Listener Questions


QUESTION
What does the Orthodox Church say we are to believe about Neanderthal and Cro-Magnons? It seems that they were not animals, that they were like humans but not quite at our level. I've watched the Science channel quite a bit so I know about some of the things that have been discovered about how they lived. I guess what I really want to know is, did they have souls like ours that will be in Heaven? Did they have a concept of God? Is there evidence that he made himself known to them? Part of why I would like to know is so I can give my two boys better answers. We were watching one of those shows and they were asking me about when Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons lived and they were trying to figure out where they fit in with Adam and Eve being the first humans. I was hoping you could shed some light on this for me.

I guess that was actually more than one question.

Thank you for your time.
God Bless and Keep You

RESPONSE
Regarding the state of prehistoric "man", the Church (as far as I know in my reading) has not dogmatized a view of them since archaeology is a more recent science than the time of the Ecumenical Councils. However, we can glean an answer from what IS dogmatized, that is that the human being has an immortal soul but the animal kingdom's members have a “spirit” but it is not eternal, "God takes their breath (spirit) and they die they return to the dust" as Psalm 103 says at Vespers. So I believe we can say that IF the Neanderthal and Cro Magnons were human, they had souls. If they were a non-human species, however intelligent and creative and similar to human beings, they did not and thus were not morally or spiritually culpable nor capable of union with God in the same way the human being is. That much we CAN know. I know that doesn't directly answer the question if one believes in evolution since that theory seems to create a "gray area" of development. However, if someone does believe in evolution even then we would have to say at some point the human being became “human” and transitioned from being a "beast of the field", and at that point acquired an immortal soul from God. I think the best approach to these kinds of issues is an agnostic one, personally. We weren't there, we really don't know and no matter how smart scientists are, they are still theorizing and speculating. When it comes to the spiritual state of the human being we step outside of science into theology and philosophy which applies to all human beings no matter how and when they came on the scene in this creation.

in Christ,
Steve