登陆注册
5214200000265

第265章

From this discrepancy between the Hebrew books and our own arises the well-known question as to the age of Methuselah;(1) for it is computed that he lived for fourteen years after the deluge, though Scripture relates that of all who were then upon the earth only the eight souls in the ark escaped destruction by the flood, and of these Methuselah was not one.For, according to our books, Methuselah, before he begat the son whom he called Lamech, lived 167 years; then Lamech himself, before his son Noah was born, lived 188 years, which together make 355 years.Add to these the age of Noah at the date of the deluge, 600 years, and this gives a total of 955 from the birth of Methuselah to the year of the flood.Now all the years of the life of Methuselah are computed to be 969; for when he had lived 167 years, and had begotten his son Lamech, he then lived after this 802 years, which makes a total, as we said, of 969years.From this, if we deduct 955 years from the birth of Methuselah to the flood, there remains fourteen years, which he is supposed to have lived after the flood.And therefore some suppose that, though he was not on earth (in which it is agreed that every living thing which could not naturally live in water perished), he was for a time with his father, who had been translated, and that he lived there till the flood had passed away.

This hypothesis they adopt, that they may not cast a slight on the trustworthiness of versions which the Church has received into a position of high authority,(2) and because they believe that the Jewish MSS.rather than our own are in error.For they do not admit that this is a mistake of the translators, but maintain that there is a falsified statement in the original, from which, through the Greek, the Scripture has been translated into our own tongue.They say that it is not credible that the seventy translators, who simultaneously and unanimously produced one rendering, could have erred, or, in a case in which no interest of theirs was involved, could have falsified their translation; but that the Jews, envying us our translation of their Law and Prophets, have made alterations in their texts so as to undermine the authority of ours.This opinion or suspicion let each man adopt according to his own judgment.Certain it is that Methuselah did not survive the flood, but died in the very year it occurred, if the numbers given in the Hebrew MSS.are true.My own opinion regarding the seventy translators I will, with God's help, state more carefully in its own place, when I have come down (following the order which this work requires) to that period in which their translation was executed.(3) For the present question, it is enough that, according to our versions, the men of that age had lives so long as to make it quite possible that, during the lifetime of the first-born of the two sole parents then on earth, the human race multiplied sufficiently to form a community.

CHAP.12.--OF THE OPINION OF THOSE WHO DO NOT BELIEVE THAT IN THESEPRIMITIVE, TIMES

MEN LIVED SO LONG AS IS STATED.

For they are by no means to be listened to who suppose that in those times years were differently reckoned, and were so short that one of our years may be supposed to be equal to ten of theirs.

So that they say, when we read or hear that some man lived 900 years, we should understand ninety, ten of those years making but one of ours, and ten of ours equalling 100 of theirs.

Consequently, as they suppose, Adam was twenty-three years of age when he begat Seth, and Seth himself was twenty years and six months old when his son Enos was born, though the Scripture calls these months 205 years.For, on the hypothesis of those whose opinion we are explaining, it was customary to divide one such year as we have into ten parts, and to call each part a year.And each of these parts was composed of six days squared;because God finished His works in six days, that He might rest the seventh.Of this I disputed according to my ability in the eleventh book.(4) Now six squared, or six times six, gives thirty-six days; and this multiplied by ten amounts to needed to complete the solar year, and for the fourth part of a day, which requires that into every fourth or leap-year a day be added, the ancients added such days as the Romans used to call "intercalary," in order to complete the number of the years.So that Enos, Seth's son, was nineteen years old when his son Cainan was born, though Scripture calls these years 190.And so through all the generations in which the ages of the antediluvians are given, we find in our versions that almost no one begat a son at the age of 100 or under/or even at the age of 120 or thereabouts; but the youngest fathers are recorded to have been 160 years old and upwards.And the reason of this, they say, is that no one can beget children when he is ten years old, the age spoken of by those men as 100, but that sixteen is the age of puberty, and competent now to propagate offspring; and this is the age called by them 160.And that it may not be thought incredible that in these days the year was differently computed from our own, they adduce what is recorded by several writers of history, that the Egyptians had a year of four months, the Acarnanians of six, and the Lavinians of thirteen months.(1)The younger Pliny, after mentioning that some writers reported that one man had lived 152 years, another ten more, others 200, others 300, that some had even reached 500 and 600, and a few 800 years of age, gave it as his opinion that all this must be ascribed to mistaken computation.For some, he says, make summer and winter each a year; others make each season a year, like the Arcadians, whose years, he says, were of three months.

同类推荐
  • 观自在菩萨阿么齿来法

    观自在菩萨阿么齿来法

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 大慧普觉禅师语录

    大慧普觉禅师语录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 念佛三昧

    念佛三昧

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 南游记旧

    南游记旧

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 大乘无生方便门

    大乘无生方便门

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 无名皇后

    无名皇后

    我待你如初恋你虐我千百遍若我得不到的那便毁了吧
  • 万族帝尊

    万族帝尊

    【不一样的超燃玄幻】宇宙大劫,万界大战,人皇轩辕转世,誓要踏灭九天,将那万古第一女帝,踩落凡尘!杀神屠妖,斩仙戮魔,不过在主角一念之间!【天宇九阙凌云宵,唯我帝皇任逍遥!】【掌中乾坤星河舞,屠尽天下仙魔妖!】万族帝尊铁粉群:707052126(该群有大量萌妹子,而且会不定期发放红包,只要在QQ阅读正版看书就可以加入。)
  • 绝品武神

    绝品武神

    往日纨绔少爷重回八百年前青州第一府,痛下决心铸造家族神话;获遗泽传承,助他强势崛起,识破阴谋、猛踩小人,一人独挡千万劲敌,终力挽狂澜,携风云之势高歌猛进!
  • 重生之赖上隐婚前夫

    重生之赖上隐婚前夫

    本文为女主重生之后,赖上前夫谈情说爱+狠虐前世一群渣渣,一对一,温馨浪漫宠文!欢迎跳坑!*【正经般简介】晨光熹微。前世,乔熹微因为这四个字,一直以为她的晨光就是薛晨。所以为了他甘愿抛弃所有,背负一切,离婚,……,一切一切只为他。本以为这就是结局。然而,却没想到最后等来的却是渣男渣女联手杀害,夺走她乔家的一切。她悔,她更恨。*今生,她乔女王回来了。只不过,好像有点晚?离婚了已经?嗯,没关系,赖上他就是了。至于渣男渣女什么的,自然是有怨报怨有仇报仇!左手收拾渣男,右手教训渣女,怎么舒爽怎么来,这是可是你们应得的!*But,最大的问题是——纯良的前夫怎么好像跟记忆中的不一样了?***【偶遇渣男篇】“熹微,我离开你是不得已的,你相信我,我爱你。”渣男如是说。乔熹微点头做思考状:“嗯……”(其实内心想的是——谁会相信你这个混蛋啊,上辈子骗我还不够,这辈子还来捣乱,爱爱爱,爱你个头啊!……等等省略一长段。)渣男面带喜色,然而——纯良的前夫及时出现了,紧紧的搂住乔熹微:“不好意思,她现在是我的老婆。”是夜。“你有完没完啊!我的腰都断了!”她无奈的高喊。“不准点头。”某人没好气的说道。接着,某人继续着动作……*【宝宝篇】某日,乔熹微在洗手间里吐个不停,某男体贴的忙前忙后。某男:“我觉得你应该是怀孕了。”乔熹微不相信,“嗯?”某男:“好好说话!”乔熹微:“你怎么知道啊?我都不知道自己有没有怀孕,再说了,我们不是每次都戴T了吗?为什么会怀孕!快说,你是不是偷偷的用针扎过!?还有我明明说过……”省略一长串。某男:“……”***【他说:本以为得之我幸,失之我命,但后来我才发现,失去你,就是失去命。】【她说:还好有你,从没放弃我,一直在身边。】***Ps:本文女主表面上高冷女王范,实际上内心却是一个爱脑补,十足十话唠的妹子,男主为前期面瘫话少闷骚,后期直接情话撩妹明骚的表脸表脸的!
  • 封神夺帝

    封神夺帝

    沉寂千年,三界再起纠纷。天帝私下鬼界,十二金仙作乱,祸起萧墙。人间仙派大乱斗,鬼界蠢蠢欲动。清福正神觅姜姓后人,封神台上再封神。三界的命运,又落在了一个无名小子的身上……
  • 万古轮回魔帝

    万古轮回魔帝

    五百年前,轮回魔帝叶青玄遭青玄星诸神背叛,在青玄星与古冥星诸神联手轰击下身消道陨。五百年后,东胜神州傲风国,一名为叶玄的少年,开启了他无敌的传奇之路……
  • 月下锦楼,不见人归

    月下锦楼,不见人归

    他一鞭一鞭的打在她身上,细嫩的皮肤一瞬间绽开血花。严景凌,到底是不相信我,你终究还是不相信我。他说,商瑾,这一剑我要你记住。恰恰好的偏离了心房,刺在她胸口上的一间,穿破胸腔之后,在她身上留下了永久的咳疾。她在心中暗暗发誓,很好,这伤会永远提醒着我,提醒着你对我做的一切。--情节虚构,请勿模仿
  • TF家族之起风了

    TF家族之起风了

    (本文无关娱乐圈,不切与实际勿想于真人,开头自借鉴;提示,本文比较主打马嘉祺与苏源希。)人生几种最好的状态:不期而遇,来日可期,不言而喻,如约而至.最后一次的风起,它格外的柔,你说这会不会是最好的结局。
  • 我的宿主整天搞事情

    我的宿主整天搞事情

    作为一个本身就很辣鸡的系统,居然被主神绑定了更辣鸡的宿主!系统生无可恋地表示,我不活了!没想到宿主竟然说要带它装逼带它飞让它成为最牛逼!好吧,就信你一次,我要当位面主神!可是,进入位面的宿主为什么一言不合就要毁灭世界?!毁了我还当个毛线的位面主神啊?#我可能遇到了假的宿主##只有爱情的力量才能让宿主停止毁灭世界#席缨:我不喜欢这个世界,但我喜欢你,既然你喜欢这个世界,那我便为你留下。
  • 问世间情为何物:中国历代名人情感解读

    问世间情为何物:中国历代名人情感解读

    本书对中国历代近两百位各类名人隐秘、经典、曲折、具有代表性的情感历程与影响进行了真实、生动、细致的披露、展示和解读。君王们的纵情色、英杰们的豪情干云、文土们的旖旎多情、另一类的畸零私情——本书写尽了中国历史上的各种男女人,写尽了男女人之间的各种情感。本书故事精彩、人物鲜明、情感充沛、内容丰富、语言优美、表述通俗、富有哲理,从而具有有趣、博识、励志等功能。