A dissertation on the true age of the world : $b in which is determined the chronology of the period from creation to the Christian eraWallace, R. (Robert)
Religion
A dissertation on the true age of the world : $b in which is determined the chronology of the period from creation to the Christian era
Wallace, R. (Robert)
Bible; Chronology; Chronology, Historical
The errors of Theophilus in this age are both strange and unaccountable,
except on the principle of Jewish influence, when we consider that his
error in the first age, was only 20 years, while here it amounts to 132
years. He states that from the Creation “till Abraham, there are 3278
years,”[77] that is, to the birth of Isaac as appears by the context. If
from this number we subtract his extent of the first age, viz. 2242
years, the remainder is 1036 years, or his period from the flood to the
birth of Abraham; and from this period, deducting 25 years, the time
which elapsed from the Call to the birth of Isaac, we obtain a remainder
of 1011 years, which is the extent of the _Second age_, according to
Theophilus. Hence, it is plain that he omits the _Second Cainan_, the 2
years after the flood previous to the birth of Arphaxad, and 4 years in
the _Antepaidogonian age_ of Nahor. The second omission is manifest also
from the context, where he says, “but _immediately_ (ἐυθέως) after the
flood, Shem being 100 years old, begat Arphaxad.” We shall see that he
endeavours to make up for these omissions, by a curious balance of some
of these errors in the succeeding age. In addition to the tabular
statements, Africanus says that, “Arphaxad begat Salah in A. M. 2397;
Salah begat Heber in A. M. 2527; and Heber begat Peleg in A. M. 2661.”
He says also that “Peleg at the age of 130 begat Reu, and having lived
other 209 years, died;” so that “from Adam to the death of Peleg there
were 3000 years.”[78] According to the true chronology, Peleg died in A.
M. 3132; hence, from the dates of Africanus, if correctly reported, it
appears that he omits the genealogy of the _Second Cainan_, and the two
years after the flood previous to the birth of Arphaxad. The difference
between the dates of Africanus and those derived from the Septuagint, is
therefore 132 years; and this number must be added to the subsequent
dates of Africanus, until other errors appear, in order to obtain the
true dates. If this be done, we shall find that throughout the whole of
this age, the dates of Africanus will perfectly agree with those of the
true chronology. Connected with the tradition of the renovation of the
world at the end of 6000 years, there appears to have been an idea
current among the early chronographers, that the period from the
Creation to the Advent of Christ was exactly _bisected_ at the death of
Peleg; because the Scripture says that “in his days the earth was
divided,” by which they seem to have understood the whole period of its
existence! Hence, the apparent reason of the omission of the _Second
Cainan’s_ generation, and the _Postdiluvian biennial_ period.[79]
Africanus further states that “in A. M. 3277, Abraham entered the
promised land;” consequently, an interval of 277 years had elapsed since
the death of Peleg; but this corresponds exactly with the interval of
the Septuagint, for 3409 − 3132 = 277; see Tables V. and VIII. of our
_first Part_.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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