I was reading Genesis and saw that one of Cain's descendants (Tubal-Cain) “forged all kinds of tools out of bronze and iron.” This stood out to me because it seems to predate the Bronze Age (~3300 BC) and the Iron Age (1200 BC) considerably. I am assuming that Tubal-Cain lived before the Flood. I don't think this is too hard to reconcile as the bronze and iron ages are more for marking times in history when each respective metal was heavily used by the various civilizations, and so it does not discount the possibility of bronze or iron being used in a less widespread fashion. Of course, maybe it could have been widespread but the flood (whether local or global) could have erased the memory of said knowledge. At any rate, I was curious what your thoughts were on the matter. — J.S.
Regardless of our interpretation of the historicity of Genesis 4, the term Iron Age, for example, does not refer to the first time anyone made an implement from iron. Rather, it signifies a technological, scalable development.
Reading the primeval narratives as strict history (in the modern sense) is problematic, for that is not how they are written. Realizing that these accounts are written against the background of—and to comment theologically upon—the pagan myths is the lens through which to understand them. Paul Copan and I try to elucidate the matter in our book Origins—which after significant revision will be re-released as From Myths to Meaning.
In the meantime, I thought you might appreciate this article, on the history of iron in ancient Israel. The writer is Naama Yahalom-Mack. I found it at Torah.com.
