Genesis 5:6Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

In the act of naming their children, parents reveal not only their piety but also their deep concern for the upbringing of their offspring—they began from the outset to encourage their children towards virtue through the very names bestowed upon them, rather than naming them casually or whimsically as is often the trend today. Names inspired by ancestors were not the practice of the ancients; they sought to bestow names that would inspire not only those who bore them but also others around them and future generations, serving as a guide towards virtue. This will be further examined in our discussion. Therefore, we should neither give our children arbitrary names nor those of notable ancestors, but rather the names of holy individuals who excelled in virtue and possessed great confidence before God. Yet, we must remind both parents and their children that reliance on a name alone is futile—without virtue, a name holds no true value. Salvation is rooted in the practice of virtue; we should find no pride in our names, our connections to the holy, or any external factors, but rather in the righteousness of our actions. Indeed, we must not even take pride in that, but should especially strive for humility when we have the opportunity to cultivate a wealth of virtue, for this way we will safeguard the treasures we accumulate in faithfulness and draw God’s favor towards ourselves. This is why Christ instructed His disciples: 'When you have fulfilled all that you were commanded, say, “We are servants worthless”' (Luke 17:10). In this, He encourages them to foster a humble spirit, reminding them not to boast of their good works but to recognize that the highest virtue for a righteous person is to maintain humility.

His face was radiant from the vision of heavenly matters and his discourse with the angel, reminiscent of Moses’ own enlightenment. When the forty days had passed, he returned to Earth, bringing joy to his sorrowing parents, unaware of his whereabouts. He recounted all that he had learned from the angel. Seth's visage was aglow with divine beauty and splendor akin to that of an angel, a glory that remained with him throughout his life. After his heavenly ascent and instruction, he began to depict on Earth the arrangement of the cosmos and the likenesses of the celestial bodies — the sun, moon, and stars— alongside their movements. In this endeavor, he also initiated the creation of letters, later completed by his son Enos, resulting in what became known as Hebrew. Thus began the tradition of sacred writings from Seth, who, alongside his father Adam, endeavored to inscribe these truths onto stone for the enlightenment of future generations.

Saint Theophylact, the Archbishop of Bulgaria in 1070 A.D., remarked in his introduction to the Gospel of Matthew that the holy figures prior to the law did not gain their understanding through texts; instead, they were illuminated by the Holy Spirit, comprehending God’s commands through direct communion with Him, a privilege granted to individuals like Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Job, and Moses. When humanity became corrupt and unworthy of such illumination, the compassionate God provided written laws to aid them in recalling His commands. Thus, according to Saint Theophylact, it appears there were no writings originating from Adam or before Moses. However, various ancient chroniclers, including George Kedrin and others, affirm that Jewish writings trace back to Seth, leading many to regard the denouncements of single sources with skepticism, opting instead to believe the majority. Foreign chronicles also assert that writings began with Seth. Kedrin noted that in the summer of 2585 years since creation, Cainan, son of Arphaxad and Noah's great-grandson, discovered no inscriptions left by the giants before the flood, implying the existence of written works prior to that time.

The Apostle Jude, in his epistle, references a prophecy delivered by Enoch, the righteous forefather who lived before the flood, proclaiming the Lord’s return for judgment. This prophecy, stated as communicating the Lord coming "in the clouds of His holy angels to execute judgement upon all" (Jude 1:14-15), was not just spoken; credible sources suggest that Enoch documented it in a book. Hence, it begs the question of how this knowledge would persist after the flood if it had not been recorded. It is believed that Noah preserved the book of Enoch aboard the ark, thus allowing Enoch's prophecy to reach subsequent generations. Several respected Church writers have attested to this, including Tertullian, Clement of Alexandria, and Jerome. Saint Athanasius the Great similarly affirmed that Noah safeguarded Enoch's prophecy from the deluge and transmitted it to his descendants. Therefore, it is established that the practice of writing traces back to the early forefathers, like Seth, son of Adam.

While Saint Theophylact commented that the ancient patriarchs were not guided by texts, he likely referred to the scarcity of writings in a time when enlightened nations existed in heavenly realms, with only the book of Enoch being known. Moses is recognized as the first to extensively compile writings, authoring five books. This raises the question of how Moses could write if he had not learned from existing works. If he did learn from others, it indicates that written records existed prior to him. We do not dispute Saint Theophylact’s views or challenge the integrity of earlier writers; instead, we present these perspectives for consideration, allowing individuals to reflect and choose what they believe.

Adam and Seth, endowed with wisdom and insight by God, divided the year into days, weeks, and months, imparting the knowledge of timekeeping to humanity. Seth, having lived 205 years, fathered his firstborn son Enos with his sister Asvama. This event occurred in the 205th year of Seth's life.

Seth lived for 205 years before fathering Enos; Enos lived for 190 years before Cainan was born to him; Cainan was 170 years old when he fathered Maleel; Maleel was 165 years when Jared was born to him; Jared lived to be 162 before Enoch’s birth; and Enoch was 165 years old when Methuselah came into the world. Adding these years totals 1287 years. Additionally, beyond this specific genealogy, we must account for 969 years leading up to the Flood (Gen. 5:26-32, Gen. 7:6). Therefore, from creation to the Flood, there were 2256 years according to the timeline found in the Greek and Church Slavonic texts of the Scriptures, corroborated by ancient Samaritan accounts and the writings of Josephus (Bibl. Hist. izd. 1852 gstr. 24-25). The chronology in the Greek text of the pre-Flood accounts reveals about 600 additional years in comparison to the Hebrew, where each of the first six patriarchs becomes a father one hundred years earlier in the narrative. The complexity of clarifying this difference does not detract from the clear teaching of salvation found in Holy Scripture.

Some have questioned the extraordinary lifespans of the patriarchs who lived before and after the Flood until the days of Abraham, suggesting skepticism that individuals could live for centuries. They theorized that Moses, influenced by ancient Egyptians who counted a year as a month, referenced months rather than years when documenting the lifespans of the patriarchs. However, this theory lacks substantiation in Moses’ narrative. In his account of the Flood, he distinctly differentiates between a year and a month of thirty days. He writes, “In the six hundredth year of Noah's life ... on the seventeenth day of the month, all the springs of the great deep burst forth” (Gen. 7:11). It is clear that Moses does not condense the year into three months before and eight months after the Flood. He calculates approximately twelve months in that year of the Flood, stating that it began on the 17th day of the second month (which many believe to be November) in Noah’s 600th year and concluded on the 27th day of the second month in the 601st year (Genesis 8:13-14). Between the Flood's onset and conclusion, Moses records a span of 150 days (equivalent to five months) of flooding, followed by the gradual receding of waters noted at key intervals, concluding with the land being freed from water on the first day of the first month. If we were to assume that the patriarchs' years are merely equal to our months, discrepancies arise, suggesting instances where patriarchs fathered children at impossibly young ages. For instance, Arphaxad lived for 500 years yet supposedly fathered Salah at just twelve years old, despite Genesis indicating he was 135 at Salah's birth (Gen. 11:12-13). Likewise, Farrah, the father of Abraham, supposedly had a son in his sixth year (Gen. 11:26-32). Another inconsistency occurs when Jacob, at the age of one hundred thirty, expresses to Pharaoh his grievances about the shortness of his life, lamenting that his lifespan did not measure up to that of his forefathers (Gen. 47:9). What would such a lament mean if his ancestors had lived only a fraction of their apparent ages? Instead, Jacob would have outlived not only his direct ancestors but the patriarchs of old as well.

In recognizing the longevity of the patriarchs, one must see the distinct workings of God’s Providence: as these men lived longer, humanity multiplied more rapidly, gaining wisdom and experience that enabled them to guide younger generations—particularly vital in a time of human innocence and simplicity. This also ensured the faithful transmission of divine revelation and righteous traditions among those who worshipped the true God. In an era without the written Word of God, the patriarchs served as living embodiments of divine truths and revelations. Remarkably, individuals could hear the same sacred truths passed on for hundreds of years. For instance, Noah, who lived around 600 years before the Flood, could converse with Maleel, who in turn spoke with Adam. Methuselah, who died in the year of the Flood, could share what he learned from Enos, the son of Seth, thereby preserving the original revelations from Adam in their untouched form. While God’s special Providence played a crucial role, natural factors contributed to the patriarchs' extended lifespans too. The abundant untainted features of nature before sin's corruption, a simple lifestyle closely aligned with nature, and the well-preserved state of the human body—free from the hereditary decay that came with a dwindling population—all offered advantages to the early generations.

The historian meticulously documents the pre-Flood patriarchs by noting the year of each one's birth, their lifespans until their sons were born to continue the blessed lineage, and then reiterating the phrase ‘and died’ for each. This is the unyielding reality! Humanity does not face extinction; rather, life incurs continual renewal through new generations. The line of individuals prepared to bring forth the holy seed for the spiritual rebirth of humanity endured. Yet, the judgment declared upon Adam, “You are dust, and to dust you shall return,” was indeed fulfilled upon individuals, even though they “have not sinned in the likeness of Adam's transgression” (Rom. 5:14). In the patriarchal era, one man stood apart from this universal decree: Enoch. Of him, it is written, “And Enoch pleased God; and he was not found, for God translated him” (Gen. 5:24). “And Enoch pleased God” implies, as translated from the Hebrew, that “Enoch walked with God,” meaning he maintained a profound spiritual relationship with the Almighty, drawing near through faith and devotion, thus gaining His favor—potentially including divine manifestations akin to those experienced by Adam in paradise. “And he was not found”—indicating he vanished—“for God had transfigured him.” The Apostle expounds this transformation: “By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God translated him” (Heb. 11:5), ushering him into a state of blessedness. Enoch’s experience mirrors that of the prophet Elijah, who was taken up to heaven alive (2 Kings 2:10), as will those who are taken at Christ’s return; they will not experience death but will be transformed in an instant, in a moment, at the last trumpet, becoming incorruptible (1 Corinthians 15:21-22). Enoch was elevated directly into glory without undergoing death or illness. What purpose does this miracle serve? To inspire faith in the face of the pervasive reality of death and decay, assuring others of eternal life and the hope of resurrection. Additionally, the son of Sirach remarks, “Enoch ... was taken as a pattern of repentance for his contemporaries” (Sir. 44:15). His existence served as a testament to the high reward afforded a life dedicated to repentance and striving against sin, enabling his peers to learn the essence of repentance. Furthermore, Enoch preached to them, affirming his prophetic role. The apostle Jude cites Enoch’s prophetic declaration: “Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him” (Jude 1:14-15). A similar prophecy is found in an apocryphal text attributed to Enoch, which, despite its inaccuracies and absurd speculations, retains fragments of truth intertwined with errors. Nevertheless, the prophetic statements attributed to Enoch, as quoted by the apostle, undoubtedly reached him through oral transmission and were not derived from the apocryphal writings mingled with falsehoods.