritan, and in 2262 according to the Septuagint), and Lamech is said to have died five years after the Flood, contrary to Gen. 6:17; 7:4, 21–24; 1 Pet. 3:20; 2 Pet. 2:5 (v. Table b).
The rearrangements are more numerous than in the first list. The Samaritan and the Septuagint add 100 years to the birth of the successors and 50 to Nahor. In the remainder of life, the Masoretic text is increased and the Samaritan decreased. The Septuagint tends to increase here as well.
From the Flood to Terah there elapsed 390 years according to the Masoretic text, 1040 according to the Samaritan, 1170 according to the Septuagint; between the birth of Abraham and the Flood, 290 years (Masoretic text). At that time, nearly all the descendants of Shem would still have been alive. Shelah and Eber would have outlived them.
The historical value of this chronology is compromised by the divergence of the texts. Even taking the higher numbers, they cannot be reconciled with the figures assigned by modern paleontologists to the same period (from 50,000 to 200,000 years).
Another difficulty is the longevity of the patriarchs, which peaks at 969 years for Methuselah, then declines to 962 (Irad), 950 (Noah), 930 (Adam), 912 (Seth), 910 (Cainan), 905 (Enosh), 895 (Mahalalel), 753 (Lamech), 365 (Enoch). Among the postdiluvian patriarchs, the Septuagint gives figures from 600 down to 565, 460, 504, 339, 330, 208, 205.
From the two tables it appears unfounded to claim that the author intends to show a progressive decrease in human lifespan, since Eber lived longer than Cainan and Shelah, Noah longer than Lamech, Mahalalel, etc. By Abraham’s time, lifespan was shorter. To a man, 100 years, and to a woman, 90, was considered an extraordinary age (Gen. 17:17) without a miracle (ibid. 18:14); already they were regarded as old and advanced in years (ibid. 18:10–13). Abraham at 175 was sated with years (Gen. 25:7–8). Thus it was considered a marvel that Moses at his death, at 120 years, had not lost his sight nor his vigor (Deut. 34:7). It should be noted, however, that Abraham, who could not father a child at 100, later married Keturah and had children by her. The conduct of Ham toward his drunken father would suggest a young man rather than a centenarian. The same may be said of Sarah, who at 65 captivated Pharaoh and Abimelech, while at 60 she was already an old crone. Shem, after the Flood, should have been 101 years old (Gen. 5:31; 7:6), yet according to Gen. 11:10, two years after the Flood he was only 100. Another striking fact is the advanced age at which the patriarchs fathered their successors (cf. also Noah, who had Shem, Ham, and Japheth only at 500 years). Current rationalistic theories about the mythical patriarchs are expounded by R. Kittel, *Geschichte des Volkes Israel*, I, 7th ed., Stuttgart 1932, pp. 249–90.
The lists of the patriarchs have been compared with the Babylonian king-lists preserved in the two cuneiform documents WB 444 and WB 62 and by Berossus. But it now appears that they are not parallel. They deal with kings, not patriarchs, have Sumerian names, are drawn from different local catalogs, and assign much longer periods (64,800; 28,800; 43,200; 108,000; 241,000; etc.): according to tablet WB 444, 241,200 years elapsed up to the Flood, according to WB 62, 456,000, and according to Berossus, 432,000. Yet tablet WB 444 has 8 kings, the other (WB 62 with Berossus) has 10 (Aloros 36,000, Alaparos 10,800, Amelon 46,800, Amenon 43,200, Magalaros 64,800, Daos 36,000, Evedorachos 64,800, Amempsinos 36,000, Otiastes 28,000, Xisuthros 64,800). Ten kings recall the Egyptians, ten patriarchs the Persians, nine successors of Brahma the Indians.
Faced with the difficulties posed by the longevity of the patriarchs as asserted by the numbers in Gen. 5 and 10, various solutions have been proposed: there would not be a complete genealogical series, many intermediate members being omitted, since yāladh (“he begot”) and ben (“son”) could indicate not an immediate generation; the years would not be of our duration: 10 years would correspond to one year, i.e., of 36 days (cf. St. Augustine, *De civ. Dei*, XV, 12–13: PL 41, 451–53); biblical chronology would be symbolic or artificial—the latest of various systems is the numerical symbolism of J. Schildenberger; the texts would have been intentionally corrupted (B. Kennicott, *Dissertationes generales in Vet. Test. Hebr.*, Oxford 1780, p. 32, n. 75); the author would cite popular sources or legends from which he drew without guaranteeing their reliability; the dates would have been inserted into the Pentateuch later; Moses would not have been explicit (P. Heinisch); the numbers would serve a mnemonic function.
The longevity of the P.B. [Patriarchs before the Flood], although extraordinary, is not impossible. It can be justified by the vigor of the first men and by the more favorable climatic and dietary factors. Nor is it to be excluded that divine intervention may have given the P.B. the opportunity to transmit the primitive Revelation in person, with greater authority. The ancient traditions of extraordinary longevity among the first men, even outside Israel, may have a common basis. The years in Gen. 1–10, however, have their normal duration, as is evident from the calculation of the duration of the Flood (ibid. 8:4–14).
The purpose of the genealogies of the P.B. is not rigidly historical or chronological, but rather religious with a juridical-legal aspect, namely, to prove the legitimacy of Israel’s descent from Adam through the line Seth–Noah–Shem–Terah–Abraham. The links in this lineage represent the stages of the history of Revelation: its administration preserved until Noah; its notification until Terah; the Abrahamic phase until Jacob (Moses). Implicit but evident is the tendency to connect the seed of Abraham’s blessing with the seed of the woman (Gen. 3:15), inasmuch as it will give rise to Israel. The names of the P.B. do not indicate the firstborn, since Seth was not Adam’s firstborn, and Arphaxad was not Shem’s.