CHRONOLOGY
732
CHRONOLOGY
mense antiquity. Professor Dana declares its age to be
fifty millions of years; others suggest figures still more
startling (cf. Guibert, "In the Beginning"; Molloy,
"Geology and Revelation"; Hummelauer, "Gene-
sis"; Hastings, "Dictionary of the Bible"; Mangenot
in Vig., "Diet, de la Bible"; Driver, "Genesis".
Perhaps the words of Genesis (i, 2): "The earth was
void and empty, and darkness was on the face of the
deep", refer to the first phase of the Creation, the
astronomical, before the geological period began. On
such questions we have no Biblical evidence, and the
Catholic is quite free to follow the teaching of science.
(2) Creation of Man. — The question which this subject suggests is: Can we confine the time that man has existed on earth within the limits usually as- signed, i. e. within about 4000 years of the birth of Christ? — The Church does not interfere with the free- dom of scientists to examine into this subject and form the best judgment they can with the aid of science. She evidently does not attach decisive in- fluence to the chronology of the Vulgate, the official version of the Western Church, since in the Martyr- ology for Christmas Day, the creation of Adam is put down in the year 5199 B. c, which is the reading of the Septuagint. It is, however, certain that we can- not confine the years of man's sojourn on earth to that usually set down. But, on the other hand, we are by no means driven to accept the extravagant con- clusions of some scientists. As Mangenot says (Vig., Diet, de la Bible, II, 720 sq.), speaking of the right of Catholics to follow the teaching of science: — "cer- tains tenants de l'archeologie prehistorique ont abuse de cette liberie et assigne une antiquite tres reculee a I'humanite" (certain champions of prehistoric archae- ology have abused this liberty and assigned to the human race an extremely remote antiquity). Thus Guibert writes (op. cit., p. 28): "Haeckel names more than 100,000 years; Burmeister supposed Egypt was peopled more than 72,000 years ago; Draper attrib- utes to European man more than 250,000 years; ac- cording to M. Joly, certain geologists accord to the human race 100,000 centuries; and G. de Mortillet shows that man's existence reaches to about 240,000 years." He adds, however: "These numbers have been built up on such arbitrary and fragile bases, that true science could not tolerate them long." In fact, M. Guibert is of opinion that with our present knowl- edge there is nothing compelling us to extend the ex- istence of man beyond 10,000 years. Such questions as the antiquity of civilization, which had reached a high pitch in Babylonia and Egypt 4000 years b. c, the radical differences of language at the same early period, differences of race (cf. the white, black, and yellow races), which do not seem to have been modi- fied within the historic period, and the remains of human workmanship going back to a very remote antiquity — all these things seem to lead to the con- clusion that the existence of man on earth goes back far beyond the traditional 4,000 years. Professor Driver says ("Genesis", p. xxxvi): "Upon the most moderate estimate it cannot be less than 20,000 years."
(3) Creation to the Flood. — The period from the ( nation to the Flood is measured by the genealogical table of the ten patriarchs in Genesis, v, and Genesis, vii, 6. But the exact meaning of chapter v has not
1 n clearly defined. Critical writers point out that
the number ten is a common one amongst ancient peoples in the list of their prehistoric heroes, and that they attribute fabulous lengths to tht- lives of these men; thus, the Chaldeans reckon for their first ten heroes, who lived in the period from the Creation ti> the Flood, a space of 432.1 mn years. This seems to point to .some common nucleus of truth or primitive tradition which became distorted and exaggerated in the course of ages. Various explanations have been given of chapter v to explain the .short time it seems
to allow between the Creation and the Flood. One is
that there are lacunse in it, and, though it is not easy
to see how that can be, still it has to be remembered
that they exist in St. Matthew (i, 8) in precisely simi-
lar circumstances. That there are difficulties about
the genealogical table in chapter v, we know; for, as
may be seen from the accompanying table, the total
number of years in the Hebrew, Samaritan, and Sep-
tuagint differs, in the Hebrew, it being 1656, in the
Samaritan, 1307, and in the Septuagint, 2242.
Names of the Patriarchs
Age at birth of s
.n:-
Hebrew Samaritan
Sept.
Adam
130
130
230
Seth
105
105
205
Enos
90
90
190
Cainan
70
70
170
Malaleil
65
65
165
Jared
162
62
162
Enoch
65
65
165
Mathusalem
187
67
167
Lameeh
182
53
188
Noe
500
500
500
From Noe to Flood
100
100
100
Creation to Flood
1656
1307
2242
From an inspection of the above table it is obvious
that the diversity is due to systematic change —
whether to increase the total length of the period or
to reduce the age at which the patriarchs had chil-
dren or for some other reason, we know not. One
thing can be confidently asserted, that the length of
time between the creation of Adam and the Flood can-
not be restricted within the period traditionally set
down. It may also be said that "for this period the
chronology of the Bible is quite uncertain" (Vigou-
roux, Diet., 273), and that the freedom of the Catholic
in investigating the chronology of this period is quite
unrestricted.
(4) The Flood to the Birth of Abraham. — The years between the Flood and Abraham are computed in the Book of Genesis by the genealogy of chapter xi (10-26).
Names of the Patriarchs
Age at birth of son: —
Hebrew Samaritan Sept.
Sem (father of Arphaxad)
Arphaxad (father of Cainan)
Cainan (father of Sale)
Sale (father of Heber)
Heber ^father of Phaleg)
Phaleg I father of Reu)
Ken i father of Sarug)
Sarug (father of Nachor)
Nachor (father of Thare)
Thare (father of Abraham
102
35
30 34 30 32 30 29 70
102
135
130
134 130 132 130 79 70
102
135
130
130
134
130
132
130
79
70
Years from birth of Sem )
to birth of Abraham \
Deduct years of Sem's ) age at time of flood j
392
100
1042
100
1172
100
Add for age of Abraham )
at time of his call )
292
75
942
75
1072
75
Hence, number of years!
from Flood to Call of-
Abraham 1
367
1017
11 IT
Again, however, the numbers in the table above differ
in the Hebrew, Samaritan, and Septuagint, being re-
spectively 367, 1017, and 1147; and it will be observed
