appears. For he says: "When the rain ceased, the water did but just begin to abate after 150 days (that is, on the 17th day of the 7th month), it then ceasing to subside for a little while," (Ant. I., iii, 5). However, the only way in which 150 days can, with his figures, be made to terminate on the 17th of 7th month, is by supposing him to have reckoned at the rate of 365 days to a year, and also to have included the previous 7 days of preparation. But the first supposition would be inconsistent with his express mention of lunar months, and the second would not be reckoning from the beginning of the Flood or of the rain, nor from his assigned date the 27th-but from 7 or 10 days previous. So far, therefore, as we can see, it seems unavoidable, in this instance, to suppose a corruption, either by the change of 17 into 27, or by the interpolation of the part put in parentheses in the above quotation; unless we are willing to regard this as an instance (of which there are very many similar ones) of a palpable disregard to the most glaring inconsistencies. 365 AND 355 OR 364 AND 354 DAY YEARS. 158. From the circumstance of the year of Deluge exceeding the Jewish lunar year by 10 days (vii. 11, with viii. 14), it has been inferred that a solar as well as a lunar year was in use at the time of the Deluge, and that the lengths of the solar and lunar years were respectively 365 and 355 days. The first is a valid inference, but not the second, necessarily. The latter may have been the case, but it may also have been the fact that those years consisted of 364 and 354 days; and perhaps the following reasons may lead the reader to think that more may be advanced in favour of the latter than of the former hypothesis. 364 days would make an exact number of weeks, viz. 52, and, from the strong predilection of the Jews for periods of sevens, this is a weighty argument in favour of a solar year of 364 days. If, then, this have a preference over a 365-day year, it would necessarily follow that the lunar year had 354 days. Again, the common Jewish lunar year contained 354 days. Hence it may be concluded that this was the lunar year in use when these computations were made, and hence similarly may a 364-day year be inferred. EQUALISATION OF YEARS BY INTERCALATION. 159. No objection can arise on the ground of the equation of the different years. For this may most probably have been eferred in reference to all many & pans.—that is, by the Sotiac Gyue, in the manner sceva in the following Tide: It hence appears that the addition of 3 extra months of 30 days to the years of 354 days would in the course of 2 Sothiac Cycles, equalise the days in those years with the days in the Cycles. This would be a more ready mode of equalisation than the year of 355 days presents. Also, if 5 epagomenæ were added to the year of 30 days to raise it to 365, 5 days might similarly have been added at the end of 4 years of 364 days, to complete the Sothiae Cycle; and this being 1-6th of a month, seems a more convenient method than the addition of 1 day in 4 vague years. The addition of 3 weeks, to raise 4 old Egyptian years to a Sothiae Cycle, would also be an obvious and ready mode. This may suffice to shew how, on the supposition that divers years were made use of, equation between them might, at stated intervals, have been effected. PERIODS OF THIRTY DAYS TO A MONTH. 160. We now proceed to shew what results will be given on different hypotheses as to the length of the year of Deluge. 161. First, on the supposition that the months contained 30 days each. The 7 days previous to the advent of the rain do not, of course, belong to the year of Deluge. The computation therefore begins with the 17th day of the 2nd month in Noah's 600th year-that is, as the rain began on the 17th, that day must be included in the year; so, at least, one would think, but the fact that a 7 days is named before, intending to leave (as it can scarcely be doubted 40 days previously from the beginning of the year, this fact would make it appear that the 17th was not included. Whichever view be taken, it is immaterial to this computation. 162. Directing our attention, first, to the scheme which supposes the 150 days to follow the 40, it is observable that two intersecting periods of 150 are formed under it; viz., from the beginning of the Deluge to the resting of the Ark, and from the cessation of the rain to the end of the first stage of retrogression of the waters. This coincidence may be esteemed a confirmation of this view. Also, from the opening of the windows of heaven to the appearance of the mountains, -the second stage of abatement, is 224 days, or four times 56, or 7 × 32. Another period of 56 days occurs at the end, being the time between the appearance of the restored world, and its recovery of a habitable condition. This, on one view, might be regarded as the 7th, as it is the last stage of progress. There are also shown 4 quadragintal periods. And it may be added that another is marked out at the beginning of the year. Since there are 47 days to the 17th of 2nd month, from which 7 days are separated as a time of preparation or suspense. Lastly there are three 7's of days, in each of which apparently a much more rapid retrogression of the waters G took place than in the whole 150 days. It may be asked in reference to these, Why was first a raven, and then a dove thrice sent forth? and why the raven at "the end of 40 days," when their termination alone would seem to have been a sufficient epoch to reckon from? We can only conjecture that this arrangement may have been intended to denote that these small periods, though complete in themselves, are to be regarded as forming one period. The raven continued "going and returning until the waters were dried up from off the earth." And the time to which this applies is a Pentecostal period. It does indeed seem strange that the time assigned to the raven's first emission should be the "end of the 40 days," and it may be doubted whether we should understand it to be meant that it was after 7 days from this 40. In the mention of the dove which followed next, no time is given, and it is only from the word "other" in the following statement, that we learn the time. This word may have been meant to reach back to the raven's mission likewise. And for this construction we seem to have Josephus' authority, who says: "A few days afterward Noah sent out a raven,' If this interpretation be the true one, there will be 4 periods of 7 28 days, and 7 stages in the 2nd division. The sum total is 370, which is alone sufficient to refute the theory of those who, knowing no such year as one of 370 days, nevertheless argue that the Diluvian months contained 30 days. But to us, who have met with such examples of this number as have led us to conclude that the Jews had such a Cycle, it presents not this difficulty. On the contrary, the coincidences mutually confirm each other. And the chief result given out by this view, would be that the year of Deluge was an old Egyptian year, plus an intercalation of 10 days, making a 370-day Cycle. The origin of this Cycle might be found, if it were allowable to suppose that at some time or other the epagomenæ were placed in alternate years at the beginning and the end of the year, thus: 360 +5 +5 (370) + 360. 163. The only effect of the view which regards the first 40 days as included in the 150 is, that while it makes the latter terminate at the resting of the Ark, it eliminates two or three periodic numbers. On the whole the result is not in favour of it. 164. The changes made by the different reading of the LXX. and Josephus are too plainly shown to need recapitulation. But special attention may be directed to the circumstance that on this view between the commencement of the Deluge and the reappearance of the mountains is 214 days = JEWISH LUNAR YEAR. 165. Secondly, we may adopt the supposition that the lunar year of the Jews is that alluded to in the account of the Deluge. That this is the case both the natural construction of the terms and the testimony of Josephus combine to shew. The following table will shew the results of this hypothesis on the different constructions. Statements of the Text. From 1st of 1st, 40 1656. "40 days"-17th of Marhesvan - = 40 150 days"-28th C. to 1st of From 28th C. to "17th Ni- 107 28th C. to 17th N. 107 17th to 20th N., 3 11th of S. 53 33 33 30 220 = 40 40 7 7 = 7 7 "7 days"-26th Ab. to 3rd Elul-2nd to 3rd Dove... = From 3rd Elul to "1st Tisri," when "the ground was dry"= 7 7 1657. From "1st T." to "27th of Marhesvan," when Noah left the ark... = 166. It affords a presumption in favour of the first construction that it makes the 150 days terminate with the 8th month Jyar, thereby leaving an exact month for the 2nd stage of subsidence; and thus every successive division and subdivision of the year on this scheme is some periodic number or other, which is not the case with the first construction of |