h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I don't know what it should be called, so I'm saying Anno Mundi 1656, the 1656th year of the world. Out of interest I entered the early begats of Genesis into my family tree program, like you would, with Adam being born in Year 1 of the World (AM1). A lot of his descendants lived for many centuries, in a general pattern of gradually shortening lifelines until Jacob and his offspring were more in line with the kind of ages we would expect today. Methuselah had the record as the longest-lived at 969 years, which means he died in YW1656. His grandson Noah went sailing in the Flood of that very same year, which makes me suspect strongly that Methuselah was a casualty of that flood!

I wonder if here is a story of family tragedy, with Gramps Methuselah trying hard to make it to the Ark but being just a bit too late. There the poor chap was, pushing away from the latest girlfriend ("There may be snow on the roof, baby ...") and running for the departing Ark, or perhaps he'd been out herding the family unicorns and searching for a lost one when suddenly he heard the toot-toot in the distance.

Of course, as we have no way of being certain, so who is to say Noah hadn't got fed up with the stories of what he did in the war you young whippersnapper, so didn't tell him when the gangplank was lifted?

I've changed my mind about the name, not Anno Mundi (already used elsewhere) not Year of the World (just a translation of AM), perhaps Year of Man or AH (although Woman may object). Year of Adam fits best. Right, AA 1656 it is.

I have heard that the name Methuselah means 'When he dies - it shal come..." A rather ominous name!

How did you work that out? I believe the name is similar to Gunnerson in meaning. Son of a missile. Perhaps: Flungchippedflintdiskson; MacHeavyobjectlaunchedfromasling or O'Sharpstickwithfeathersintheotherend.

In ancient Hebrew all words have basic roots (based on three Hebrew letters each?) and for the word Methuselah that's supposedly what it means! (I don't KNOW this first hand - I don't speak or write Hebrew!)