SCIENCE & THE BIBLE by Bolton Davidheiser, Ph.D., Chairman of the Science Division, Biola College
Neanderthal Man
T h e current issue of The Quarterly * Review of Biology is devoted to a symposium commemorating the 100th anniversary of the discovery of some human remains in the Neander Val ley of Germany. The date of this find was 1856, three years before the pub lication of Darwin’s Origin of Species. However, they were really not the first bones of this type to be found, for a similar skull had been unearthed eight years earlier at Gibraltar. Since that time various other remains classed as Neanderthals have been found. It is natural to ask why the Gibral tar skull was ignored and why Dar winians “ were actually not very happy or enthusiastic about the first Neanderthal discovery” in Germany. The reason is simply that these re mains did not fit very well into the evolutionary beliefs of that day. The early Darwinians were looking for a living link between man and gorilla or orangutan and were expecting to find it in unexplored tropical rain forests or among uncivilized human tribes. Idiots were considered signif icant as possible throw-backs to a type representing th e f o r m they sought in the natural state. The capacity of the Neanderthal skull was too large and it was ques tioned whether these people differed significantly from living men. One anthropologist compared the skull to that of a certain Irishman he knew. Similar types were thought to be ob served among living European peas ants. Even Huxley, who was Darwin’s chief prophet and defender, said the Neanderthal remains showed only a slight modification or exaggeration of the Australian aborigine. But the Neanderthal discovery could not be ignored and the point of view among the evolutionists changed from the one just mentioned to that of considering these people low crea tures of “ gorilloid ferocity” with e l o n g a t e d and projecting canine teeth. That the teeth really were not so did not seem to make much dif ference. They were described as short of stature and with knees habitually bent, unable to stand erect. The neck was assumed to be thick and the head
projected forward. This description of the Neanderthals (except for the teeth) is still found in current text books, although in recent years some scientists have expressed the opinion that they did walk erect. Two of the contributors to the sym posium were permitted to examine the bones from which this description was made and which greatly influ enced subsequent writers. Although they were familiar with the literature on the subject they said that they were not prepared for the fragmen tary nature of the material, nor had they suspected the severity of the de formity caused by a pathological con dition which existed during the life of the individual. Besides this they found errors in the reconstruction. In short, they concluded that the Neanderthal people walked erect, were not particularly short and their heads did not protrude forward. They said, “ There is thus no valid reason for the assumption that the posture of Neanderthal man . . . differed significantly from that of present-day man . . . . If he could be reincarnated and placed in a New York subway -— provided that he were bathed, shaved and dressed in modem clothing •— it is doubtful whether he would attract any more attention than one of its other denizens.” Another contributor to the sym posium reports that in bones other than the skull, differences between the Neanderthals and modem popu lations are “much less marked than some writers in the past have been led to believe,” and concludes that the skeletons are basically modem and that former views to the contrary are untenable. Some differences b e t w e e n the Neanderthals and living men still remain, but it is interesting to note how views on factual matters have changed with current concepts of what the facts ought to be. From the evolutionary standpoint, a statement published in Scientific Monthly 10 years ago seems to hold true: “As more and more information has come to light concerning Pleistocene man, the problem of the Neanderthals be comes more and more confused.”
A wealth of information to help you plan and organize your vacation Bible school— PLUS a complete description of the ALL-NEW VBS Course for 1958
Single theme . . . 10 true-to-the-Bible les sons on the meaning of true worship . . Graded: Nursery through Teen-age Colorful . . . Complete . . . Practical . . . Easy to teach . . . Low cost! W rite Today . . . for your FREE 1958 Planbook . . . or better yet, you can see all of these colorful mate rials at your Bookstore, or by ordering Intro ductory Kit 9311. A $4.50 value, .only $3.75
At your Bookstore, or Dept. KB-5 STANDARD PUBLISHING, Cincinnati
F o r a d v e r t i s i n g r a t e s and i n f o r m a t i o n , w r i t e :
The Advertising Manager King's Business 558 South Hope Street Los Angeles 17, Calif.
c o m m e n t a r y ! ON THE WHOLE BIBLE By Jamieson , Fausset and Brown A verse by verse com* mentary. For Sunday School teachers« Chris tian workers« Bible students« pastors and laymen. The greatest one-volume com mentary.” Sunday School Times. J 1347 large double column pages«* J Only $7.95 1 A Zondervan Publication ORDER FROM YOUR BO O K STORE
20
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker