On November 7, 2012 new discoveries on early human behaviours were reported after discoveries made at excavations such as the one pictured above (see http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2012/11/early-humans-handed-down-toolmak.html).
It is now widely accepted that anatomically modern humans – humans physically resembling us – appeared 200,000 years ago in Africa. However, they did not exhibit what we call modern human behaviours, such as symbolic thought. The advent of behaviourally modern humans, although still under investigation, occurred no earlier than about 120,000 years ago and definitely by 60,000 years ago.
How does this square with Genesis? The scriptures do relate a difference between the making of man body (which is made very similarly to the way animal’s bodies are made) and the breathing of the soul into the body. It is the soul that provides humans with what science calls modern human behaviours. Biblically these include language, the ability to envision the future and the capacity for symbolic thought.
But what about the timing– did we really appear 200,000 years ago or on day 6 less than 6000 year ago as the Bible suggests? The Broken Gift (due to be published early next year) will carefully explore the Biblical story of man’s creation and the scientific record. By applying the time conversion introduced in the Genesis One Code it will demonstrate some amazing correlations and shed light on some of the most fascinating questions about our origins and early history.
Tags: Adam anatomically modern humans behavioural modernity biblical creation early tools Genesis One Code man's creation modern humans stone tools symbolic thought