Sons of God
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There are two main theories concerning the identity of the sons of God (contrasted with "daughters of men") identified in the book of Genesis.
- When men began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. (Genesis 6:1)
[edit] Theories
One theory is that the sons of God are the descendants of Seth, the godly line of Adam. The daughters of men are then seen as the descendants of Cain. This is the view put forth by the pseudepigraphical work: Conflict of Adam and Eve with Satan. However, taking a look at every other instance of the phrase "Sons of God" or "Son of God" in the Old Testament, it becomes clear that the reference is to a spiritual creature of some sort. This is in contrast to the New Testament's use of the phrase, where it can refer to man or spiritual being. This leads us to the second theory:
A second theory is that the sons of God are angels who came to earth and had children with the daughters of men. This view is supported by the Epistle of Jude:
- And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day. (Jude 1:6)
This view is also the basis for much of the Book of Enoch.
A third theory revolves around the fact that "elohim" literally means "powers" and is, at times, used in the bible to refer to powerful human rulers.
