Who Were the Nephilim? Part 1

The modern Christian bible only mentions the Nephilim twice. Yet, the question of who or what the Nephilim really were continues to puzzle religious scholars to date. Unfortunately, in the modern Christian bible, this is all we get:

1. Genesis 6:4
   The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.
   Genesis 6:3-5 (in Context) Genesis 6 (Whole Chapter)
2. Numbers 13:33
   We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them."
   Numbers 13:32-33 (in Context) Numbers 13 (Whole Chapter)

Source: BibleGateway.com

Why is it that the Christian bible says very little about the nephilim? Sadly, not very many people know. Perhaps, the answer to that question lies within the practices of the early church. The first Christians took into consideration all holy texts from their land of Israel. However, as time progressed and the order of Christianity became more and more complex, they strayed away from the original teachings of Jesus.

Several books of the bible were removed such as the book of Enoch, the book of Jubilees, and the book of Adam and Eve; until all that were left were the books that we see in the bible today. If you've ever wondered why some parts of the bible don't make much sense or don't elaborate enough on important details, such as the Adam and Eve story, look to the lost books.

The book of Enoch is an excellent source to find information about the nephilim. It also speaks of Christian mysticism, which is looked down upon by the modern mainstream Christian church. This could explain why the book was removed, along with several other important texts such as the book of Adam and Eve and the book of Jubilees.

The nephilim were obviously giants as stated in the following passage:

6. Thou seest what Azâzêl hath done, who hath taught all unrighteousness on earth and revealed the eternal secrets which were (preserved) in heaven, which men were striving to learn: 7. And Semjâzâ, to whom Thou hast given authority to bear rule over his associates. 8. And they have gone to the daughters of men upon the earth, and have slept with the women, and have defiled themselves, and revealed to them all kinds of sins. 9. And the women have borne giants, and the whole earth has thereby been filled with blood and unrighteousness. Enoch 9: 6-9

From this passage alone we can see that there were a few angels that God placed in charge of the others. They even have names! These are the angels that fell along with their associates for creating the giants known as the nephilim. The only part of this passage that is a bit confusing is the second part of the last verse. What could Enoch have meant when he stated that the earth was filled with "blood and unrighteousness"?

Some scholars have interpreted this to mean that the nephilim were cannibals. Others have interpreted it to mean that the nephilim were violent and evil creatures. Few scholars take a less literal stance on this passage. Perhaps, when Enoch is referring to "blood and unrighteousness" he is referring metaphorically to the chaos that the giants have wreaked on human society. After all, such large creatures could threaten food supplies and place regular humans in danger of starvation. However, this is all speculation so it isn't counted as fact.

To be continued...