What are the Nephilim?

www.catholic.com
Jimmy Akin answers a caller who asks about the Nephilim mentioned in the Old Testament.
Jimmy Akin is an internationally known author and speaker. As the senior apologist at Catholic Answers, he has more than twenty years of experiencing defending and explaining the Faith.
Jimmy is a convert to the Faith and has an extensive background in the Bible, theology, the Church Fathers, philosophy, canon law, and liturgy.
Jimmy is a weekly guest on the national radio program Catholic Answers Live, a regular contributor to Catholic Answers Magazine, and a popular blogger and podcaster. His personal web site is JimmyAkin.com.

[@ironimpactdojo]

Solid discussion, and I appreciate the acknowledgement that on certain topics we just "don't know." That's an option that is all too often dismissed nowadays, yet is sometimes the best option since admitting that fact allows for further discussion on a level playing field rather than having opposing sides argue what is True. Thanks!

[@mammyoriordan]

Many ancient folklore mention magical beings who had great powers - Irish folklore is full of it. Perhaps that explains these ancient powerful peoples. - Rene

[@MrMikeTheMan89]

As posted below, the book of Enoch is quite straightforward about what happened, as is Jasher, Jubilees, and about all scholars and church fathers until St Augustine. Of course St Jude and St Peter referred to these books, describing how the angels who sinned left their former habitation (oikoterion) descending to earth. This oikoterion is the same word as St Paul uses while referring to our coming resurrection bodies. Even in the OT Canon we see examples of angels having bodies and even eating (eg when the Lord and the two angels visited Abram). Furthermore, Jesus said that angles IN HEAVEN don't marry etc. He didn't say that fallen angels who were kicked out of heaven didn't marry (on earth). In many ways, the nephilim hybrids are quite essential for understanding the Old Testament. The reason behind them were to corrupt the human nature so that Christ wouldn't be able to come as a human. That's also why we see the hard commandments from God regarding those peoples. In fact, they weren't fully human. People like king Og and Goliath were of course nephilim (or nephilim-human offspring, Rephaim), which also explains why they were 12-15 foot tall and had 12 fingers and 12 toes (check it out!). Some might even have been even taller. AND, in fact there are quite much evidence of them. Of course there are tons of them being found in the ground (after you got rid of all the hoaxes...) but you also have all the ancient megalithic structures which we can't explain. Partly supernatural giants could easily explain them without having to go to "aliens".

[@fisherstrong6]

I think the pagan religions in mythology prove the existence of angelic beings

[@berrycatholicboys225]

I suggest you look up Rob Skibas material regarding the Nephilim.

[@dancamacho1433]

Read Enoch. Found in the Dead Sea Scrolls. The only complete text that is found, is the Ethiopian translation. And Trey Smith is very good. In order for anybody to understand his vids, you need to watch them. There's way too much detail to recite without having to watch.

[@PolishRoman]

Kinda surprised the understanding that the Nephilim are the mixing of the bloodlines between Seth and Cain didn't come up at all considering many other theologians that have been on the show have given evidence for it.

[@karensnemesis4552]

ye, it's the obvious and reasonable one

[@Nonamguys]

Proof that aliens exist right here! Just kidding, and I will have to go and do more research on the nephilim in the Bible and other places.

[@Etihwkcirtap]

read enoch 1

[@openstagedenver6257]

After the fall there were descendants of Adam and Eve who stayed faithful to God and there were descendants who turned away from God. The Nephilim were the descendants who stayed faithful to God they called themselves the sons of God because they kept the old ways and did not worship idols. The sons of men were the people who had turned away. This passage about the men of God who took wives from the pagan tribes. The very next verse tells us that God saw how wicked men were. The Nephilim were supposed to stay faithful to God, but by taking pagan wives they showed that they had strayed.