The diet originally planned for man, and that enabled him to
attain to the age of nearly a thousand years, is outlined by the pen
of inspiration in the first chapter of Genesis, twenty-ninth verse:
"Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed, . . . and
every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it
shall be for food." (A. R. V.) Thus the One who created man,
and who understands his every need, appointed Adam his food,
consisting of grains and nuts. After the fall, when the ground
was cursed for man's sake, the herb of the field was added to his
diet. (Genesis 3:17, 18.) After the Flood, when all vegetation
had been destroyed by water, God permitted man to eat flesh.
(Genesis 9:3, 4.)
It is interesting at this point to note the comparison of the
length of life of men who lived before the Flood, and who sub-
39
SCIENCE of FOOD ancC COOKERY
sisted upon fruits and grains, with that of the generations living
immediately after the Flood, who subsisted upon the flesh of ani-
mals, at least as part of their daily food. The following figures
show that the average length of life for nine generations before
the Flood, as recorded in Genesis 5 : 3-32 ; and 9 : 29, was 912
years. The average for ten generations after the Flood, when
flesh meats were used as food, was but 317 years. (Genesis
ii : 10-32; 25:7, 8.)
NINE GENERATIONS BEFORE
THE FLOOD
Name Age
TEN GENERATIONS AFTER
THE FLOOD
Name
Age
Adam 930 Shem 600
Seth 912
Enos 905
Cainan 910
Mahalaleel 895
Jared 962
Enoch (translated)
Methuselah 969
Arphaxad 438
Salah • 433
Eber 464
Peleg 239
Reu 239
Serug 230
Nahor 148
Lamech 777 Terah 205
Noah 950 Abraham 175
Average, 912 years.
8,210
Average, 317 years.
"And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his
nativity." Genesis 11:28. One would infer, from this scripture,
that until about the tenth generation after the Flood, it was so
unusual a thing for a child to die before its father, that mention
is made of the fact in Holy Writ.
Following on, we briefly trace the history of the chosen people
in their march down into Egypt, where they came under heavy
bondage to the Egyptians until the time of their deliverance.
When the prophetic period had expired, and the time for their
release had come, God brought them out with a strong hand, to
make them the depositaries of the Holy Oracles, and His peculiar
treasure above all people. It was designed that through them, all
the world should come to a knowledge of the true God. Their
health was jealously guarded, and a fleshless diet was given them.
(Exodus 16:35; Joshua 5:12.) But they despised "the corn of
40
SCIENCE of FOOD ancC COOKERY
heaven," and cried for flesh; so He permitted them to eat "clean"
flesh. (Numbers 11:4-6; Deuteronomy 14:3-20.)
It is recorded in "A Prayer of Moses the Man of God," that
the years of man were "threescore and ten" — an evidence that
the race was not benefited in the least by a diet of flesh. (Psalm
90: 10.)
Page 21
Presented as published in 1921. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
The diet originally planned for man, and that enabled him to attain to the age of nearly a thousand years, is outlined by the pen of inspiration in the first chapter of Genesis, twenty-ninth verse: "Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed, . . . and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for food." (A. R. V.) Thus the One who created man, and who understands his every need, appointed Adam his food, consisting of grains and nuts. After the fall, when the ground was cursed for man's sake, the herb of the field was added to his diet. (Genesis 3:17, 18.) After the Flood, when all vegetation had been destroyed by water, God permitted man to eat flesh. (Genesis 9:3, 4.)
It is interesting at this point to note the comparison of the length of life of men who lived before the Flood, and who sub-
sisted upon fruits and grains, with that of the generations living immediately after the Flood, who subsisted upon the flesh of animals, at least as part of their daily food. The following figures show that the average length of life for nine generations before the Flood, as recorded in Genesis 5 : 3-32 ; and 9 : 29, was 912 years. The average for ten generations after the Flood, when flesh meats were used as food, was but 317 years. (Genesis ii : 10-32; 25:7, 8.)
NINE GENERATIONS BEFORE THE FLOOD
Name Age
TEN GENERATIONS AFTER THE FLOOD
Name
Age
Adam 930 Shem 600
Seth 912
Enos 905
Cainan 910
Mahalaleel 895
Jared 962
Enoch (translated)
Methuselah 969
Arphaxad 438
Salah • 433
Eber 464
Peleg 239
Reu 239
Serug 230
Nahor 148
Lamech 777 Terah 205
Noah 950 Abraham 175
Average, 912 years.
8,210
Average, 317 years.
"And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity." Genesis 11:28. One would infer, from this scripture, that until about the tenth generation after the Flood, it was so unusual a thing for a child to die before its father, that mention is made of the fact in Holy Writ.
Following on, we briefly trace the history of the chosen people in their march down into Egypt, where they came under heavy bondage to the Egyptians until the time of their deliverance. When the prophetic period had expired, and the time for their release had come, God brought them out with a strong hand, to make them the depositaries of the Holy Oracles, and His peculiar treasure above all people. It was designed that through them, all the world should come to a knowledge of the true God. Their health was jealously guarded, and a fleshless diet was given them. (Exodus 16:35; Joshua 5:12.) But they despised "the corn of
heaven," and cried for flesh; so He permitted them to eat "clean" flesh. (Numbers 11:4-6; Deuteronomy 14:3-20.)
It is recorded in "A Prayer of Moses the Man of God," that the years of man were "threescore and ten" — an evidence that the race was not benefited in the least by a diet of flesh. (Psalm 90: 10.)