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2020, richardsorensen.com
The Nephilim were said to be a race or a group of people that had distinct physical characteristics of large size and great strength. They are first mentioned in Genesis chapter 6 as the progeny of the “sons of God” and the “daughters of men.” Although the psychological characteristics of the Nephilim are not specifically described in the Bible, they are pictured in the Second Temple writings as being very belligerent, sexually aggressive, and prone to conflict. Immediately after they are mentioned, Genesis goes on to discuss how the heart and minds of people became continually evil, and God’s flood judgement in response. But the Bible indicates that the Nephilim reappeared after presumably being killed off in the Flood. How could that have happened? This paper explores a possibility that may not have been previously considered – that the wife of Ham (one of the sons of Noah), who was one of the individuals present on the ark, was born from Nephilim stock. She would therefore have passed her DNA to some of her children (especially to her son Canaan) and later descendants, so that individuals of large size and/or psychopathic behavior could therefore reappear later in history. Also considered is the possibility that the Biblical Nimrod, a descendant of Ham, was the Sumerian king Gilgamesh, and that he also was genetically Nephilim.
2021 •
Richard B. Sorensen notes, "Nephilim were said to be a race or a group of people that had distinct physical characteristics of large size and great strength" and that "the psychological characteristics of the Nephilim are not specifically described in the Bible, they are generally pictured as being very proud, belligerent, sexually aggressive, and prone to conflict…The Nephilim are portrayed as men who were tall, strong, and belligerent…physically intimidating…Nephilic characteristics of height, musculature, and psychopathology." Now, while "the psychological characteristics of the Nephilim are not specifically described in the Bible" neither is that they "had distinct physical characteristics of large size and great strength" nor that they were "generally pictured as being very proud, belligerent, sexually aggressive, and prone to conflict…tall, strong, and belligerent…physically intimidating…Nephilic characteristics of height, musculature, and psychopathology." What we reliably know about them is, "Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came into the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown" (Genesis 6:1-4)-period (keep the "reliably" qualifier in mind).
2015 •
The Nephilim figure prominently in some popular literature. Their portrayal is speculative, but also based on Second Temple texts, which portray the Nephilim as the giant offspring of angels and human women who were responsible for the corruption that resulted in the flood. The OT includes few direct references to the Nephilim (Gen. 6:4; Num. 13:33; possibly Ezek. 32:27), though they have been generally linked with giant pre-conquest inhabitants of Canaan, particularly Anakites and Rephaim. The lack of detail in the OT suggests the existence of underlying extra-biblical traditions, though substantial differences appear to rule out Second Temple texts as a source for OT writers. Because the OT appears to include references to the Nephilim existing both before and after the flood, an important question is whether (or how) they survived the deluge. This article argues that the Nephilim in the OT are associated, primarily, with the antediluvian era; though are, intentially, linked with ...
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.
The Rise and Fall of the Nephilim
EXCERPT: The Rise and Fall of the Nephilim - Introduction2012 •
The ancient books of Genesis and Enoch tell us that sprit beings known as the Watchers descended to the Earth, had sex with women, and begat a hybrid race of offspring known as the Nephilim. Such tales are as old as humanity itself. These histories and accounts of visitations and subsequent mixed-blood, alien-human races comprise the bulk of the world's myths, legends, religions, and superstitions. The Rise and Fall of the Nephilim examines: • Elohim and the Bene Ha Elohim--God and the Sons of God • The Watchers: UFOs, extraterrestrials, angels, infiltrators, and impregnators • Biblical and apocryphal sources from Enoch to Moses • The role of the Fae, Elves, Elementals, and ancient gods What if the old spiritualities and religions weren't just legends? What if there was something living and breathing beneath the surface, a tangible interlinking of religious thought and spirituality, science and myth, inter-dimensionality and cold, hard fact? The Nephilim walked among us... and still do today. + + + + + + + + + + "Carl Sagan once spoke of the need to balance the scientific method with pure, unadulterated wonder. Scott Alan Roberts picks up that mantle by examining the Nephilim, the hybrid offspring of the intercourse between human women and ancient extraterrestrials. If only for just a moment, kick out the props of science and religion and let Scott take you to that place where sometimes the questions tell us far more than the answers." --George Noory, Coast to Coast AM "If you've gone to Sunday school and read Genesis, you've no doubt encountered the mystery of the Nephilim, the strange giants whose offspring mated with the offspring of Adam and Eve. Who were these creatures and how did they get here? The Rise and Fall of the Nephilim... is sure to challenge your beliefs and get you to look at the other side of Creation." --Bill Birnes, publisher, UFO magazine; The History Channel's Ancient Aliens
Corrupting the Image: Angels, Aliens, and the Antichrist Revealed
Genesis Six Nephilim, Amorites, King Og of Bashan and their Identity, Height, and Weight2011 •
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.
2015 •
Considerable controversy exists at present over the apparent inability to reconcile modern population genetics and the fossil record with a genuine fi rst human couple and fi rst act of disobedience against God. Genetic data argue strongly for not only shared ancestry between humanity and animals, but also that the effective human population never dropped below a few thousand. A unique model is proposed, along with a discussion of its strengths and weaknesses, for how a fi rst human pair (Adam and Eve) could have existed without contradicting the fi ndings of current genetics. The argument is not made in defense of any particular interpretation of the early chapters of Genesis, other than the existence of a fi rst human couple and initial act of disobedience. In the proposed model, God chose an individual hominid pair to endow with souls, separating them spiritually, relationally, and cognitively from their otherwise biologically equivalent contemporaries. After being removed from E...
Creative Texts Publishers
The Nephilim, An Unholy Brood: Secrets and Enigmas of an Ancient Mediterranean Race2022 •
THE NEPHILIM, AN UNHOLY BROOD, continues the quest for the traditions of the enigmatic scions of the gods. In a dramatic reassessment of history, the author presents a detailed case for a huge influx of Mesopotamian influences into the Mediterranean during the early second millennium BC, explaining the origins of Heracles, Perseus and Kadmos amongst others. Among the newcomers was an ancient and mysterious race vividly described as the dragon-seed, who spread from Canaan all across the Mediterranean Basin and beyond. Their migrations, movements, religious cults, intriguing myths and secret doctrines are carefully investigated and followed. New light is cast on the gigantic Anakim of biblical tradition, the mysterious Rephaim, the Sea Peoples of Egyptian renown and the elusive Kimmerians. The accursed race later on exerted a profound influence during the formative years of Rome and even imperial Rome, with the great and powerful Julian dynasty having claimed such descent. They also feature in the Qumran texts. This work explores the secrets and enigmas of the Nephilim like none other had done before, following their traditions through history, spanning thousands of years. After taking a fresh look at the old Greek and other traditions, a totally new and altogether different picture emerges, a picture that will undoubtedly amaze and take the reader by surprise.
Creative Texts Publishers
The Nephilim, An Unholy Brood: Secrets and Enigmas of an Ancient Mediterranean Race (with bibliography)2022 •
THE NEPHILIM, AN UNHOLY BROOD, continues the quest for the traditions of the enigmatic scions of the gods. In a dramatic reassessment of history, the author presents a detailed case for a huge influx of Mesopotamian influences into the Mediterranean during the early second millennium BC, explaining the origins of Heracles, Perseus and Kadmos amongst others. Among the newcomers was an ancient and mysterious race vividly described as the dragon-seed, who spread from Canaan all across the Mediterranean Basin and beyond. Their migrations, movements, religious cults, intriguing myths and secret doctrines are carefully investigated and followed. New light is cast on the gigantic Anakim of biblical tradition, the mysterious Rephaim, the Sea Peoples of Egyptian renown and the elusive Kimmerians. The accursed race later on exerted a profound influence during the formative years of Rome and even imperial Rome, with the great and powerful Julian dynasty having claimed such descent. They also feature in the Qumran texts. This work explores the secrets and enigmas of the Nephilim like none other had done before, following their traditions through history, spanning thousands of years. After taking a fresh look at the old Greek and other traditions, a totally new and altogether different picture emerges, a picture that will undoubtedly amaze and take the reader by surprise.
TrueFreeThinker
A review of Mondo Gonzales' paper, "A Brief Survey of the Pre-flood and Post-flood Origins of the Nephilim"2022 •
Gonzales's focus is twofold: 1. "the identity of the 'sons of God' and the Nephilim as found in the Bible" and 2. "the exact process of the recurrence of the Nephilim as found in Numbers 13:32-33 which is long after the flood."
True Free Thinker
“Open Review of the Center for Rational Theology’s Abarim Publications on Nephilim and Giants in the Bible,” by Ken Ammi2021 •
The Centar za Racionalnu Teologiju/Center for Rational Theology has produced some information regarding “Giants in the Bible” including that “Everybody knows about Goliath…And the enigmatic Nephilim” and that, additionally, “there are quite a few more giants and giant races mentioned in the Bible.” They also elucidate “The name Nephilim” etymologically. This review considers the claims and notes some basic yet fundamental level issues.
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2012 •
Creative Texts Publishers
The Nephilim, Kings of an Epic Age: Secrets and Enigmas of the Sumerians and Akkadians (with bibliography)2021 •
2021 •
True Free Thinker
Review of Richard B. Sorensen’s paper, “Were the Nephilim Genetically Psychopathic?”2021 •
Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
(2013) Identifying Nimrod of Genesis 10 with Sargon of Akkad by Exegetical and Archaeological Means2013 •
Journal of Biblical Literature
The Literary-Historical Memory of Sargon of Akkad in Assyria as the Background for Nimrod in Genesis 10:8-122022 •
True Free Thinker
Review of the Jerusalem Post’s article “Nephilim: Who are the giants of the Bible, Jewish lore? – explainer”2022 •
Creative Texts Publishers
The Nephilim, Grail Bloodlines: Secrets and Enigmas of the Merovingians and Carolingians (with bibliography)2023 •
Australian Biblical Review 67 (2019), 13–30
Wrangling with Abraham: An Evaluation of Recent Studies on Genesis 12–252019 •
1992 •
Currents in Biblical Research 17.2
The Abraham Narratives in Genesis 12-25: Literature Review2019 •
Sárospataki Füzetek
The Indecent Descent of the Sethites: The Provenance of the Sethites-Interpretation of Genesis 6:1-42012 •
The Pentateuch: : International Perspectives on Current Research. Edited by Thomas B. Dozeman, Konrad Schmid, and Baruch J. Schwartz. Forschungen zum Alten Testament 78. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2011.
Rachel, Leah, and the Composition of GenesisSocio-Historical Examination of Religion and Ministry
The Curse of Ham: Biblical Justification for Racial Inequality?2020 •
The "Men of Renown": Textual Analysis of Genesis 6:1-4
The "Men of Renown": Textual Analysis of Genesis 6:1-42023 •
International Journal of Current Research
A Comparison of the Ancient Zoroastrian Flood Saga and the Story of Noah in the Book of Genesis2017 •