#12850 Why Did People Live So Long in the Bible? Weird Questions - Jimmy Akin from Catholic Answers Live

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#12850 Why Did People Live So Long in the Bible? Weird Questions - Jimmy Akin

1 seconds Posted Aug 15, 2026 at 12:00 am.

– Could the extreme ages of people in the genealogies of the Bible refer to the length years of one man’s successive generations in real time, rather than the single person’s actual age at death? How are these extreme ages of people in the Bible to be understood?

– I would like to know more about the Catholicism of the Michigan Melon-heads. I heard they may be Catholic since they likely originated from a Catholic orphanage.

– How much evidence is there for extraordinary charismatic gifts nowadays and which is the strangest?

– Is surgery for non-medical reasons on the human body considered mutilation. If done just for cosmetic reasons for example breast implants

– What would happen if a validly ordained Catholic priest went back in time to before the Birth of Jesus and said a mass and transubstantiated the Eucharist before Jesus instituted that sacrament? What if he went back in time to when Jesus was alive, but before He instituted the Eucharist? Would Jesus know that this time traveling priest was turning bread and wine into His body and blood?

– I’ve seen some robotics and computing developments online where scientists are already using human brain neurons and cells to run computers and robots. I’ve discovered a similar, already existing idea in science fiction called headcheese if you’re familiar with that. I’m wondering about the ethics of this and what a Catholic should make of it. I also wonder if creating new human neurons or keeping an existing person’s brain cells alive to run a computer would impede them from crossing over to the afterlife or not. Thank you.

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Show notes

Why do people in the Bible appear to live for hundreds of years, and how should Catholics understand those extraordinary ages? In this episode of Catholic Answers Live, Jimmy Akin explores possible ways of interpreting the long lifespans found in biblical genealogies before turning to several unusual questions involving history, science, and theology. He discusses the mysterious Michigan Melon-head legends and their possible Catholic connection, the evidence for extraordinary charismatic gifts today, and whether elective cosmetic surgery can amount to mutilation. The episode also tackles a fascinating time-travel scenario involving a priest celebrating Mass before the institution of the Eucharist, along with the ethics of using living human neurons and brain cells to power computers and robots.

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