From the “Adventures of Sinbad”, to modern day

I hardly watch television, and it happens to be that the only show I seem to be watching when the chance permits is “The Adventures of Sinbad.” The famous tale brought to life in a cartoon - depicting the adventures of a sailor named Sinbad; across oceans, into lost worlds of Greek gods and evil powers.

While I was watching, I was thinking a little more seriously about Greek mythology. Greeks myths have many stories in common with the Bible. The characters differ and there’s a twist to the tale, but the stories definitely share some similarities (eg: story of the fall of mankind, the Great Flood etc…you can google it).

I believe that the events accounted for in the Bible are true – from the beginning of mankind to the end.

So, I was wondering, “Could the Greek gods and goddesses in the myths really have walked the land?” Given their detailed descriptions, drawings and ancient texts – do humans really possess such creative imagination to come up with stories like that, without ‘inspiration’ or having seen anything close to it?

It may seem far-fetched to believe such things, but I think from this perspective:

Imagine the people of today travelling back through time, to some 2000 years ago. Imagine us showing iPads, tablets, Bluetooth and the internet; not forgetting artificial intelligence, rockets and results of cloning - to people of the past? Would they find it easy to believe or understand the ‘miracles’ and ‘powers’ of today’s world?

In the same way, when we read about the ancient days and go back through time - the miracles and powers that they experienced thousands of years ago, might truly be beyond our understanding.

What makes us think that we are ‘real’ and they were not?

Anyway, back to Greek “gods and goddesses” walking the earth with humans – I was doing an online search to find out more about their existence, especially in reference to the Bible. I found a couple of interesting theories which related their existence to the book of Genesis in the Bible.
According to the Bible, a Great Flood happened in history (there are scientific evidence for a great flood, you can google it), and events prior to the flood offer some clues.

Genesis 6: 1-4 (NIV)

1 When men began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. 3 Then the Lord said “My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days will be a hundred and twenty years.”
4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days – and also afterward – when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.

(you can google search “Nephilim, fallen angels” for further information)

“The daughters of men” refer to human women. “The sons of God” have been referred to as ‘’fallen angels” – or angels from heaven, who had been cast to hell because they rebelled against God. They were evil. Fallen angels that were cast to hell are also known as demons. Many theories suggest that this is the Nephilim.

Fallen angels are deemed as not ordinary humans. They possess abilities and physical attributes way beyond normal. Assuming they really existed, if they married human women and had children, it isn’t surprising at all that the kids were “superhuman”! Greek myths portray superhuman characters with have half human and half animal bodies, as well as humans possessing extraordinary physical strength and abilities, with extra body parts. I believe these beings would have been pretty impressive, if they were, because people built statues, shrines and temples to worship these superhumans as gods and goddesses – as heroes.

The Bible does say they were heroes of old, men of renown.

I did ask myself, “Where are they now, if they really existed before? Well, we do not see those mythical characters around anymore - but their artifacts, symbolism and temples stand to tell a story.

And there was the Great Flood to wipe out all the living creatures at that time.

Genesis 6: 5-8
5 The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. 6 The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. 7 So the LORD said, “I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth – men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air – for I am grieved that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favour in the eyes of the LORD.

Genesis 7:23-24
23 Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; men and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds of the air were wiped from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark. 24 The waters flooded the earth for a hundred and fifty days.

So, according this account, we do not see the Nephilim and human hybrids anymore because they were all destroyed in the flood. Only Noah and those on the ark were saved. The rest of humankind started existing after the Great Flood, from the time of Noah.

Now, whenever I watch the “Adventures of Sinbad,” I ask myself, “Could these things have really happened? Could these mythical characters be those heroes of old? The children of Nephilim? Could they have really walked the earth together with humans?

Personally, I don’t know for sure. Perhaps exaggeration and twisting of tales are involved in the myths, but it could be possible to a certain extent. To me, it makes sense, from a Biblical point of view.

If the history of the world in Genesis, is true; then everything else that’s related can be explained from its context – from the “Adventures of Sinbad” to modern day.

JJ