How Old Was Father Abraham?: The Genesis Lifespans in Light of Archaeology

by Craig Olson

Was Abraham chasing a toddler when he was over 100 years old? Did Noah really wait until he was 500 years old to start having children? Was Jacob really 77 years old when he was so smitten by seeing Rachel that he volunteered to work seven years for her hand in marriage? Did Methuselah really live to be 969? How Old Was Father Abraham? uses archaeological evidence to interpret the lifespans of people named in the ancient biblical texts in an authentic manner that represents the use of numbers by the writers rather than through the lens of modern literal meanings.

228 pages, Paperback

Published August 7, 2023

Reviews

[Mimi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still deciding how I feel about this book. It confronts the real issues within the Genesis genealogies and chronologies if looked at literally. Olson has a somewhat solid solution, however it does make me question where the line really is. How do we know some numbers are symbolic and others aren’t?

I appreciate Olson’s research, especially on the archaeological site of Sodom. Much of his research points to the reality of the events that took place in Genesis.

His criticism of the slippery slope fallacy and Young Earth Creationism was fire. Will reference in the future.