Docuseries on the Nephilim to be released: Giants from the Bible, proof in Golan Heights?

The Nephilim giants of ancient times were creatures said to be conceived when angels and human women had children together. While many believe that these are fairy tales, others believe that their descendants are still alive today. This idea has sparked a long-standing debate between professional researchers and biblical students alike.

The stories of these fallen giants derive from ancient myths and religious texts. One well-known mention is found in the book of Genesis Chapter 6, verse 4, which tells of the "sons of God'' who came to Israel and gave birth to children with human daughters. This resulted in the birth of powerful beings of unusual size and shape known as the Nephilim.

If the description is taken literally, according to Genesis and some of the midrash, Nephilim were angels or the offspring of a marriage of the sons of God, or angels, with human daughters. In the midrash and external books written in the days of the Second Temple, the Nephilim are identified with the angels who betrayed God, violated their duties, and were banished or descended to earth.

Other Midrashim describe the Nephilim as legendary creatures, each of whom required a thousand camels, a thousand horses, and a thousand oxen to satisfy his tremendous hunger, and when God decided to destroy the earth with a flood, the Nephilim tried to show their power in a form of defiance towards God. These stories caused people to wonder if the blood of these ancient giants continues to exist among us today.

Believers argue that these giants were indeed real, not myths. It is said that the descendants of the Nephilim may have survived by intermingling with human populations, with these descendants likely also inheriting unique traits from their giant ancestors.

Proponents of the theory point to alleged discoveries and strange findings as possible evidence of the Nephilim's existence. These include finding extremely large skeletons and ancient structures that have no realistic explanation. However, it is important to note that this evidence is controversial and can be interpreted in different ways. Skeptics claim that these findings may be due to misidentification or natural changes to the human body.

The Inspiration Network (INSP), a religious family entertainment network, plans to release a docuseries called Angels & Giants: The Watchers & The Nephilim. The series will consist of four hour-long episodes that investigate the theories in question seriously.

Producers of the biblical docuseries share their research and experiences

Rudy Landa, executive producer and director at INSP, and David Cerullo, the company's CEO, decided to produce the film three years ago. Their enthusiasm for the subject was fueled by their love of the Bible.

"The Bible describes the Nephilim in several places," said Landa. The main explanation appears in Genesis chapter 6. The Nephilim were descendants of heavenly beings who were placed in the spiritual realm to watch over the earth in those days. They were principalities in the heavenly kingdom." 

Landa added that in another chapter of the Book of Genesis, it is written that the "sons of God" lived with the daughters of men, and the offspring of these unions were called the Nephilim, a race of giants who lived on earth.In other words, there are two versions of the identity of these beings: the Nephilim are upper angels who descended to earth ("fallen angels") and took wives for them from human women, or they are the result of those forbidden hybrid pairings. 

"The docuseries conveys biblical sources, but it should also be interesting for non-religious viewers because there is so much archaeological evidence that needs to be investigated," Landa stated.

The issue could easily become sensational, and Landa emphasized that he did not want to take that approach. He enlisted the help of author Douglas Van Doren, who had just written a book on the subject, to guide the project. 

"We present the evidence and invite people to investigate to reach their own conclusions," said Landa. We are not dogmatic and do not hide anything. We bring the sources and encourage the viewer to ask questions, to continue learning, and to do their own research."

Their research took them on a trip around the world, including Egypt, Peru, and the USA - but the team's starting point was in the Golan Heights, here in Israel. "It makes sense to start in Israel, in the place where the story of the Nephilim began - and that is in the Golan," stressed Landa. 

The first Book of Enoch, an apocryphal source from the second century BC attributed to the great-grandfather of the biblical Noah, describes the Nephilim and claims that the name of Mount Hermon is derived from the word "haram."

According to the first Book of Enoch, the Nephilim were expelled from heaven and sent to Mount Hermon.The area, known as the Bashan, is where King Og attacked the Israelites when they entered the Promised Land. Landa's search for the truth brought him to Gilgal Rephaim ("Wheel of Spirits" or "Wheel of Ghosts") and Tumulus, a circle of stones and an ancient megalithic monument located in the Golan Heights. 

From the ground, it looks like random piles of rocks, but from above it is quite impressive and reveals five concentric rings, with the outer ring being more than 150 meters wide. In its center is a mound of loose stones over 20 meters in diameter and over 5 meters high, covering a central chamber carved in solid rock. 

Archaeologists date the beginning of its construction as early as 3500 BC. The purpose of Gilgal Rephaim is still a mystery and the focus of scholarly debate. "There are theories that claim that King Og of Bashan was buried in Gilgal Rephaim," said Landa.

The film examines the theory that the center of the structure was used as a decay chamber where the body was allowed to decompose. The bones would later be buried in a giant snake-like structure of loose stones adjacent to stone rings. "This double arrangement appears in several places around the world where it was known to be used as a necropolis for this form of burial," explained Landa. 

Landa added that Gilgal Rephaim aligns with significant astronomical phenomena. The entrance to the center overlooks the sunrise in the summertime. Notches in the walls mark the spring and autumn equinoxes. Other markings point to the rising stars.

The site could be used to predict the onset of the rainy season, a very important survival skill. "Obviously, there was very intelligent construction behind the site," Landa noted. 

Based on Genesis 14, verse 13, which describes a refugee who told Abraham about Lot's capture, the Gemara teaches that Og, king of Bashan, was alive during Noah's time but escaped the flood by clinging to the side of the ark using a ladder. Og also appears in Deuteronomy 3, verse 11, as the only remaining remnant of the giants.

A rough estimate of Og's size can be made based on reference to the size of his bed, which is described as nine cubits long, and four cubits wide. The biblical measurement of a cubit, literally, is the length of an average person's hand from the elbow to the tip of the thumb, about 45 cm, which means that Og's bed was more than 4 meters long and almost 2 meters wide.

Scholars have different explanations for the ancient stories and supposed evidence for the existence of the Nephilim giants. They believe that the stories of giant creatures came from humans' fascination with extraordinary physical abilities or attempts to explain unusual events in history.

Scholars suggest that scientific proof for these theories is lacking and that cultural discrimination may have influenced the interpretation of ancient texts and artifacts. The question of whether the blood of the Nephilim still flows in our bodies remains a subject of debate and investigation. Some people continue to look for concrete evidence to support their claims, while others see the stories as merely symbolic and focus on their influence on human culture and imagination.

The INSP network is currently considering the right way to distribute the film and expects to release Angels & Giants: The Watchers & Nephilim this fall.