Neanderthals = Biblical Nephilim?

[Zephik]

I just thought about that. I wonder if the biblical "nephilim" were actually neanderthals? That would explain a lot and it would make fairly decent sense don't you think?

I hope this isn't going too far for "debatable" subjects on TBCS. I'm not trying to get into a religion war or anything, so I hope nobody takes it there. It was just a thought I had. I mean, we have skeletons of neanderthals right? And the bible doesn't really mention them does it? Maybe it does, and maybe its the nephilim? From wikipedia...

The Hebrew word נְפִילִים (nephilim) may mean "those causing others to fall". Abraham ibn Ezra proposes that they were called this because men's hearts would fail at the sight of them. Some[who?] suggest that they were giants and when they fell, the ground shook, causing others to fall too.[citation needed] Jean Leclerc and Peter of Aquila among others suggest that it is derived from the warlike nature of the Nephilim, comparing the usage of Naphal in Job 1:15 "And the Sabeans fell upon them" where Naphal means "to take in battle". Alternatively, Shadal understands nephilim as deriving from the Hebrew word פלא Pele which means wondrous.[1] Another possibility is that the term is a generic term for "giants" in general,[2] which is consistent with the Septuagint and Vulgate translations of the word. Some expositors believe it may refer more to the ferocity and strength of the people who are referred to, rather than their physical height,[3][4] though in the Book of Numbers intentional stress on height is apparent, whether metaphorical or actual (see below on Anakim).

If the neanderthals were more "ape-ish" than us, then that might explain size or behavior such as being potentially "war like". And it seems humans really feared these "nephilim" and it doesn't sound like we got along at all. So... that would kind of fit into the theory that homo sapiens killed off the neanderthals? And when you think of the mentality back then, it was all about there being a higher power, which explains why they thought they might be the offspring of angels or something.

Anyways, just been thinking a lot about this kind of stuff lately and just wanted to see what you guys personally think. Everyone here is pretty reasonable and well-mannered and open minded and I've come to trust you all more than just some random site, so I hope the mods allow this or at least maybe monitor it and if it gets out of hand then take action instead of just right off the bat? We'll see I guess.

So anyways, thoughts? opinions? Lets try to keep this well mannered please.

[progbuddy]

I thought this was very interesting. Never thought of it that way before. Reminds me of the link between the Mesopotamian culture and Jewish tradition.

[Zephik]

Yea, I always try to look at things to the best of human understanding. I don't dismiss the bible and its stories and what-not, but I always try to think of every possibility too.

Take the "Moses and Aaron had a third opportunity when they went to meet the Pharaoh at the Nile riverbank, and Moses had Aaron turn the river to blood" story. Ever heard of the Red Tide? The story also says that the creatures living in the nile died too... well... from Wikipedia;

"Some red tides are associated with the production of natural toxins, depletion of dissolved oxygen or other harmful effects, and are generally described as harmful algal blooms. The most conspicuous effects of red tides are the associated wildlife mortalities among marine and coastal species of fish, birds, marine mammals and other organisms."

I don't think any of this debunks religious or god or anything, but I think its interesting to think of all the possibilities about these stories because these explanations make far more sense than "staff in water and suddenly water turns to blood". Heck, I'll even put it this way for if you do believe in god. Maybe god instructed him to do so knowing that the red tide was coming and knowing how people would react to it? That's also a possibility.

Anyone else have any interesting views on stories like this? Any story, doesn't have to be religious, I just find the biblical stories to be the most interesting to try and figure out.