Who are the Nephilim? Research Papers (original) (raw)

Rishonim, primarily Rambam, used this Talmudic concept "dibbera Torah ki-leshon benai adam--the Torah speaks in Human Language. to deal with anthropomorphisms in the Torah that clearly violated the concept of God as a non-corporeal... more

Rishonim, primarily Rambam, used this Talmudic concept "dibbera Torah ki-leshon benai adam--the Torah speaks in Human Language. to deal with anthropomorphisms in the Torah that clearly violated the concept of God as a non-corporeal being. R. Joseph ibn Kaspi extended this principle to include other issues unrelated to the problem of anthropomorphism, to the Torah expressing things as they are believed or perceived by the masses and not necessarily as they were in actuality. In this article we show how it might be applied to the apparently historical Flood story.

Like a witches’ brew, Judæo-Christian bibles are a poisonous mix of ingredients: partly filched from the various literatures of the ancient Near East; partly conjured by the parasitic partisans of rival priestly parties; and partly... more

Like a witches’ brew, Judæo-Christian bibles are a poisonous mix of ingredients: partly filched from the various literatures of the ancient Near East; partly conjured by the parasitic partisans of rival priestly parties; and partly spawned by the ignorance of a world into which the light of science had not yet penetrated. Much of biblical “inspiration” is nothing more than the artful reworking of materials from older cults, cultures, and mythologies such as the Gilgamesh Epic. Most “books” of the many different Judæo-Christian bibles are multi-authored composites that reduce to absurdity the concept of “inspired authors.” The evolutionary history of the biblical texts reveals a completely human, fallible, natural origin for the many different literary anthologies that are called THE Bible.

Undergoing review is the fifth chapter titled “Giants Nephilim and Anakim” of a book that L.C. Geerts posted on the earth-history.com site (which does not seem to include a bio of him) that is titled or is to be titled, Earths Ancient... more

Undergoing review is the fifth chapter titled “Giants Nephilim and Anakim” of a book that L.C. Geerts posted on the earth-history.com site (which does not seem to include a bio of him) that is titled or is to be titled, Earths Ancient History, a theory about ancient times and dawn of Mankind (sic.).

Cooper notes that Heiser, “uses a more restrictive sense of the word Angel because he believes Angel is more of a job description: he says the Seraphim, for example, are not Angels.” Well, Seraphim are not Angels because Seraphim are... more

Cooper notes that Heiser, “uses a more restrictive sense of the word Angel because he believes Angel is more of a job description: he says the Seraphim, for example, are not Angels.” Well, Seraphim are not Angels because Seraphim are Seraphim and Angels are Angels. Some will dismiss that common sense bifurcation by merely asserting that Seraphim are a kind of Angel but there is zero indication of any such thing and that is merely a man-made tradition.
Angels, Seraphim, and Cherubim are different categories of being:

  1. they have different job titles, 2) they have different job functions, and 3) they have different morphologies.

Num chap 13 has 12 men being sent into the land of Canaan to reconnoiter it. Upon their return, a report is presented that is accepted as is. A division occurs when Caleb, one of the 12, encourages the people while the 10 discourage them... more

Num chap 13 has 12 men being sent into the land of Canaan to reconnoiter it. Upon their return, a report is presented that is accepted as is. A division occurs when Caleb, one of the 12, encourages the people while the 10 discourage them (and with Joshua siding with Caleb, as is seen in chap 14).
Since the discouragement was not enough, we are then told that the 10 presented an evil report and it is therein where they make five assertions that are not supported by even one single over verse in the entire Bible. They also contradict Moses, Caleb, Joshua, God, and the rest of the whole Bible.

"Now, let us get right down the specific claims about Nephilim and clowns—note that he also references jesters, 'the archetype of the jester is there to make you not take life so seriously and to go against the narrative of the norms in... more

"Now, let us get right down the specific claims about Nephilim and clowns—note that he also references jesters, 'the archetype of the jester is there to make you not take life so seriously and to go against the narrative of the norms in society…The jester was just seen as a projected symbol of the collective conscious…these are like projections of a collective humanity of something. These are actually real conscious separate entities from us with an agenda.'"

In this paper I propose to bring two very different but related artifacts of distinctly American (or proto-American) biblical interpretation into conversation with one another-both focusing on the "historical" existence and symbolic... more

In this paper I propose to bring two very different but related artifacts of distinctly American (or proto-American) biblical interpretation into conversation with one another-both focusing on the "historical" existence and symbolic meaning of biblical giants. The first artifact involves the discovery of a giant fossil tooth near Claverack, New York, in 1705 that was debated among colonial leaders such as Cotton Mather, who immediately connected it to the biblical Flood narrative through a series of baroque interpretations, etymologies, and wordplays. Indeed, the discovery of various giant bones (most of which, naturalists came to understand, were from prehistoric elephants and related creatures) across the colonies and early United States in the 18th and 19th centuries sparked conversations not only about the Bible and history but also about the identity of the "new world" that for interpreters seemed to represent a sort of primeval paradise and/or site upon which some violent, theologically-loaded battles had occurred to tame that which was perceived as monstrous, unholy, and wild (see Paul Semonin's American Monster, 2000). The second "artifact" is something of a collection of materials, all demonstrating a notable rise in content over the past decade offering arcane theories about biblical Nephilim (Gen 6:1-4) and other giants. This contemporary content-ranging from popular Christian Bible study guides to YouTube videos to QAnon-inspired, anti-Semitic conspiracy theories about the Federal reserve-all places biblical giants at the center of a cosmic drama that involves not only archaeological claims about the distant past but also the ongoing fate of people in the world today. The purpose of bringing these two interpretive moments and their related artifacts into conversation with one another, besides the fact that they share a specific, core obsession with biblical giants, is to ask how and why giants have played the role that they have for thinking about present political and social realities. In both contexts, I contend, we see authors and audiences participating in and trying to deal with social, spiritual, and political "regime changes." For Mather, this involves an attempt to engage new empirical methods and legitimate the intellectual status of colonial New England. For the digital Nephilim spiritualities, we see anxiety about secularity and an attempt to "re-enchant" the Bible for spiritually eager audiences who have drifted from traditional forms of faith. On the broadest levels, both moments share a desire to engage in esoteric textual and spiritual matters and speak to longstanding concerns to connect with the biblical text and explain the present state of the world-mediated through the imagined bodies of giants.

The bible talks about Nephilim and Giants - Did they exist? Did the fallen Angels copulate with womankind and ended up with hybrids or is this all the figment of many individuals imaginations that had run wild to such and extent that they... more

The bible talks about Nephilim and Giants - Did they exist? Did the fallen Angels copulate with womankind and ended up with hybrids or is this all the figment of many individuals imaginations that had run wild to such and extent that they formed groups of watchers who are on the lookout for God knows what?

This is the daft version of a paper that was published under the title, "Why We Need Systematic Biblical Nephilology." The reason for seeking to discern Systematic Biblical Nephilology is that Nephilology, especially at the pop level,... more

Thus we can conclude that Nephilim and all of the other names that are in Scripture for them were not merely the offspring of a human father with a human mother. There is absolutely no evidence whatsoever that the Nephilim came about as a... more

Thus we can conclude that Nephilim and all of the other names that are in Scripture for them were not merely the offspring of a human father with a human mother. There is absolutely no evidence whatsoever that the Nephilim came about as a result of the “good” sons of Seth turning “bad” and then connecting with the bad daughters of Cain. The ancient world believed until the time of Augustine about the Nephilim. Every ante-Nicene interpreter (Jewish and Christian) understood the sons of God to be angels who had sexual relations with women. The offspring of those relationships were the Nephilim.

In 1 Samuel 17, Goliath is described using animal imagery, depicted like a sea creature, a lion and bear, a dog, and scavengers' prey. I argue that these images present Goliath as not fully human, and contribute to the construction of his... more

In 1 Samuel 17, Goliath is described using animal imagery, depicted like a sea creature, a lion and bear, a dog, and scavengers' prey. I argue that these images present Goliath as not fully human, and contribute to the construction of his masculinity and ethnicity. This article traces the trajectory here: masculinity is established then undermined; the foreigner encroaches then is expelled. Goliath is introduced as a hypermasculine ultrapredator. Akin to a sea monster from the chaotic beyond, he has an exoskeleton of fish-scale armour (17:5). David then likens him to lions and bears (17:34-37), imperial symbols for fearsome foreign nations. David, though, can grasp their beards (overturning their masculinity) and slay them. Goliath perceives David to be treating him like a scavenging dog (17:43)-a dishonourable creature encroaching where it does not belong. Consequently, the opponents threaten to give the other's flesh to the birds and beasts (17:44, 46). Their bodies' masculine wholeness is disarticulated by scavengers and expelled from society.

Nghiên cứu nhằm đánh giá hiệu quả kinh tế và môi trường của việc sử dụng hệ đèn LED chuyên dụng trên các thuyền câu mực so với hệ đèn LED tự chế tại xã Hải Dương, thị xã Hương Trà, tỉnh Thừa Thiên Huế. Kết quả cho thấy, chi phí trung bình... more

Nghiên cứu nhằm đánh giá hiệu quả kinh tế và môi trường của việc sử dụng hệ đèn LED chuyên dụng trên các thuyền câu mực so với hệ đèn LED tự chế tại xã Hải Dương, thị xã Hương Trà, tỉnh Thừa Thiên Huế. Kết quả cho thấy, chi phí trung bình của thuyền dùng đèn LED chuyên dụng (98,89 ± 2,47 ngàn đồng) thấp hơn thuyền dùng đèn LED tự chế (103,89 ± 2,17 ngàn đồng), trong khi, lợi nhuận trung bình 1 chuyến của thuyền khai thác bằng đèn LED chuyên dụng (946,8 ± 44,31 ngàn đồng) cao hơn đèn LED tự chế (572,4 ± 27,04 ngàn đồng) và tỷ suất lợi nhuận của mô hình khai thác bằng đèn LED chuyên dụng (2,04 ± 0,09) cao hơn so với đèn LED tự chế (1,19 ± 0,06). Sử dụng đèn LED chuyên dụng lượng phát thải khí CO2 hàng năm giảm trên 58 tấn CO2/năm, điều đó cho thấy hiệu quả bảo vệ môi trường cũng như là bảo vệ sức khỏe của con người khi sử dụng đèn LED chuyên dụng cao trong câu mực.

Why is this song heard three times? What functions does the song serve? This article examines the victory song of the women within the narrative of David's fugitive years, arguing that the women's song functions both negatively and... more

Why is this song heard three times? What functions does the song serve? This article examines the victory song of the women within the narrative of David's fugitive years, arguing that the women's song functions both negatively and positively in the narratives of Samuel. Negatively, the song is responsible for inciting jealousy within Saul, thereby commencing Saul's persecution of David. The song is also what causes David to feign madness before Achish. Due to the song's emphasis, Philistines fail to stop in their attack on Saul and the Israelites. Positively, the song reminds David of his calling in a time when his faith wavers, rescues David from finding refuge with the Philistines, and prevents him from joining them in fighting against Saul and his fellow Israelites.

Zen Garcia claims, “The recreation of Adam and Eve into flesh bodies happens on the eighth day and is described in the Nag Hammadi codices as the elevation of the third creation of eighth-day dust Adam and Eve” and, “the Genesis 3 Adam is... more

Zen Garcia claims, “The recreation of Adam and Eve into flesh bodies happens on the eighth day and is described in the Nag Hammadi codices as the elevation of the third creation of eighth-day dust Adam and Eve” and, “the Genesis 3 Adam is a whole different being from the Genesis 2 creature molded by the Elohim prior to humanity’s recreation on the eighth day as cited in the Nag Hammadi codices.”

The focus of the review will be the segments that specifically pertain to the subject title's reference to "Giants." Now, noah begins by quoting Gen 6:4 thusly, "The Nephilim were in the earth in those days, and also after that, when the... more

The focus of the review will be the segments that specifically pertain to the subject title's reference to "Giants."
Now, noah begins by quoting Gen 6:4 thusly, "The Nephilim were in the earth in those days, and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bore children to them; the same were the mighty men that were of old, the men of renown."
Note that the subject pertains to, "Giants" but the quotations pertain to, "Nephilim": more on this to come. Thus, we may conclude that by the vague, generic, subjective, and multi-usage modern English word, "Giants," noah is referring exclusively to, "Nephilim."

The Old Testament contains several stories which prove problematic to understand and scandalous for people today, for these stories portray God as an unpredictable, irate, or even cruel lord. These stories urge even believers to try to... more

The Old Testament contains several stories which prove problematic to understand and scandalous for people today, for these stories portray God as an unpredictable, irate, or even cruel lord. These stories urge even believers to try to neglect them, or, at best, to perceive them as obsolete levelsin terms of salvation historyof divine self-revelation, claiming that the fragmentary knowledge of God in preceding eras was replaced by the revelation of love and grace in Jesus Christ. And respect is due to those fearless theologians who dare confront these aspects of the stories, and even more so, they attempt (in the metaphor of a legal procedure of Eastern vehemence) to render these »witness accounts«considered as simultaneously (!) valid, but also irreconcilableacceptable in an »unsystematic system«. Naturally, all of these hermeneutical procedures contain parts of the truth, and this brief paper cannot be intended to alleviate all concern pertaining to every »difficult« passage of the Old Testament. However, a parallel biblical-theological survey of certain key Old Testament passages might prove helpful not only in bringing about a better understanding of the actual intentions of the given stories and in alleviating the seeming contradictions, but maybe also in a more correct conception of the message of the Old Testament. Such stories are, in my opinion, the ones that recordafter a primary, unsuccessful attempta second, successful beginning between God and humanity, God and Israel or God and the royal housenow with lasting results. The story of the flood (Gen 6-9) is one of the most well-known narratives of the Bible, but its cruel details and God's role in it trigger a sense of shock or, perhaps, of downright rejection in many. How could God decree the obliteration of all humanity, and, what is more, the destruction of almost the whole of nature? And if he has done so once, why has he not repeated that just punishment ever again? For right after the flood God himself states that, in spite of the flood, »from the time he is young his thoughts are evil« (Gen 8,21, cf. Gen 6,5).

Lorehaven asks, “Why Are Some Christians So Curious About Nephilim?” and replied as per, “this giant controversy about these ‘monsters’” followed by a common parlance play off of a memeish slant on the Ancient Aliens show with, “I’m not... more

Lorehaven asks, “Why Are Some Christians So Curious About Nephilim?” and replied as per, “this giant controversy about these ‘monsters’” followed by a common parlance play off of a memeish slant on the Ancient Aliens show with, “I’m not saying our next monster for Monster Month was nephilim, but it was nephilim.”

Prof. Goeman's focus is to determine, “Goliath’s ancestry…although Goliath fought as a Philistine, the evidence suggests that he probably was of the Anakim, not a native Philistine” which seems misguided—as we shall see—but first note... more

Prof. Goeman's focus is to determine, “Goliath’s ancestry…although Goliath fought as a Philistine, the evidence suggests that he probably was of the Anakim, not a native Philistine” which seems misguided—as we shall see—but first note that the article’s title should send up red flags in terms of linguistics, “Goliath was a Nephilim of the Anakim.”

Hereinafter is specifically a review of the paper Lee Anderson, Jr.’s paper “Is “Sons of God” in Genesis 6 Adapted Pagan Mythology?” that was published in the Answers Research Journal, 8 (2015): 261–271. My focus will be on that which... more

Hereinafter is specifically a review of the paper Lee Anderson, Jr.’s paper “Is “Sons of God” in Genesis 6 Adapted Pagan Mythology?” that was published in the Answers Research Journal, 8 (2015): 261–271. My focus will be on that which Anderson has to say about Angelology and Nephilology and not necessarily the issue of Pagan adaptations or not.

This paper examines popular claims about the historical existence of biblical giants—particularly as they appear in a resilient genre of YouTube video devoted to showing hitherto unnoticed photographic evidence of giant bones from the... more

This paper examines popular claims about the historical existence of biblical giants—particularly as they appear in a resilient genre of YouTube video devoted to showing hitherto unnoticed photographic evidence of giant bones from the ancient past. Although some of these videos teeter on the edge of comedy or satire (with egregious use of photoshopping), others participate in a sincere (if misguided) form of pseudo-science that is worth serious consideration both as a category of reception history and as an attempt to engage with categories of historiographic thinking. How should we explain the continued popular obsession with biblical characters like the Nephilim (Gen 6:1-4; Num 13:32-33), who despite their minor role in the text have taken on an outsized role in the history of interpretation—and in weekly Sunday School classes? And how should we understand the psychology of pseudo-historiography that animates the production of popular media pieces (like the YouTube videos in this genre, or related contemporary pop artifacts)? I suggest that these kinds of questions fit naturally into a longstanding fascination with giants that has existed for many centuries, and I trace a line back from the present day through the medieval obsession with giants and ultimately back to the biblical texts themselves, which display an antiquarian impulse (e.g., Deut 3:11) connecting ancient and contemporary audiences in their search for the fantastical and the gigantic. I also attempt to integrate the production of YouTube videos of this type into a broader and urgent contemporary discussion about conspiracy theory belief in the United States, with implications for religious belonging and political action.

Ordained Presbyterian Elder Jack Kettler notes: They were fallen angels or demons…has a long history of support for the position. However, in light of Christ’s teaching on marriage, and others it is becoming increasingly problematic. For... more

We are told, “Nephilim are giants of biblical mythology” which is followed up a few sentences later by the question, “Are they giants?” (since they did not make it past the flood, it should be “were” nor “are”), and Reich asked,... more

We are told, “Nephilim are giants of biblical mythology” which is followed up a few sentences
later by the question, “Are they giants?” (since they did not make it past the flood, it should be
“were” nor “are”), and Reich asked, “Nephilim: Who are the giants of the Bible, Jewish lore?” in
the title itself.
Well, we cannot really accept being told that they are giants nor answer whether they were until
we are told by Reich what he means by the vague, generic, subjective, and multi-usage word
giants.
Now, since the title jumps from the specific ancient Hebrew word Nephilim to the undefined
modern English word giants I infer that by giants he is merely doing that which some English
Bibles do: he is merely rendering (not translating) the word Nephilim as giants.

Ronald Hendel (Professor of Hebrew Bible at the University of California, Berkeley who holds a Ph.D. from Harvard University) wrote a book chapter titled, “The Landscape of Memory: Giants and the Conquest of Canaan” within the book,... more

Ronald Hendel (Professor of Hebrew Bible at the University of California, Berkeley who holds a Ph.D. from Harvard University) wrote a book chapter titled, “The Landscape of Memory: Giants and the Conquest of Canaan” within the book, "Collective Identity and Collective Memory: Deuteronomy and the Deuteronomistic History in Their Context."

A short paper that discusses juxtaposing parallelly between Russian President Putin and Ukraine's President Zelensky to the biblical characters Goliath and David

AISH styles itself, "the largest Jewish learning site" and published an article by Dovid Rosenfeld tiled, "Nephilim-Giants in the Torah" (May 6, 2022). Coming from a Jewish, Hebrew, perspective-as both Rosenfeld and I do-I looked forward... more

AISH styles itself, "the largest Jewish learning site" and published an article by Dovid Rosenfeld tiled, "Nephilim-Giants in the Torah" (May 6, 2022). Coming from a Jewish, Hebrew, perspective-as both Rosenfeld and I do-I looked forward to more than the typical pop-research based neo-theo-sci-fi about Nephilim.

Nghiên cứu nhằm đánh giá hiệu quả kinh tế và môi trường của việc sử dụng hệ đèn LED chuyên dụng trên các thuyền câu mực so với hệ đèn LED tự chế tại xã Hải Dương, thị xã Hương Trà, tỉnh Thừa Thiên Huế. Kết quả cho thấy, chi phí trung bình... more

Nghiên cứu nhằm đánh giá hiệu quả kinh tế và môi trường của việc sử dụng hệ đèn LED chuyên dụng trên các thuyền câu mực so với hệ đèn LED tự chế tại xã Hải Dương, thị xã Hương Trà, tỉnh Thừa Thiên Huế. Kết quả cho thấy, chi phí trung bình của thuyền dùng đèn LED chuyên dụng (98,89 ± 2,47 ngàn đồng) thấp hơn thuyền dùng đèn LED tự chế (103,89 ± 2,17 ngàn đồng), trong khi, lợi nhuận trung bình 1 chuyến của thuyền khai thác bằng đèn LED chuyên dụng (946,8 ± 44,31 ngàn đồng) cao hơn đèn LED tự chế (572,4 ± 27,04 ngàn đồng) và tỷ suất lợi nhuận của mô hình khai thác bằng đèn LED chuyên dụng (2,04 ± 0,09) cao hơn so với đèn LED tự chế (1,19 ± 0,06). Sử dụng đèn LED chuyên dụng lượng phát thải khí CO2 hàng năm giảm trên 58 tấn CO2/năm, điều đó cho thấy hiệu quả bảo vệ môi trường cũng như là bảo vệ sức khỏe của con người khi sử dụng đèn LED chuyên dụng cao trong câu mực.

The author argues that the majority of modern day translations of Genesis 11:28a, reading ''Haran died in the lifetime of Terah, his father'' (or wording to that effect) missed the intention of the narrator's actual... more

The author argues that the majority of modern day translations of Genesis 11:28a, reading ''Haran died in the lifetime of Terah, his father'' (or wording to that effect) missed the intention of the narrator's actual words ''Haran died in the face of (in confrontation with) Terah, his father.' His working hypothesis, concluding the exegesis of the text, is that the narrator faced the ethical dilemma of having the task to tell a positive story about the origins of Israel while knowing the dark side which he, as an honest witness, could not negate, and consequently alluded to. This ''small voice'' of the author / narrator can easily be silenced and is consequently not picked up by strong translation traditions, as indeed happened in this case.

There has been much written over the past few decades concerning the identity of the "sons of God" and the Nephilim as found in the Bible. Additionally, there have been some speculations as to the exact process of the recurrence of the... more

There has been much written over the past few decades concerning the identity of the "sons of God" and the Nephilim as found in the Bible. Additionally, there have been some speculations as to the exact process of the recurrence of the Nephilim as found in Numbers 13:32-33 which is long after the flood. I would like to share in this article some of the answers that I think might have been overlooked concerning these questions. As we go along, I want to provide a few opportunities for the reader to delve further through several well written essays or commentaries on this topic.