Chapter II
Names for God in Future Perfect
Although Genesis is part of the Hebrew Bible, the time ending in Genesis 5 occurs more than a thousand years before the first Hebrew walked the earth. As a result, the story could not really contain a name like Yahweh and I did not want to create an obvious anachronism with such an important element in the story. Instead of opting for using “Adonai” or “Elohim,” which seemed forced, I chose to use two other names. The first one will be familiar to readers of the Old Testament, while the other will be new to most readers.
God Most High
The term God Most High (El Elyon in Hebrew) occurs 28 times in the Old Testament. The first time it occurs is in Genesis 14:18 when when Melchizedek, King of Salem, is described as the priest of the most high God. It seemed somehow appropriate to me to use the same name for God as described by this mysterious high priest who would some day bless Abram. (Besides, one never knows if more direct connections to Melchizedek will ever show up in any of the future story arcs.)
Head of Days
Like a number of the names in the Future Perfect series, I took this term from a text called the Book of Enoch. I am by no means advocating the studying of this apocryphal (and confusing) work. However, the text was popular in the first century AD and appears to be quoted in the book of Jude in our New Testament. More importantly, I really liked this term and how it describes God’s relations to time. He is the head–or the very beginning–of all days. Enoch would be very drawn to this description of God. That is why it was chosen.
Sons of Seth as “Stargazers”
In this chapter Tubal-Cain refers to the Sethites as “Stargazers.” This allusion comes from a reference by the Jewish Historian Josephus who wrote about Seth’s children:
“The virtuous descendants of Seth discovered the science of astronomy. To prevent their findings from perishing in the destruction by fire and deluge predicted by Adam, they inscribed them on two pillars, one of brink and other of stone. The latter exists to this day in the land of Seiris.” (Jewish Antiquities A I, 40)
Forbidding intermarriage between the Lines of Seth and Cain
In this chapter Tubal-Cain also make a reference to the fact that Enoch’s father, Jared, disobeyed a rule preventing him from marrying a Cainite. According to an ancient Arabian tradition, Jared was the first to break through the command of Enos which prohibited intermarriage with the Cainites. (Noted in the Wall Chart of World History by Professor Edward Hull, MA, LLD, FRS)