by Gordon Franz
Introduction
Several friends have sent me the eight pictures and map that have been circulating on the Internet, especially among Christians, of three or four giant human skeletons that were allegedly found in an archaeological excavation a few kilometers to the east of Mycenae in the Peloponnese of Greece. Usually the notes attached to the pictures have mentioned this as proof of the “giants” (ha-nephilim) of Genesis 6:4 and/or the Philistine champion, Goliath (1 Sam. 17:4). “Is there any truth to this rumor?”
The short and simple answer is: “There is no truth to the rumor and the pictures are bogus!”
PhotoShopped Pictures
The pictures are digitally altered photographs by an illustrator from Canada who calls himself “IronKite” on the Internet. The original “photographs” were entered in a photo-manipulation contest in 2002 where he placed third in the competition. If one of the criteria for judging this competition had been how much exposure it would get on the Internet, IronKite would have won the grand prize, hands down! I have received these pictures a number of times over 4 or 5 years!
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/pf/21432885.html
Think Outside the Box – Think Biblically
For Christians who believe in a universal, worldwide Flood during the days of Noah (Gen. 6-8), the buried articulated human skeletons should have raised a red flag immediately. The “giants” of Genesis 6:4 were pre-Flood and were wiped out by the worldwide, cataclysmic Flood. The ritual burials of any pre-Flood human being buried in mere topsoil would not have been articulated as seen in these photographs. Rather, the bones would have been disarticulated and scattered by the Flood which would have blasted the topsoil everywhere along with any buried skeletons or bodies.
The mention of Goliath should have also raised some red flags. First, Goliath was from Philistia in the Levant and not the Peloponnese of Greece where these skeletons was allegedly discovered and excavated. Second, the Philistines were in the Land of Philistia during the time of the Patriarchs many centuries after the Flood and the pre-Flood “giants” (Gen. 21:32; 26:1, 8, 14, 15, 18). They left Philistia, most likely at the same time that Jacob’s family did due to the severe famine in the Land of Canaan (Gen. 41:56-42:5; 46:1-34) and went to the island of Crete (ancient Caphtor). They returned to their homeland about the same time as the Israelite Exodus from Egypt (Amos 9:7). The Philistines were not on the Peloponnese where these skeletons were allegedly found.
The Apostle Paul commended the Jewish people in the synagogue of Berea for searching the Scriptures daily to see whether what Paul was saying was true (Acts 17:11). This attitude, and desire to know the truth, should be instilled in every believer in the Lord Jesus who loves the Word of God. Rather than believe everything on the Internet, search the Scriptures daily, think outside the box – think Biblically, and do your homework in your search for the truth.
The Conclusion of the Matter
I have one rule-of-thumb when I get emails like these: “If it sounds too good and it was found on the Internet; be careful, it’s probably not true!” This unscientific rule-of-thumb has proven itself to be true again. The pictures of the skeletons of three “giants” are bogus. Please do not pass them on as “gospel truth”!
