What are the Dragons in the Bible?

I heard an interesting claim the other day. Dinosaurs are mentioned in the Bible and in other historical texts, but rather than using the term dinosaur, these texts use the word dragon. The claim does not seem to be without basis, since the word dinosaur wasn’t even coined until after the first translations of the Bible into English were complete. And we know that when Satan spoke to Eve, he appeared in the form of a serpent with legs.

There is opposition to this idea that dinosaurs and dragons are one and the same. Largely, this could be attributed to what we think we know about them. Dinosaurs are creatures that supposedly died out millions of years ago. Dragons are mythical creatures that breathe fire, work magic, and fly. But let’s suppose we could put a dinosaur and a dragon side by side. Let’s also suppose we get rid of the fire breathing and the magic. Now, they begin to look very similar. Both are reptiles. Both can grow to great sizes, though most dinosaurs were quite small. Both have very sharp teeth.

Fiction often has a basis in fact, so it isn’t unthinkable that the stories of dragons would begin with a real creature. Fire and magic might have been added to the stories to make them more entertaining. The problem then is that people believe dinosaurs lived millions of years ago. Trust me, there are a lot of scientists who aren’t going to give up on that idea. If they did, they would have to give up on the concept of evolution, which they have turned into a god.

I don’t care what they think. They have no way to prove that the Earth is billions of years old. And I don’t have any way of proving that dinosaurs are dragons, but there is evidence that indicates it could be true. But I find the concept fascinating. Think about it. As little as a few hundred years about dinosaurs might have still been around. Maybe they still are, if we knew where to look. What do you think? Do you think there be dragons?

Comments

McKenzie McCann said…
I think the idea of dragons came from reptiles, and yes the fire and magic were added to make them more interesting. Like you said, you can't prove or disprove that the earth is billions of years old, and I think the same can be said on this theory.
January 28, 2012 at 5:47 PM
Timothy Fish said…
McKenzie,
Yeah, I'm sure it would be rather hard to prove since there are hundreds of years between the two terms. Also, there is the problem that dinosaur refers to bones and there are no dragon bones to compare them to.
January 28, 2012 at 9:24 PM
heidileanne said…
I've always thought that the dragons of the bible referred to dinosaurs. It just makes more sense to me that humans walked with dinosaurs (besides the fact that there are many evidences that point to that fact).
January 28, 2012 at 10:09 PM
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