Ancient Astronaut Hypothesis: what are your thoughts?

[sehacopian]

“THE human race began to increase and to spread over the earth and daughters were born to them. The sons of the gods saw how beautiful these daughters were, so they took for themselves such women as they chose. But the LORD said, “My spirit will not remain in a human being for ever; because he is mortal flesh, he will live only for a hundred and twenty years.” In those days as well as later, when the sons of the gods had intercourse with the daughters of mortals and children were born to them, the Nephilim were on the earth; they were the heroes of old, people of renown.” (Genesis 6:1-4)

One interpretation of the above passage is that the sons of the gods are angels/aliens and that the daughters of mortals were hominids, most probably the homo erectus. Many early church fathers seem to have similar ideas

Justin Martyr writes in chapter 5 of his Second Apology, entitled "“How the Angels Transgressed”:
God, when He had made the whole world, and subjected things earthly to man, and arranged the heavenly elements for the increase of fruits and rotation of the seasons, and appointed this divine law - for these things also He evidently made for man - committed the care of men and of all things under heaven to angels whom He appointed over them. But the angels transgressed this appointment, and were captivated by love of women, and begat children who are those that are called demons; and besides, they afterwards subdued the human race to themselves, partly by magical writings, and partly by fears and punishments they occasioned, and partly by teaching them to offer sacrifices, and incense, and libations, of which things they stood in need after they enslaved by lustful passions; and among men they sowed murders, wars, adulteries, intemperate needs, and all wickedness. . . . (p. 363, vol. 1, The Ante-Nicene Fathers)

The main problem I have with this hypothesis is that if the hybrid demons are modern humans then why are we still here after the flood of Noah was meant to wipe us out? Do any of you think you have any ideas on this subject?

 

[JurisPrudens]

Our DNA is so close to that of apes that I don’t think there’s a need to suggest “alien” descent of humanity.

As concerns the Nephilim passage… I don’t know how to interpret it. It is part of Messopotamian mythology. Of course, it means smth, but any conjectures at the moment would not be verifiable.

 

[sehacopian]

Our DNA is so close to that of apes that I don’t think there’s a need to suggest “alien” descent of humanity.

As concerns the Nephilim passage… I don’t know how to interpret it. It is part of Messopotamian mythology. Of course, it means smth, but any conjectures at the moment would not be verifiable.

Exactly. The fact that mesopotamian mythology and all cultures having a myth about gods breeding with humans seems to imply that so many separated cultures across the world could not possibly be wrong. There are similar suggestions made in hinduism

"Ramayana[edit]
In Hindu mythology, the gods and their avatars travel from place to place in flying vehicles (see Vimana). There are many mentions of these flying machines in the Ramayana, which dates to the 5th or 4th century BCE. Below are some examples:

From Book 6, Canto CXXIII: The Magic Car:[30]

Is not the wondrous chariot mine,

Named Pushpak, wrought by hands divine.
…
This chariot, kept with utmost care,
Will waft thee through the fields of air,
And thou shalt light unwearied down

In fair Ayodhyá’s royal town.
From Book 6, Canto CXXIV: The Departure:[30]

Swift through the air, as Ráma chose,

The wondrous car from earth arose.
And decked with swans and silver wings

Bore through the clouds its freight of kings.
Erich von Däniken discusses the Ramayana and the vimanas in Chapter 6 of Chariots of the Gods? suggesting that they were “space vehicles”. To support his hypothesis, he offers a quotation which he says is from an 1889 translation of the Mahabharata by C. Roy: “Bhima flew with his Vimana on an enormous ray which was as brilliant as the sun and made a noise like the thunder of a storm”.[31]

See also, the Vaimanika Shastra, a text on Vimanas, which supposedly “channeled” in the early 20th century.[32]"

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_astronaut_hypothesis

So since every culture has a myth about gods breeding with humans and this can also be found in the Bible, could there be a common historical basis for all these culture’s myths?

 

[JurisPrudens]

Exactly. The fact that mesopotamian mythology and all cultures having a myth about gods breeding with humans seems to imply that so many separated cultures across the world could not possibly be wrong. There are similar suggestions made in hinduism

"Ramayana[edit]
In Hindu mythology, the gods and their avatars travel from place to place in flying vehicles (see Vimana). There are many mentions of these flying machines in the Ramayana, which dates to the 5th or 4th century BCE. Below are some examples:

From Book 6, Canto CXXIII: The Magic Car:[30]

Is not the wondrous chariot mine,

Named Pushpak, wrought by hands divine.
…
This chariot, kept with utmost care,
Will waft thee through the fields of air,
And thou shalt light unwearied down

In fair Ayodhyá’s royal town.
From Book 6, Canto CXXIV: The Departure:[30]

Swift through the air, as Ráma chose,

The wondrous car from earth arose.
And decked with swans and silver wings

Bore through the clouds its freight of kings.
Erich von Däniken discusses the Ramayana and the vimanas in Chapter 6 of Chariots of the Gods? suggesting that they were “space vehicles”. To support his hypothesis, he offers a quotation which he says is from an 1889 translation of the Mahabharata by C. Roy: “Bhima flew with his Vimana on an enormous ray which was as brilliant as the sun and made a noise like the thunder of a storm”.[31]

See also, the Vaimanika Shastra, a text on Vimanas, which supposedly “channeled” in the early 20th century.[32]"

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_astronaut_hypothesis

So since every culture has a myth about gods breeding with humans and this can also be found in the Bible, could there be a common historical basis for all these culture’s myths?

Erich von Daniken was not a serious scholar, worthy of citing. :dts:

Well, I think the basic underlying idea of those accounts is the divine origin of man, that man is still somehow different from the nature around.

 

[Jelrak_TB]

Exactly. The fact that mesopotamian mythology and all cultures having a myth about gods breeding with humans seems to imply that so many separated cultures across the world could not possibly be wrong. There are similar suggestions made in hinduism

"Ramayana[edit]
In Hindu mythology, the gods and their avatars travel from place to place in flying vehicles (see Vimana). There are many mentions of these flying machines in the Ramayana, which dates to the 5th or 4th century BCE. Below are some examples:

From Book 6, Canto CXXIII: The Magic Car:[30]

Is not the wondrous chariot mine,

Named Pushpak, wrought by hands divine.
…
This chariot, kept with utmost care,
Will waft thee through the fields of air,
And thou shalt light unwearied down

In fair Ayodhyá’s royal town.
From Book 6, Canto CXXIV: The Departure:[30]

Swift through the air, as Ráma chose,

The wondrous car from earth arose.
And decked with swans and silver wings

Bore through the clouds its freight of kings.
Erich von Däniken discusses the Ramayana and the vimanas in Chapter 6 of Chariots of the Gods? suggesting that they were “space vehicles”. To support his hypothesis, he offers a quotation which he says is from an 1889 translation of the Mahabharata by C. Roy: “Bhima flew with his Vimana on an enormous ray which was as brilliant as the sun and made a noise like the thunder of a storm”.[31]

See also, the Vaimanika Shastra, a text on Vimanas, which supposedly “channeled” in the early 20th century.[32]"

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_astronaut_hypothesis

So since every culture has a myth about gods breeding with humans and this can also be found in the Bible, could there be a common historical basis for all these culture’s myths?

Equally possible is simply the consideration that men, in believing in gods, would naturally have imagined what they might have done in their place and thus extrapolated such a scenario…further, consider how rare might be the circumstance that giant, space-faring creatures (or perfect angels) might have been sufficiently attracted to a barbaric diminutive mankind that such a hybrid race might have been the result…?

Further, flying chariots would have appealed to a ground-locked people as the one adventure they themselves could never pursue and so appending it to the domain of the gods might have seemed a natural conclusion…?

These are merely speculations, but the topic is certainly interesting…particularly after an open reading of Ezekiel…

bibliotecapleyades.net/sitchin/spaceships_ezekiel.htm

 

[sehacopian]

Erich von Daniken was not a serious scholar, worthy of citing. :dts:

Well, I think the basic underlying idea of those accounts is the divine origin of man, that man is still somehow different from the nature around.

So it never happened? Is God lying?

I mean I understand how the Bible is not a science book but the Bible does make claims about science and they are not fake.

 

[mikekle]

There are MANY MANY cultures that have history of ‘sky people’ coming down/ visiting periodically, some if it is reflected in cave art, and other artifacts. I do believe these people had these experiences, but I dont believe they are gods and certainly do not believe they created or seeded the earth, as many people claim, they are just another creation by the one true God, the God we worship.

Plus there are some ancient structures that were built with such precision, we could not replicate them today, even with modern technology/ equipment.

 

[phil_at_dayboro]

These are Always interesting

 

[boomerang]

The main problem I have with this hypothesis is that if the hybrid demons are modern humans then why are we still here after the flood of Noah was meant to wipe us out? Do any of you think you have any ideas on this subject?

The hybrid demons (“Nephilim”) were all killed in the flood. God saved only the humans and animals that were not contaminated by the fallen angels…

“And the Lord God saw the earth, and it was corrupted; because ALL FLESH had corrupted its way upon the earth”

Noah’s family and the animals that were on the ark were uncorrupted. Modern humans come from Noah’s family.

 

[Valentinus]

The most commonly accepted (I think) interpretation of the passage you mentioned does not make use of angels at all. The sons of God are the descentants of Seth, the virtuous son of Adam, and the daughters of men are the females of the Cainite tribe, which comes from the corrupted son of Adam.

The text, to my way of thinking, condemns relations between the godly and the vile, suggesting that the latter corrupt the former. Note that a similar thought is communicated later in OT, as marriages of Jews with Canaanite women result in idolatry.

It should also be borne in mind that this passage might be one of the oldest passages in the whole Bible, transmitted by oral tradition and later included in Genesis. Such texts are likely to contain influences of mythology and folklore.

God bless you, V.

 

[Crusaderbear]

All because we can’t figure out how something happened, doesn’t mean aliens had to do it.

 

[gilliam]

Erich von Daniken’s claims have long been debunked.

If you have some time, look at this site and watch the films there.
ancientaliensdebunked.com/

 

[truetofaith]

The Ancient Astronaut theorists have gone too far…they are implying Elijah & even Jesus were beamed up to another planet…but even worse… we were not created by God but cloned from the seed of these aliens.

People with a weak faith or no faith at all are very susceptible to believing this garbage.

The Church should condemn this nonsense !

 

[The_Serpent]

The apocryphal books of Adam & Eve propose an interesting solution. The Sons of God were the descendants of Seth, whom were faithful to God. The Sons of man (and daughters) were the descendants of Cain that did not follow God. After the sons of Seth, married into the daughters of Cain we then may have the “giants” of old.

 

[mikekle]

The hybrid demons (“Nephilim”) were all killed in the flood. God saved only the humans and animals that were not contaminated by the fallen angels…

Noah’s family and the animals that were on the ark were uncorrupted. Modern humans come from Noah’s family.

Strangely though, it says they were here before and after the flood…?? Why would God allow any of them to survive?

 

[sehacopian]

The most commonly accepted (I think) interpretation of the passage you mentioned does not make use of angels at all. The sons of God are the descentants of Seth, the virtuous son of Adam, and the daughters of men are the females of the Cainite tribe, which comes from the corrupted son of Adam.

The text, to my way of thinking, condemns relations between the godly and the vile, suggesting that the latter corrupt the former. Note that a similar thought is communicated later in OT, as marriages of Jews with Canaanite women result in idolatry.

It should also be borne in mind that this passage might be one of the oldest passages in the whole Bible, transmitted by oral tradition and later included in Genesis. Such texts are likely to contain influences of mythology and folklore.

God bless you, V.

The apocryphal books of Adam & Eve propose an interesting solution. The Sons of God were the descendants of Seth, whom were faithful to God. The Sons of man (and daughters) were the descendants of Cain that did not follow God. After the sons of Seth, married into the daughters of Cain we then may have the “giants” of old.

I understand what both of you are saying. I have also given thought to that hypothesis but have found it unconvincing. Here is why:

“while the morning stars sang in chorus and the sons of God all shouted for joy?” (Job 38:7)

The above verse seems to make it clear that the sons of God or the sons of the gods are always references to angels. Some opponents of this hypothesis cite Matthew 22:30 as their so called proof that angels do not marry.

“In the resurrection men and women do not marry; they are like angels in heaven.” (Matthew 22:30)

The problem with such logic is that angels in haven have nothing to do with fallen angels. The link below explains how most of the early church fathers believed the sons of God were, in fact, angels.

thestrongdelusion.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1207&Itemid=9

 

[sehacopian]

The hybrid demons (“Nephilim”) were all killed in the flood. God saved only the humans and animals that were not contaminated by the fallen angels…

Noah’s family and the animals that were on the ark were uncorrupted. Modern humans come from Noah’s family.

I’d like to hear what you think of this quote:

“When we set eyes on the Nephilim (the sons of Anak belong to the Nephilim) we felt no bigger than grasshoppers; and that is how we must have been in their eyes.”” (Numbers 13:33)

What are they doing mentioned after the flood?

 

[boomerang]

I’d like to hear what you think of this quote:

“When we set eyes on the Nephilim (the sons of Anak belong to the Nephilim) we felt no bigger than grasshoppers; and that is how we must have been in their eyes.”” (Numbers 13:33)

What are they doing mentioned after the flood?

Perhaps they weren’t the exact same people. In the Hebrew OT, the English transliteration is “the ones distinguished.” Distinguished for what? You would have to read the chapter to see what they are distinguished for. The “distinguished ones” in Genesis were so horrible that God had to destroy the whole world to get rid of them. That’s pretty bad. He never destroyed the world again, so I conclude the ‘distinguished ones’ of Numbers are not exactly the same ‘distinguished ones’ of Genesis. Even the two words in Hebrew are a little different. That’s my :twocents:

 

[Valentinus]

I understand what both of you are saying. I have also given thought to that hypothesis but have found it unconvincing. Here is why:

“while the morning stars sang in chorus and the sons of God all shouted for joy?” (Job 38:7)

The above verse seems to make it clear that the sons of God or the sons of the gods are always references to angels.

I do not think that this verse is really convincing in proving that “the sons of God” are always meant to be angels. It does not refer to the descentants of Seth here, obviously, but it could mean humans as well.

As to the Church Fathers, they are not infallible and their interpretation differs from our modern Catholic interpretation. Today we would say that angels, both in Heaven and fallen, are spiritual beings and therefore cannot have intercourse with humans.

God bless, V.

 

[mikekle]

I’d like to hear what you think of this quote:

“When we set eyes on the Nephilim (the sons of Anak belong to the Nephilim) we felt no bigger than grasshoppers; and that is how we must have been in their eyes.”” (Numbers 13:33)

What are they doing mentioned after the flood?

Thats the question I have too.

Ive thought alot about the ‘grasshopper’ reference before, I know in one particular book, it gives the height of the Nephilim around 4 miles tall!!! I believe they used Jewish Els as the unit of measurement, but I have trouble believing they were THAT tall, I dont know, maybe the ones pre-flood were much larger, but a being 4 miles tall would utterly have to spend the entire day eating, just to have enough energy to move.

I think they were more like 15-25ft tall.