The Iron Age began in approximately 1200 BC and is well-supported in the Archeological and Historical Record. If contemporaries of Adam and Eve’s family were “forging Iron”…there’s a major problem with the Presuppositionalist position and assumptions.
“Truth!” Well, what is it? We accept math as truth, we accept tangible physical evidence as truth…what happens when what we believe to be true is contradicted by other verifiable truths? We must reconsider our previously held position…
“Tubal-Cain, who forged all kinds of tools out of bronze and iron.”–Genesis 4:22
Folks, this is a major problem that is self-evident in the “inerrant, infallible, perfect word of God” interpretation and opinion of the bible.
If we are to take the Genesis account as literal and without mistake and without error, then we have to consider what the verse above states.
It says clearly that Tubal-Cain “forged iron”…and Genesis claims Tubal-Cain as an immediate descendant of Adam and Eve…it claims he was a man living during the life of Cain, the first generation of Adam and Eve.
The Iron Age is a very specific time period well-documented in Archeology. The earliest “forged” Iron Tools are found beginning in 2500 B.C. (though rare) and the common use and evidence in archeology of forged Iron isn’t prevalent until 1200 BC with some scant examples of use as early as 1500 BC . This dates the Genesis 4:22 verse as no earlier than 1200 B.C. if Tubal-Cain’s metallurgy was common practice among the Hebrews and makes the family of Adam and Eve much much later than previous human beings who walked this planet (as evidenced overwhelmingly in archeology).
“Iron was available to the ancients in small amounts from meteors. This native iron is easily distinguishable because it contains 6-8% nickel. There is some indication that man-made iron was available as early as 2500 B.C., however, ironmaking did not become an everyday process until 1200 BC. Hematite, an oxide of iron, was widely used by the ancients for beads and ornaments. It is also readily reduced by carbon. However, if reduced at temperatures below 700-800 C it is not suitable for forging and must be produced at temperatures above 1100 C. Wrought iron was the first form of iron known to man. The product of reaction was a spongy mass of iron intermixed with slag. This was then reheated and hammered to expel the slag and then forged into the desired shape. In the early days iron was 5 times more expensive then gold and its first uses were as ornaments.
Iron weapons revolutionized warfare and iron implements did the same for farming. Iron and steel was the building block for civilization. Interestingly, an iron pillar dating to 400 A.D., remains standing today in Delhi, India. Corrosion to the pillar has been minimal a skill lost to current ironworkers. Iron is rarely found in its native state the only known sources being Greenland where the iron occurs as nodules in basalt that erupted through beds of coal and two very rare nickel-iron alloys. Iron’s symbol is Fe from the latin ferrum.
These seven metals: gold, silver, copper, lead, tin, mercury and iron, and the alloys bronze and electrum were the starting point of metallurgy and even in this simple, historic account we find some of the basic problems of process metallurgy. The problems are:
The ores must be found, separated and sized before use.
The ores must be reacted under a controlled temperature and gas atmosphere.
The liquid metal must be collected and cast into a desired shape.
The metal must be worked to achieve desired final properties and shape.”–A Short History of Metals, by Alan W. Cramb, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University
Do the math, view the Archeological evidence and filter it against the “perfect” words you claim the words of Genesis to be. If Genesis is in fact without error, then Adam and Eve’s family comes much later than other humans evidenced in history.
Either way you slice it, there’s a problem for the Presuppositionalist position…and it is self-evident in the text.
Genesis 4
New International Version (NIV)
Cain and Abel
4 Adam[a] made love to his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain.[b] She said, “With the help of the Lord I have brought forth[c] a man.” 2 Later she gave birth to his brother Abel.
Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. 3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. 4 And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.
6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”
8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.”[d] While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”
“I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
10 The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. 11 Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.”
13 Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is more than I can bear. 14 Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”
15 But the Lord said to him, “Not so[e]; anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over.” Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. 16 So Cain went out from the Lord’s presence and lived in the land of Nod,[f] east of Eden.
17 Cain made love to his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Cain was then building a city, and he named it after his son Enoch. 18 To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad was the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael was the father of Methushael, and Methushael was the father of Lamech.
19 Lamech married two women, one named Adah and the other Zillah. 20 Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who live in tents and raise livestock. 21 His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all who play stringed instruments and pipes. 22 Zillah also had a son, Tubal-Cain, who forged all kinds of tools out of[g] bronze and iron. Tubal-Cain’s sister was Naamah.
23 Lamech said to his wives,
“Adah and Zillah, listen to me;
wives of Lamech, hear my words.
I have killed a man for wounding me,
a young man for injuring me.
24 If Cain is avenged seven times,
then Lamech seventy-seven times.”
25 Adam made love to his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth,[h] saying, “God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him.” 26 Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh.
At that time people began to call on[i] the name of the Lord.
